Gothic Alice in Wonderland video game reimagining American McGee’s Alice will not be getting its long-awaited third entry, Alice: Asylum, as EA is no longer interested in creating more titles in the series. The unfortunate update arrives from series creator American McGee, who broke the bad news with an update in a Patreon post. He thanked dedicated fans for holding out hope for another game set in the twisted fairy tale but said that the journey has finally come to an end.
McGee explained that he has used the last few years of support to create a design bible for Alice: Asylum. Once work on the document was completed, he approached EA with the bible as well as a production plan in hopes of receiving funding. He also asked if the publisher would be open to selling the license for the Alice IP, which it owns the rights to.
“After several weeks of review, EA has come back with a response regarding funding and/or licensing for Alice: Asylum,” McGee said. “On the question of funding, they have ultimately decided to pass on the project based on an internal analysis of the IP, market conditions, and details of the production proposal. On the question of licensing, they replied that Alice is an important part of EA’s overall game catalog, and selling or licensing it isn’t something they’re prepared to do right now.”
McGee added that he and the rest of the team responsible for creating the plans for Alice: Asylum have “exhausted every option for getting a new Alice game made.” As a result, the project’s Patreon page is going into hibernation, as are all pre-production activities. The content that had been created for Alice: Asylum is also getting shelved until further notice. McGee made it clear with a sad statement: “Alice: Asylum is at an end.”
The original American McGee’s Alice is a third-person action game developed by Rogue Entertainment and published by EA in 2000. It follows its title character as she deals with psychological trauma after her parents are both killed in a fire. Alice is then sent on a dark adventure far more brooding than the one she is previously known for. Around a decade later, a sequel, Alice: Madness Returns, was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Though developed by a different studio, Spicy Horse, McGee still took over directing duties, with publishing again handled by EA.
“For my part, I have also reached an endpoint with Alice and with game production in general,” McGee said in the post. “I have no other ideas or energy left to apply toward getting a new Alice game made. Nor do I have any interest in pursuing new game ideas within the context of the current environment for game development.”
McGee is now setting his sights and talent on his family and his business at Mysterious, which creates art and merchandise just as nightmarish as the Alice games he is known for. Thankfully, fans can still look forward to a TV show adaptation of the Alice franchise from X-Men writer and Solid Snake actor David Hayter. In the meantime, Alice: Asylum will remain a dream that never came to be.
“It’s often said that when one door closes, another opens. Trite but true,” McGee signed off. “And I hope that for all of you, this closure will bring life to other adventures and dreams.”
