Why did EA cancel Alice: Asylum?

[𝔰𝔦𝔤𝔦𝔫𝔞 ✝]

The concept art and everything else looked great.

[Sunsetter]

Cause they're incompetent buffoons.

[juarezman]

I keep asking myself the same thing. They told American McGee they didn't feel they would have made a profit publishing the game themselves. He then offered to licence the property and make the game with with Virtuos. They refused, saying the Alice property was too important to the EA games catalogue. Keep in mind, this is a property they haven't done anything with in over 12 years.

It just doesn't make any sense why EA would turn down a project that is basically ready to enter production. The design bible is complete and ready to use. It doesn't make any business sense, and it doesn't make any creative sense.

The only two possible explanations I can think of are:

1. Someone high up at EA has a serious dislike for American McGee and his fans, and blocked Alice Asylum from happening just to spite him.

or

2. EA actually did like the ideas presented for Alice Asylum, but turned away Mcgee in order to take the project in their own direction with one of their internal studios.

(Basically a similar situation to when a game studio named Vision Scape Interactive presented the idea of a Sonic skateboarding game to Sega, only for Sega take the idea and hand it to one of their own studios, Sonic Team, for development, leaving Vision Scape Interactive out of the project. This is the game we now know as Sonic Riders.)

[Lurker at the threshold]

Originally posted by juarezman:

1. Someone high up at EA has a serious dislike for American McGee

wtf that's rude

Originally posted by juarezman:

and his fans

now that's way more understandable, I choose to believe this, makes this ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ more tolerable

[Om nom nom]

This game had horrific sales when it came out 12 years ago. Basically hardly anyone bought the game when it was released. Over 12 years it might have sold better over time, but still not super great. It most likely lost a lot of money when it looks like the game cost $15 million to make, and that was with using a Chinese studio. McGee said it would have been $30 million if it was made anywhere other than in China. This was 12 years ago too mind you.

So sadly that is pretty much the number 1 reason. EA is more focused on their bigger franchises and "live service" crap and micro transactions. It has had more of a cult following today but still that is not enough. He pitched a 3rd game to EA and they said no. They own the rights to it so there is nothing he can do. He has moved on and has quit game development entirely now. So it is never going to happen.

[I Love Emma Stone]

EA is horrible for doing this.

[ajxx]

we need to stand up

[Lord Tony]

bad enough they successfully removed american mcgee from the title

[splaniden]

At this point, if EA made another Alice game they'd make her trans and the Q<3 would be a flaming gay black guy. The two would team up and fight the patriarchy.

Oh shiiiiiii. I think I just gave them an idea.

[Deathtome]

the dude should have just released his game and fought ea in court i think he would have won as his name is literally on the games title...

[ajxx]

Originally posted by Deathtome:

the dude should have just released his game and fought ea in court i think he would have won as his name is literally on the games title...

he gave up sadly

[makisekurisufcker]

My guess is this:
If they gave it the green light, it would have most likely cost them more than they would have made for advertising, marketing and production. So no point in going ahead with a non-profitable product.
They did not sell the rights back (or give them back) because that's just more competition on the market. Even if it were to be tiny, there's no risk having a successful IP against them.

[Lord Tony]

Originally posted by Deathtome:

the dude should have just released his game and fought ea in court i think he would have won as his name is literally on the games title...

Not in the second game

[Lord Indy]

American Magee is famous for being a weirdo and the game dev world moved on since the 1980's/90's when it was driven by superstar-weirdo programmers making unique fantasy worlds. I say that with the utmost respect for those programmers who really made the game industry what it is.

1) I'd bet EA either plans to reboot the series and remake these games; since older IP with cult followings are prime targets for quick cash grabs while alienating older fans. Extra true for ones that were financial failures initially but went on to become financial successes in the very longterm.
2) Alternatively they could have polled the concept and just decided it wasn't the right time to release a dark adventure game; especially since adventure games are ones that tide-ebb in the economy.
3) They may have also found content in the IP that they felt was questionable to the current times; especially if it's questionable in the Chinese/Asia market which is becoming a very large target audience with very strict barriers for entry.
4) Economic times and internal office politics, "corporate bean counters said no".

[viktøя]

'Cause EA is a piece of ♥♥♥♥

[Tsunero]

To put it simply, EA is out of touch and they suck, but desptie this, they continue to fail upwards.

The IP is so so "important" to them that it wasn't touched in 12 years too...

I mean, that's a crazy long ass time, I remember when Madnress Returns came out, I was still in college. lol