Sam and Max 2 Cancelled! (Not Anymore)

[James Kay]

It's all too bad, of course, but by all rumours the game wasn't shaping up as it should have been. Also, I believe Steve Purcell hasn't worked at LucasArts for a while now. Stories of the internal atmosphere at LA are beginning to get notorious.

Also, I can tell you right now what they will do with all those emails you sent them, especially the sarci ones.
Don't waste your time.

[auhsor]

Man that is so bad. I, as with everyine else here wa looking foreward to that game. For a moment there I was thinking that Lucasarts would not go the way that Sierra has gone, and still support the Adventure genre. But it seems I was wrong.

Even the editor at Hyper (big multi platform games magazine in australia) was saying that it was one of his most eagerly awaited games, well i'm pretty sure someone there said that.  I'll find the exact qote when i'm at home.

[Trapezoid]

I hadn't read anything to indicate that it wasn't turning out to be a great game. Everything looked insanely promising. Steve Purcell was even a consultant. Someone should email him and see if he has anything to say about this...

[remixor]

It's all too bad, of course, but by all rumours the game wasn't shaping up as it should have been. Also, I believe Steve Purcell hasn't worked at LucasArts for a while now. Stories of the internal atmosphere at LA are beginning to get notorious.

Also, I can tell you right now what they will do with all those emails you sent them, especially the sarci ones.
Don't waste your time.

Steve Purcell is not an LucasArts employee; he currently works at Pixar.  However, he was very involved with this game (and was quite excited about it) and was getting a Producer credit on the project.  I'm not sure where you heard these rumours, but most people who saw early builds of the game said it was looking quite good, and everyone at LucasArts except the sales department was very confident in it.  And your assumption that emails are useless is unfounded.  I have it on good authority that the sheer volume of mail LucasArts has gotten today (let me tell you, it's been a lot) has definitely made an impact on their execs.  Are they going to un-cancel the title?  Probably not, but we're sending a message and that's what's important.  If they don't get the feeling that nobody minds that they're cancelling Sam and Max 2, things definitely aren't going to get better.  Trying to get them to realize they've made a mistake is what's important, and it can't hurt.

[James Kay]

These rumours are not public, but they have been floating around a bit. By all accounts, working at LA is no picnic. Allegedly.
Well, I hope they have a good hard think about the emails they receive, if, indeed, they get that many.
But let's jot forget: games are about making money. And though I would have queued on release day to get my dirty mitts on S&M2, I personally doubt it would be a million seller.
Also, think about it: it's been in development a while now. That means a lot of money has been put into it already. Then they cancel it. Massive losses no doubt. Surely "not the right time" is a PR excuse and nothing more.

So, if Purcell owns the rights, let's hope another company can do something with it. These characters are too damn great to disappear!

[[Cameron]]

I hope bad language does not offend anyone coz...
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[D · Y · D · O]

My e-mail/response:

Dear Whomever it may concern,

Just now I've heard the bad news. I'm deeply saddened to learn LucasArts has decided to cancel, what may possibly have been one of the greatest, best selling games of the year: Sam & Max: Freelance Police. I find it very unfortunate your sales department has lost its faith in the adventure game genre and has become unwilling to release this particular one after the poor results of your other non Star Wars exploits (which were FPS games, I might add).

This e-mail may fall in a deaf man's ear, but I sincerely hope your company will reconsider its business strategies in the future, working in favor of creatively produced games instead of solely relying on the Star Wars franchise.

Diederik Veenendaal

The Hague, Netherlands

[Ozwalled]

Is there a toll-free number to reach LucasArts at?

(yes, I am too lazy to dig out my recent LucasArts games...)

[modgeulator]

I'm pretty pissed about this. Not only because we're missing out on what looked like a great game, but what was a real opportunity to breath some life back into this genre.
So I did the nerdy fanboy thing and wrote a letter too:

I'm sure no one will ever even read this. But anyway, I just want to say how disappointed I am that you have decided to cease production on the new Sam & Max title. It was, by far, the release I was most looking forward to in 2004.

It's the way it's been announced that really bothers me though:
"...Current market place realities and underlying economic considerations, we've decided that this was not the appropriate time to launch a graphic adventure on the PC"

As a fan of the graphic adventure genre, I suppose this means you don't value me as a customer? There's not even any attempt to sugar coat things here. No "sorry to inform" or "sadly/regrettably" or anything. Just a short, curt "your fanbase isn't profitable enough - go to hell."

I know myself, and other gamers, have a real yearning for something beyond the typical old action games that are all that are produced these days. Something story based. Something centered around exploration. It's sad to think that the attitudes of the video games industry, and the "current market place realities" seem to rule out any chance of real creativity in the medium.

With regards,
   Another unprofitable fan.

[Scummbuddy]

"your fanbase isn't profitable enough - go to hell."

haha, very nice.

I'll be writing mine when I get back from school today.  Teh BaStards!1!

[Airborne]

Here is my letter:

Before I can hear any hope on Monkey Island 5, I heard one of the saddest news in my life... Sam and Max 2 cancelled!  One of my beloved title has axed!  I can tell Monkey Island 5 will be only a dream of mine and other Monkey Island fans....

Why?  What on earth is that market place or economic consideration?  What is the realities?  I tell you the reality, your marketing don't know how to sale a single game.  If your company considering any economic related action, I suggest the first thing to do is to fire the whole marketing and finance department (including Mr. Mike Nelson himself) and replace with a whole bunch of creative, active and considerate people.

In the past, I always consider LucasArts is one of my most respect game developing company.  Many many good titles such as Monkey Island series, Indiana Jones series, Secret Weapon of the Luftwaffe, X-Wing, Dark Force I, and, of cause, not to mention Sam & Max itself.  All these games are creative, down to the earth and keep player a long time of enjoyment.

However these few years, all your consideration is JUST and ONLY JUST on Star Wars titles!  I must admit I'm also a fan of Star Wars but the best SW game I ever played are X-Wing/Tie Fighter series and Dark Force I.  After that all other SW titles were just pieces of shit, or, not that worst, were just average.  It's simply too much Star Wars game out there but too few creative and well developed LucasArts original titles.

Please, from the deep of my heart as a LucasArts' fan, please be considerate.  If LucasArts want to keep alive in the gaming industry, listen to the player, not the marketing sales and finance controllers.

I can't stand with that action!

[Kinoko]

God, the fact that a company that used to be one of the only truly decent game producers out there has turned to such shit and still exists is incredibly disappointing. Oh, how I would have LOVED another Sam and Max game. As long as it -was- going to be decent in the first place...

Remixor, I loved your letter (if only they'd listen!) but I just don't have much hope of it being read. I've written a couple of similar things to companies like this before and you're lucky if some unimportant lacky skims the first line. If they don't see a "You are a BRILLIANT company and I want to buy a MILLION SHARES and suck ALL of your extremeties" in the subject line, it probably goes straight into the old trash can. Mind you, that's no reason to stop. I'd love to see these people bombarded with constructive hate mail and criticism when bad decisions like this are made. They need to learn.

Why won't they learn??

One other reason so many shithouse games are coming out these days is due to gaming being so mainstream these days. It was probably much more -loved- a decade ago because back then it was only people who really had an interest in it (and hence, had standards) who were into it. These days, it's just the "thing" to have a shitty PSX and a bunch of utterly mediocre-yet-suped-up PC games. Looking at the "classics" aisle in my local gaming stores these days is the most depressing thing. I want to see "The Kyrandia collection!" and "Best of seirra!" and the like, but instead am faced with the previous year's Tiger Woods game.

How many webpages do you find on the net dedicated to rabid adventure game fans starving for more and in desperation, playing their old favourites 1000 times over, as opposed to webpages dedicated to mad ... same-game-released-every-year-with-slightly-updated-sound-bytes sports/FPS games.

I don't want to know that answer if it's not what I think.

Also, I'd be all for fans (skilled fans, mind you) making their own version of a Sam and Max game, but -only- if Steve Purcell himself were on the project. Which in all likeliness he wouldn't be.

The ridiculous thing is going out and seeing a whole shelf in a gaming store dedicated to unbelievably crappy looking gambling/board-game based games. If THEY can get produced and are apparently worthy of shelf space, why not a simple yet loved-filled adventure game? Maybe if the game market weren't so crammed full of stuff, quality might be able to sneak its way in.

[Gonzo]

I've reached the end of my patience with LucasArts. I used to be so excited about them, they just seemed like a hive of original ideas and great writing - they could be relied upon to give you a good game. That's a world away from what we've seen today, LucasArts has turned its back on a legion of fans, a genre they made their name with. For someone like me, the significance is massive. It just feels like this is the real end of LucasArts as I've known it. It was bad the past few years, but there was always some hope.

LucasArts have in the past really lived up to the 'Arts' name they took, producing plenty of games in-house that seemed like genuinely great works of art, original and exciting in the same way as a great film or book is. They did something special for computer gaming as a whole.

Now they may as well just be Lucasfilm Games again, because all hope them returning to their roots has collapsed. They are now almost purely part of the money-making machinery, a sad shadow of the respected gaming company they once were.

I'm almost certain they're not going to re-start production on Sam And Max, and I doubt there will be any more adventure games. It's up to someone else to be the pioneers now, because LucasArts can't do it like they used to. They've lost it.

[Migs]

Some of you guys are sounding like the trick-or-treaters on Halloween who get pissed off when the guy in the rich house only gives out a single Tootsie Roll, so they egg the house and run off.

LucasArts is a business, and they have to look out for what's in the best interest of their company.  Right now, the best thing for them to do is mass-produce Star Wars games.

[HingedShinobi]

good point but I still sent an e-mail

"I doubt anyone will read this but oh well.

As I understand it Sam and Max 2 has been cancelled because it is "not the appropriate time to launch a graphic adventure on the PC" so your the experts when is the right time? If it were up to me now would be a better time then any what with all the First Person Shooters being released, you could bring back the Adventure Game Genre and give people more choice on what to buy rather than all this WWII and Star Wars stuff. You have let many faithful fans down and I know for a fact that they won't be buying anymore LucasArts products but I will keep buying your games because most of them are enjoyable and very good.

As I said above you have let many fans down, and if you have the time you should check this out http://www.agsforums.com/yabb/index.php?board=3;action=display;threadid=12143;start=0 its a thread about Sam and Max 2 being cancelled in which fans express their opinion.

Anyway Good luck in the future and I hope you'll understand the mistake you have made."

[Kweepa]

That's a real shame.

I was looking forward to Sam and Max 2. With Steve Purcell as consultant it was guaranteed to be quality. And maybe that's why we aren't seeing it. Perhaps Steve himself pulled the plug? After all working at Pixar has probably raised his standards bar.

The screenshots I've seen didn't entirely inspire confidence - Max in particular seemed quite strange around the seams. I thought they were supposed to be a dog and a rabbit, not a couple of plastic toys. But enough of my devil's advocacy.

As for remixor's question about why all those good people left LucasArts, from what I've heard that's exactly what management wanted. Hire them cheap (and inexperienced), fire them or force them out when they're too expensive. Which is one reason LA doesn't consistently produce great games.

DYDO - "This email may fall in a deaf man's ear" - phrases like that are one way to ensure it doesn't. When I was working in big companies, the only feedback mails that got circulated to the staff were the crazy ones. You just need to change the remainder of your excellently written letter into Wacko rantings.

Steve

[Czar]

Hmm yeah, I doubt if they will ever read these mails, cause i think they have a thing that if your subject doesnt contain a special word, it goes to recycle bin.

However these few years, all your consideration is JUST and ONLY JUST on Star Wars titles! I must admit I'm also a fan of Star Wars but the best SW game I ever played are X-Wing/Tie Fighter series and Dark Force I. After that all other SW titles were just pieces of shit, or, not that worst, were just average

He he, guess you haven't played KotOR, one of the rare games from the NEW age i played, and loved.

Oh how much would i like to see Sam and Max get finished by someone else, and with a huge /box office/ (cant remember the word).

Yeah, well, all from me for now.

[D · Y · D · O]

Thanks for the advice, Steve. I should have added more l33tsp34k, but I already sent it.

Anyhoo,

Gamespot is running a poll on the cancellation of Sam n Max.
It asks: "Are you sad Sam n Max have been cancelled?"

Half replied 'Yes', the other "Sam & Who?". Most surprising to me is, that nobody (well relatively speaking) answered "No". This would mean that, if you even know about the project, you're disappointed it isn't gonna be released.

[jannar85]

*sarcastic* It finally got cancelled! Cheer up guys!

I hate them... Read my full opinion @ AG..

[BerserkerTails]

Jannar: I liked your editorial, very nice.

Yesterday was probably the biggest blow to the adventure game community since Chainsaw Monday...