Jane Jensen's Gray Matter delayed once more
Adventure game fans looking for signs of life in their dwindling genre of choice have a bitter pill to swallow today as Gray Matter, the next adventure game from iconic Gabriel Knight scribe Jane Jensen, has once again been pushed back. She explains on her newly launched Gray Matter blog that the game is bring retooled after changing developers last year, a shift that, according to Jensen, set the project back some 9 months.
Jensen writes that the new developer, Wizarbox, is "raising the quality bar" on the project, the devs having worked in various capacities on a number of titles already, from Nightmare Creatures and Arx Fatalis, to handling programming duties on Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2. Numbing the sting left by the delay somewhat, Jensen also put up some nifty Gray Matter concept art up on the blog as well, adding that going forward she plans to use the site to keep those of us with an itch for pointing and clicking up to speed on the game's progress.
Jensen writes that the new developer, Wizarbox, is "raising the quality bar" on the project, the devs having worked in various capacities on a number of titles already, from Nightmare Creatures and Arx Fatalis, to handling programming duties on Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2. Numbing the sting left by the delay somewhat, Jensen also put up some nifty Gray Matter concept art up on the blog as well, adding that going forward she plans to use the site to keep those of us with an itch for pointing and clicking up to speed on the game's progress.











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Matt @ Sep 16th 2008 4:44PM
Is adventure gaming really dwindling? I rather think it's experiencing a resurgence unlike it's had in many years.
Titanium_Orchid @ Sep 16th 2008 4:53PM
The genre has been ignored by large publishers for almost ten years now. There have been some good titles that have come up every now and then but I agree, as a whole, the genre has been dwindling. I guess it helps that adventure-lite games like Sam and Max are being released, but when was the last time something really ambitious came out?
Matt @ Sep 16th 2008 5:03PM
I guess what I'm saying is I feel like adventure gaming can't be "dwindling" because until recently it was stone-dead. If anything, it's got to be rising from its grave, like some sort of Altered Beast....
(preferably the flying, electrocuting dragon sort)
The past few years have been a positive boom in adventure games compared with the years subsequent to Grim Fandango. Sam and Max, Hotel Dusk, StrongBad and other games released in the past couple years (primarily through dlc channels and at retail on the DS) are signaling a resurrection, even if only of some moderate sort.
Shagittarius @ Sep 16th 2008 5:04PM
If the number of Adventure games in Best Buys "Shit/Casual" section is any indication, adventure gaming is more popular now than ever.
Titanium_Orchid @ Sep 16th 2008 5:32PM
I guess I ignored the DS in terms of adventure games. I'm also kind of jaded in terms of Telltale's selection. I like Strongbad and Sam and Max, but because I'm used to games like Monkey Island, The Dig and The Journey Man Projects, these games feel like a nerfed version of an adventure game.
Basically, I want another pixelated Monkey Island.
Matt @ Sep 17th 2008 9:14AM
Oh, I'm right there with ya. I'd kill for another Day of the Tentacle. I was weaned on the LucasArts "Pointless-and-Click" adventures myself. But the new Sam and Max, PAA, Hotel Dusk and Zack and Wiki indicate to me that adventure gaming is still kicking, at least artistically.
chispito @ Sep 16th 2008 4:48PM
King Graham, where art thou?
DVersion @ Sep 16th 2008 5:17PM
Jane Jensen has had a really strange career. She did Gabriel Knight series which had such clever character, stories and dialog which in fact Dan Brown stole most of. Then she was pretty much forced to do stupid little Pop Cap games. I really hope she's doing what she enjoys now and that she make a resurgence as one of the industries most profound game designers.
Neil @ Sep 16th 2008 6:06PM
I still have the CDs for all three Gabriel Knight games, which is to say I have a whole lot of disc. I think I've played most of Sierra's adventure games from back in the day, but I've more or less given up hope of seeing games like those in today's market...gamers have moved on.