Sierra Studios - Revived From the Dead

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Adventure game lovers rejoice as defunct developer Sierra has been reborn, and has plans to resurrect King’s Quest . Here is the press release.
The Epic Return of King’s Quest and Geometry Wars 3 : Dimensions

Headline the List of New, Fan-Favorite Titles Planned to Launch Under the Sierra Brand

Köln, Germany – August 12, 2014 – With a renowned history that’s served as the origin for many nostalgic video game characters, worlds and experiences, Sierra™ continues on today in a return to form that fans of great games will love. A part of Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI), Sierra ’s focus is on indie studios developing innovative, edgy and graphically unique games, including new IPs and contemporary reimaginings of beloved Sierra classics. Headlining Sierra ’s slate of indie games is an all-new King’s Quest™ experience in 2015, and a new G eometry Wars ™ game planned to launch this holiday season. Additionally, the Sierra team is well underway exploring other indie projects to potentially launch later this year, and in 2015 and beyond.

In development by the beloved and quirky studio The Odd Gentlemen (The Misadventures of PB Winterbottom), King’s Quest is a fully reimagined version of the fan-favorite Sierra game fit for both the old and new generation of King’s Quest players. Huge fans of the original King’s Quest series, The Odd Gentlemen are crafting a charming new adventure with an awe-inspiring art style, engaging puzzles, and a wondrous interactive narrative brimming with humor. In the new story, King Graham – revered as the greatest adventurer to ever live – shares his life’s adventures with his curious granddaughter, Gwendolyn. It is through these tales that Gwendolyn discovers the true greatness of her grandfather. King’s Quest is expected to make its heralded return in 2015.

Today’s news about the future of Sierra was met with excitement from its original founder, Ken Williams. “We’re very proud of what we created all those years ago with Sierra Online, and today’s news about carrying Sierra forward as an indie-specific brand is very encouraging,” said Williams. “We look forward to seeing Sierra ’s independent spirit live on, and are especially excited to see what The Odd Gentlemen will do with King’s Quest.”

Sierra began in 1979 with a single 8-bit Apple II microcomputer, and founders Roberta and Ken Williams’ love for storytelling and new technology that drove a revolution in the adventure game genre, and forever changed the industry. Today, a new wave of independent artists and entrepreneurs are using the same inventive attitude and latest tech to create amazing gaming experiences, and that’s where Sierra comes into play. With the popularity of digital platforms like Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and Steam, the new Sierra will cater to the unique needs of each indie studio, ranging from aiding in game development and first party relations, to PR, marketing and digital/retail distribution. Sierra will help foster today’s talent to create amazing video games as it has so many times before.

“ Sierra ’s goal is to find and work with talented indie developers working on their own amazing projects, or passionate about working on great Sierra IP, and leverage our expertise to aid them in bring these fun and exciting experiences to gamers with the level of visibility and awareness they deserve,” said Bob Loya, Sr. Director of External Development. “In addition to Lucid Games and The Odd Gentlemen, we’re in talks with a large number of other indie devs, and can’t wait to share more details with fans in the near future.”

The first title set to launch under Sierra is Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions from the team at Lucid Games. Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions is an exciting new evolution of the fast-paced, frenetic Geometry Wars gameplay fans love, and will introduce full 3D action and both cooperative and competitive multiplayer for the first time in the franchise. In addition to a full single-player campaign with 50 unique challenges and over 10 battle modes – five of which are brand new to the series – Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions features dynamic and persistent progression, offering players a consistently new experience each time they play. Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions is planned to launch later this year.

“Thanks to Sierra , we’re planning to release Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions on more platforms than ever before,” said Pete Wallace, Studio Head, Lucid Games. “We’re thrilled to work with the indie team at Sierra to bring the next generation of Geo Wars gameplay to our passionate and loyal fans, and look forward to seeing you all online!”

For the latest information on Sierra , including additional details on King’s Quest and Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions, be sure to check out the official Sierra website at www.sierra.com.
Click to expand...
More information.
 
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Thant's great news!
1. It's Sierra! Kings Quest is coming back!
2. Activision having a designated "indie" label can't be a bad thing. I mean what I love most about ubi soft were all the "indie"/ Medium Budget games they were pushing out. Blood Dragon, Might and Magic X, Call of Juarez: Gunslinger and while they are not my cup of tea: Child of Light, Valiant Hearts.
 
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super news. especially as I have a core adventure background
 
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Kings Quest I and II are some of my earliest gaming memories. I loved Sierra games growing up from Quest for Glory to Space Quest and Gabriel Knight. Really hoping they can me a great game to help relive a little of my childhood magic.
 
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Could be good. It could also be a cheap way of exploiting the name of a beloved developer. Being a part of ActiBlizz doesn't exactly bode well for the best intentions.

Let's see what happens :)
 
Betrayal at Krondor remake with only graphics improved, okay.
Everything else... Not interested.

For those who still think they'll revive King's Quest and etc, I don't think so. I bet they're reviving this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Softporn_Adventure
 
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I'm with joxer here... not interested in Adventures.
 
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Yup… indeed I wouldn't mind having such hybrids. But that's speculation anyway. Let's see what they'll have and then decide. ;)
 
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Kings Quest. Insert disc #32/157 to continue.
Betrayal was a great game!
 
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joxer said:
Betrayal at Krondor remake with only graphics improved, okay.
Everything else… Not interested.

For those who still think they'll revive King's Quest and etc, I don't think so. I bet they're reviving this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Softporn_Adventure
Click to expand...

my same thoughts, maybe I changed with the market, or the market changed me, but I just don't care about adventure games anymore (especially 'pixel hunters'). So while when I was younger I would kill to play the newest King's Quest or Space Quest, nowadays I couldn't care less. Now, Betrayal at Krondor is a game I think I would still love to play to this date if it was redone or emulated (I loved the combat and the riddle puzzles).
 
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I replayed Betrayal at Krondor at some point last year, I'd totally be up for doing it again in the near future. Games these days don't have nearly the appeal that most games had for me back in the 90's. I would only hope that they wouldn't fiddle with the mechanics of the game.
 
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wolfing said:
my same thoughts, maybe I changed with the market, or the market changed me, but I just don't care about adventure games anymore (especially 'pixel hunters'). So while when I was younger I would kill to play the newest King's Quest or Space Quest, nowadays I couldn't care less. Now, Betrayal at Krondor is a game I think I would still love to play to this date if it was redone or emulated (I loved the combat and the riddle puzzles).
Click to expand...

What was the last adventure you played?
I am actually quite the opposite. Back in the days I played adventures like Maniac Manison, Kings Quest or Toonstruck, but I always played them with a walkthrough guide back then. One of the reasons was the pixelhunting, other was tons of options to combine things.

But todays adventures are very elegant to play, you either solve the solution by having good ideas or just trying things out.

I couldn't play adventures all the time, but a couple a year is fine.

For RPG fans I especially recommend Book of Unwritten tales from King Arts.
But most of the Daedalic RPGs are very enjoyable as well. Especially "Deponia".

So if you didn't play these yet, I recommend to try them. Wait for a steam deal, shouldn't be more than like 5$/€ each.
 
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wolfing said:
my same thoughts, maybe I changed with the market, or the market changed me, but I just don't care about adventure games anymore (especially 'pixel hunters'). So while when I was younger I would kill to play the newest King's Quest or Space Quest, nowadays I couldn't care less. Now, Betrayal at Krondor is a game I think I would still love to play to this date if it was redone or emulated (I loved the combat and the riddle puzzles).
Click to expand...

Or maybe it's an country thing ? Here in Germany, people still ,like these games.

On the contrary, me, personally, I don't care about the newest shooter or A-RPG game anymore. *jawn*

I just feel old when I pass the Shooter shelf of the market … it's just not my genre anymore. I couldn't care less.

These games don't have story. They don't have soul. Shooters simply aren't the best narrative medium to present drama to "the player" ... But "the player" seemingly doesn't want any good stories anymore, anyway.
 
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Kordanor said:
What was the last adventure you played?
I am actually quite the opposite. Back in the days I played adventures like Maniac Manison, Kings Quest or Toonstruck, but I always played them with a walkthrough guide back then. One of the reasons was the pixelhunting, other was tons of options to combine things.

But todays adventures are very elegant to play, you either solve the solution by having good ideas or just trying things out.

I couldn't play adventures all the time, but a couple a year is fine.

For RPG fans I especially recommend Book of Unwritten tales from King Arts.
But most of the Daedalic RPGs are very enjoyable as well. Especially "Deponia".

So if you didn't play these yet, I recommend to try them. Wait for a steam deal, shouldn't be more than like 5$/€ each.
Click to expand...
I still play one or two a year. I did play Book of Unwritten tales, I'm not saying it's not well done, it was sort of a little bit amusing (that's how my brain remembers it). I did like Indigo Prophecy. I've also played other recent ones, but that's the thing, I can't remember a thing about them. Like a person breaking up with someone… "the problem is not them, it's me".
 
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Means little or nothing to me. Sierra was comprised of the developers that made certain kinds of games. The new Sierra bears only a name, not the developers, not the development style, and nothing more. It may turn out to be good studio after all (and I hope that it will), but even then, it will have no connections with the old one.
 
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