Gaming News This incredible game from EA is finished on paper, but you’ll never play it!
Alice Asylum should complete the trilogy of games based on Lewis Carroll’s famous character. However, the publisher Electronic Arts did not want to finance the project. Story of a written sequel that will – probably – never see the light of day.
It’s official: Alice Asylum, the sequel to Madness Returns, will never see the light of day. Publisher Electronic Arts, which owns the adaptation rights, withdrew sponsorship of the title after an “internal analysis of licensing and market conditions.” An almost harmless refusal for the video game industry, but not for its creator American McGee. The man, who carried the franchise for nearly 20 years, lamented the news of his Patreon Beginning of April 2023: “I’ve reached an end point with (the series) and game production in general”, he explains. “I have no more ideas and no more energy”.
From dream to nightmare
McGee always envisioned Alice’s adventures as a trilogy. In 2000 he published his first work, soberly titled American McGee’s. We follow the adventures of the famous heroine who is sent to an asylum after the death of her parents in a fire. To escape her trauma and the torments of the establishment, she finds sanctuary in the wonderland created from the ground up by her mind. A far cry from the 1951 Disney film, this version aims to be darker, gory, and psychological. It even became Electronic Arts’ first 18+ app. This didn’t stop it from being a success, especially Critical (85/100 on Metacritic). A sequel, Alice: Madness Returns, was quickly launched.
In this second part, Alice has grown up and in order to “heal” she must forget about Wonderland. In ten years, thanks to the power of Unreal Engine 3, the license has passed a real technical milestone. There are more accomplished areas and, importantly, a more advanced narrative. In the end almost 500,000 units found buyers all over the world, probably too few for Electronic Arts. For compar ison, the action-adventure game Dante’s Inferno, which was released simultaneously on PS3 and Xbox 360 (not PC, unlike Madness Returns). twice as good
Alice: American McGee’s (2000) as Alice: Madness Returns (2011)
In any case, there is no question on McGee’s part: a third part is worthwhile. It begins its design in 2011, before its editor’s approval. In more than ten years, the project will never go into production. It’s not a lack of effort. First with Alice: Otherland, an episodic title with MMO gameplay that will eventually become a short film to be released in 2015 youtube. But the desire for a new game is always there. The following year, Alice Asylum, the actual third part of the series, was released. Electronic Arts is willing to develop it assuming there is a demo. Problem, McGee has no money and the publisher rejects a possible crowdfunding. “I offered it. They rejected the idea. It must be money out of my own pocket,” he tweeted. The creative does not lose hope. In an attempt to convince EA, he began creating a reference book, a “Bible », where the entire game is described: from the scenario to the graphics, including the collectibles and the damage of the weapons. Everything is here.
I suggested that. They rejected the idea. Must be money out of my own pocket, not crowdfunding.
— ⚓ American McGee 🏴☠️ (@americanmcgee) June 17, 2016
Alice Asylum in 400 pages
Inside we discover that“The asylum was meant to end Alice Liddell’s journey, always in a surreal or even “nightmarish” atmosphere, as American McGee describes it. Everything had to start when the young girl ended up in a psychiatric hospital after the death of her family at the age of 13. The character would then have gone through the five stages of grief (depression, denial, anger, bargaining, acceptance) in about twenty hours of play, and as in the past, the heroine would have taken refuge in her wonderland.
All indications are that this third work would follow Alice’s youth through flashbacks and reminiscences to her adult independence. Which elements to be explained remained unanswered. In particular, the mysterious world that the young woman ended up in at the end of Madness Returns. But of course there were also new areas on the program. The circus, for example, should become the domain of denial. In his book, McGee suggests developing the software using Unreal Engine 5. Today there are only works of art.
Avatar of the Sagittarius
On the gameplay side we find the same ambition. As usual, Alice would have found her trusty Vorpaline blade, pepper mill and murderous deck of cards, but instead of the bonuses associated with each dress, The “runes” would have come into play and bestowed unique properties (“Sulphide” projects fireballs, “Aqua Fortis” weakens enemies, “Sagittarius” materializes a bow). To get her, you had to kill her avatar. Madness Returns’ “Hysteria” mode should also return. It grants a damage bonus when health is too low. Help that was often useless to experienced players, McGee notes. “Asylum’s intent is to reward players on both sides of the spectrum. Hysteria remains to escape death, but a new ability is available for very experienced players: Inferno”. The enemies, on the other hand, would have been more diverse and “intelligent” and would have required more strategy to defeat.
Alchemist Outfit, Inferno Mode, and Queen’s Soldier.
So, unfortunately, for American McGee, “the dream is over,” even if the Musicare included. He states in his Patreon that he has no way of producing his work elsewhere. Only Electronics Arts could come up with a new title for its part. At the moment, the creative isn’t thinking about it. “If anyone can convince EA to do Asylum, I want to make it clear that I have no desire to be involved from now on.” he explains. My commitment to the Alice license is also coming to an end.”
