King's Quest Reboot "is not a point-and-click game" but it's still an adventure
The new King's Quest game will not be a point-and-click adventure game, but it will be an adventure game, according to Activision's MacLean Marshall. Newly announced at Gamescom last week, King's Quest will release under the Sierra mantle, which Activision last week resuscitated for its digital, indie-leaning titles. While some no doubt hoped for a revamped point-and-click adventure in the vein of older King's Quest titles, that is not what we're going to get.
"There's not much I can say about King's Quest," Marshall told Game Informer . "All I can say is that I've seen it, and it's not a point-and-click game. But it looks awesome."
Marshall went on to describe some of the projects which may potentially come to fruition under the rebooted Sierra name. "It could be HD remakes of original Sierra content. It could be contemporary reimaginings of the old Sierra IPs. It could be stuff that's new, kick-arse, awesome IP that has nothing to do with the old Sierra brand, but will be a Sierra thing when it launches."
On the topic of why Activision exhumed the Sierra name at all, Marshall cites the rise of independent development and the need for the publisher to have an outlet for digital-only titles. "It's been dormant and there wasn't a place for it, and we didn't know what we were going to do with it," he said.
"Then, over the however many years, everyone's been watching this indie movement. There was that angle, where we had this really nostalgic brand that most gamers to varying degrees by age know. We wanted to find a way to expand our digital portfolio."
The new King's Quest is currently in development by The Odd Gentlemen, with a vague 2015 release expected. Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions will also release under the Sierra name later this year.
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Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.