Why are Adventure games so ignored?
Maybe they don't sell as much (though I have heard some evidence to the opposite) but it's not like there's a shortage oof them or anything.
I think they're quite profitable if you invest according to the size of the market.
But I'm afraid the days of AAA adventure games are all but gone, because the new audience apparently doesn't find that kind of gameplay all too exciting.
I'd say there's probably a "middle-market" for this just as there is for CRPGs - but it'll take some daring investors to test it out.
That said, there are many recent quality adventures with "decent" production values, like the Sherlock Holmes games. So maybe it's coming along better than one would suspect.
It's an interesting genre, because the challenges are less about technical prowess (the latest greatest 3D shader effects etc.) - as even I could code most traditional point/click adventure games, and I'm no coding genius. The challenge is telling a compelling story with fitting and quality visuals - and perhaps the kind of art needed isn't quite the same as the art for the vast majority of modern popular games.
I'd love to see a throwback to the old "hand-drawn" style ala Monkey Island, but with a less cartoonish approach than the new Monkey Island games. Something like Kyrandia with AAA production values would be fantastic.
That, or a high resolution high color MYST game with everything but the kitchen sink thrown at the art, would be a truly immersive and wonderful experience.
One can but hope
