Funcom confirms that the long-awaited third installment in The Longest Journey series is on the way.
For many, the first thought that came to mind every time Ragnar Tørnquist talked about his work on The Secret World was “where the hell is my sequel to Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, Ragnar? Ragnar. Where is it? Ragnar. Ragnar.“
Red Thread Games just announced that Dreamfall Chapters, an episodic follow up that was announced back in 2007 has finally entered pre-production. The new studio, founded by Tørnquist now the bulk of his work on The Secret World is complete, licensed the rights to the series from ailing MMO developer, Funcom. Tørnquist will continue to act as creative director of The Secret World, albeit in an advisory role.
Dreamfall Chapters will be independently funded and produced by Red Thread games, but the licensing deal with Funcom does involve a revenue share agreement.
The Longest Journey series started in 1999 with the game of the same name. While it’s never quite reached the same legendary status as say, any of Sierra’s Quest Games or Lucas Arts’ big hits, it’s still considered one of the best examples of the point-and-click genre. Dreamfall, its bigger, more ambitious sequel, didn’t achieve quite the same level of critical success, mostly due to the inclusion of some stodgy action/stealth mechanics. Still, the game’s gentle charm and Tørnquist’s excellent writing was enough to suck in a respectable fan base; A fan base that was not impressed when the game ended on a blood clot-inducing cliffhanger. Chapters was announced shortly after, but the game has been bouncing around development limbo until now.
“I’m very excited to finally have the opportunity to continue the ‘The Longest Journey’ saga,” says Tørnquist. “Ever since we ended ‘Dreamfall’ on a nail-biting cliffhanger, players have been rightfully demanding a sequel, and my deal with Funcom will finally make that possible. I’m extremely grateful to Funcom for this unique and exciting opportunity, and I can’t wait to dive back into the universe I helped create more than a decade ago, and continue the story players have been waiting for these past six years.”
Source: Funcom
