Ron left Hothead. Telltale is hiring.
From http://grumpygamer.com/8789972 :
Ron left Hotdead
From http://www.telltalegames.com/company/jobs/ :
Telltale is hiring
I'm the only one associating these 2 things?
Ron left Hotdead
From http://www.telltalegames.com/company/jobs/ :
Telltale is hiring
I'm the only one associating these 2 things?
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I'm not getting my hopes up, but...it is technically possible. We can dream, right?
I may be the only one on these forums not convinced that Ron is some sort of magical Adventure Game genie, who poos witte reparte and coughs up rainbows.
He was a big part of a team that produced two games I like very much. He was not part of teams that produced two Monkey Island games I like even better.
I don't know that Ron would integrate well with the existing team or be a particularly big contributor. Do you, general forums public? I'll admit that on paper it sounds like it'd be a great matchup, but I doubt anyone here has any inside knowledge of the situation, or even real game development process, to have much clue. And so the level of clamoring and worship that I see on this board seems unwarranted. It also seems disrespectful to the very talented people that have brought us the last two (discounting EMI, or counting it if you like it) games.
This post isn't directed at anyone in particular. Just general observation. It's just weird to me the kind of legendary status he's achieved and I'm not quite sure why. It reminds me of those posts that talk about "wouldn't it be great if LucasArts made a new MI game", as if that meant anything.
With that said, I hope Telltale continue to attract talented designers - they've done a great job so far. Also done a good job of attracting people willing to work 90+ hours a week, eating TellTale-brand Gruel in the Telltale-brand dungeons.
If it makes you feel better, whenever people say "Is it just me" or "I may be the only one" several people who share the same opinion will show up.
And yeah there are people here who agree with you.
I definitely agree. Wants to make MI3 but leaves LA, leaves Hothead before DeathSpank is done...
Yup, sounds like a pretty lousy resume to me...
If there was ever a time for a Monkey Island 3, it would probably be now, Ron's done with his project, 1 got a remake, 2's getting a remake, newcomers will be thinking "WTFH!!!!" at the ending of 2, and if they go through with it, us classic fans may get the conclusion of the story that we were hoping for for 20 years. And yes...the secret will finally be revealed! It would have to be an alternate timeline to curse, escape and tales though, probably.
Yeah, you pretty much collapsed everything I was talking about into one post.
I agreed with what you said ^^
Ron Gilbert made great games after he left LucasArts. I don't think he's ever been involved in a bad one. He's got a great philosophy when it comes to game design it seems. The reason people love Ron so much, is basically because Monkey Island was the brainchild of his, and while a lot of other people also had a good say in how the games turned out, I think Ron's involvement was kinda like that Beatles chemistry I was talking about. Ron's MI is just that something special, and while games without him were great, they were basically great because of Ron's ideas in the first place. Not to mention, the games have more or less been the same since MI2. LeChuck's back (with or without a companion), only way to stop him is to get a legendary item or some sort, confront him, the end. That's basically how it's been since MI2 - and that's odd, 'cause SOMI wasn't really about that at all, and only MI2 had that sort of idea, but even there it was much more vague than the other games.
The first two built up the Monkey Island universe we all love so much, but it hasn't really changed much since then. MI3a could've been something entirely different, and probably even change the Monkey Island universe to something quite different from what we have now. If MI3 was really supposed to be the definitive ending for the story, then the first two games were probably building up the Monkey Island universe, and then tear it down completely in the third and final game.
The thing is, the game's have been more or less stagnant since MI2 (not including). No questions have been answered, the Monkey Island universe is now in a bubble, which cannot burst. It's kinda like having a Lord of the Rings part 1 and 2, but skipping part 3, then start a spinoff story from after what would've happened in 3, that never really affects the universe at all.
Just because they were made for children, doesn't mean they weren't great. Or is childrens games automatically mean bad?
Also, Total Annihilation. And we don't know for sure yet how DeathSpank turns out, but so far it looks fabulous. And like I said, you assume the game wasn't finished, but it was. He just said "mission accomplished" and moved on, after the game was sent for certification and whatnot. He didn't leave in the middle of the game. You could, you know, check the link that was provided in the very first post about this news to see what he himself said.
I supppose he can be consulted (like TTG did during ToMI development), but leaving before your game ships, hell... even goes gold doesn't sound very promising at all to me.
From Grumpygamer:
"As DeathSpank ends the creative and production phases and start down that long and winding road of certification and testing of the XBox and PS3 and [REDACTED] versions, it's looking quite amazing and is damn funny. So, to quote my childhood hero George W. Bush: Mission Accomplished. "
The game's done. What happens next is something he wouldn't be involved in anyway. He was part of the creative team, he's not a gametester, and whatever bug they find will be fixed by the codemonkeys, not him.
He's still around for the final stages of DeathSpank, he's just not working at HotHead anymore in a paid position, and honestly there's nothing for him to do over there anymore. This idea that Gilbert builds ships and then laughs as he bails into the ocean, sending them into tumultuous storms, is patently ridiculous.
Now it doesn't seem likely from what I have seen from DeathSpank that's likely, but who knows.
And none of it all changes the fact it doesn't fill me with hope for the game if he leaves the company before release...
Now, I don't think DeathSpank looks all that awesome, to be honest. I probably won't pick it up right away. So if he WAS abandoning the project a few months from release, I wouldn't be too affected. Still, it's downright silly to think that this was some heinous crime intended to let the game....apparently not sell without him, or...whatever else happens to games a couple months from release when the head guy looks away for a couple seconds in your magical dreamworld. I suppose the ESRB will decide that everybody in the game needs to have gigantic handlebar mustaches, and the creative input of the Hothead guys without Ron Gilbert's guidance will allow them the freedom to make these gigantic handlebar mustaches NEON PINK.
DEAR GOD.
....seriously, what the hell is going to ruin the project if Ron Gilbert isn't working there full time? What is he avoiding by leaving, especially considering his name is pretty tied to the thing anyway? He's not AVOIDING anything, this isn't a physical ship that can sink with him on it. This isn't some shunned, half-finished production that has no real sense of direction or form.
ron gilbrt u bastrud
Anyway, it's been a long time since LCR, and at this point I have more trust in Telltale making a good Monkey Island game than I have in Telltale + Ron Gilbert. (yes, I know he was an adviser on Tales, but that's not the same as actually being on the team) It's not just his series any more, he gave that up when he left Lucasarts. I'm not saying that I think he'll retcon everything that's happened since LCR (given that the franchise still belongs to Lucasarts, I don't think he'd be allowed to) but I would still be concerned at what he wants to do with the characters and the story.
Of course, this is all very premature since we don't even know that Ron has left Hothead for Telltale, but if he has then I'm more inclined towards trepidation than enthusiasm. Though if he HAS joined Telltale then hey, that pretty much guarantees more Tales, which is a win in my book. If he is on board for the next installment of Tales, then I seriously hope that all my doubts are proven wrong, and the second season is just as good/even better than the first. In that circumstance I'll be happy to eat my words along with a large helping of humble pie. Until then, I'll remain doubtful. Unless of course Ron isn't joining Telltale, in that case I'll shrug and go back to watching the trailers for Fallout: New Vegas.
Said that, I think that he maybe could be able to do something about the constantly increasing drop of quality and lack of care for details of Telltale's games. I wish to see them more like they where at the beginning of the first season of S&M.
Moving on is perfectly normal... however those people usually do that within the company they work in, unless they no longer wish to work for them for whatever reason. And tell me, how does that suppose to increase my faith for HotHead and their games?
Even if the reason for leaving IS TellTale has a better offer, it still means he turns his back somewhat on the developer of his game.
If actions like this caused less company deaths or dissapointing games in the past, I wouldn't be worried. But it does, thus my concern. I never said it was a crime. Just usually an indication that that person (in this case Gilbert) lacks faith in his own product, or is not happy with the product created.
And that never gives me a reason to be postive at all.
Of course it *could* be what he left he is satisfied with, but in the past some have said the same (it's bad PR otherwise etc.), so I am not going to take word for it.
Once again, this is not specific about Ron Gilbert, I would be suspicious of any game where it's leads (especially the famous ones) depart before it's fully gold. I am not worried about what will happen, but what already is. And that that is of such "quality" that it made Ron turn his back on it.
As said, it happened. More often than not. Landing a new gig before his name is tarnished, securing him work when HotHead burns down in flames?
I suppose this is really dark thinking, but that is mostly what happens in situations like these.
Get a job before people learn his "Daikatana"...
Actually, to me, the only thing that's come out from splitting all the best LucasArts profiles is show me that they're all good at their own things. None of the stuff that's come out from any of the individuals have been remotely as good as the stuff they did at LucasArts. Here's what I've actually learnt:
Bill Tiller is great at art... and mostly art.
Tim Schafer is great at creating wacky stuff with lots of humour. Lacking in gameplay.
Telltale is great at making fun and entertaining stories, although to me they're not quite the level of the original games.
Ron apparently is great at the philosophy of game making. Which traps to avoid, which rules you should follow and which you should or could break. Well, it seemed like it with his SOMI playthrough article he did some time ago.
Yet, Ron is the only one given NO benefit of the doubt whatsoever, while all the others are continuesly getting new chances to prove themselves. The grail would probably be to have them all together again, but that's not happening. I suspect Tim Schafer likes having his own company, and I don't think he wants to go to Telltale if he was asked. Bill Tiller is probably still convinced that great art is enough to make a good game.
For all we know, Ron leaving Hothead could have nothing at all to do with DeathSpank. Hell, maybe even private reasons, maybe something's happened in his life (good or bad) that made him reconsider his career as a developer. And seriously, I think he deserves to be believed when he says the game is awesome and fun. At least give him the benefit of the doubt.
Actually, there is some evidence that something funny is going on at Hothead.
- Penny Arcade Adventures canceled so that more work can be done on Deathspank and Swarm
- Deathspank is completed, and Ron leaves the company
- Former Telltaler Deirdra Kiai lost her job at Hothead
- Is anything happening with Greenhouse? Their newest game was added in June 2009
The creative stuff in Deathspank is done. What if he has another project up his sleeve, and it won't be done at Hothead for whatever reason? Does he have to wait until the game is actually released to give his notice and start his new project? He's not getting any younger.The status of Hothead as an ongoing concern does seem a bit questionable at the moment.
The problem is that MI franchise was used by so many people for it's selfselling value more than because "it was the time to do a great sequel" and so the result was not so good.
MI4...
MISE and MI2SE, cute but it's clear that most of the guy who made them never played the originals once. And it's probably something that an amatorial fan group could have made without some huge mistake.
TOMI like the latest TT games is a cheap, hasty and final result sacrificing production (in all sense).
That's adding the fact that this game are more likely to be known by old fan and mostly fail to please them or take them in consideration (porting, interface, restyle without respect of the originals, ect...)
You should make a poll for this thread.
Something like: (btw, count me in as "uncertain" for all the reasons listed in above posts as to why it's not Ron's baby anymore, and as he's helped to make all of 1 or 2 games of note (including DeathSpank) that I've even heard of since MI2.)
MI3 is canon. Leave it.
Ron is just another person like you or me, and if he is somehow hired by Telltale, well, good for him.
/thread.
I added it!
No, but he is the creator of Monkey Island, and he was instrumental in defining and shaping the characteristics of post-1980's adventure games.
As for the rights, I would imagine he's savvy enough to negotiate for the rights to sequels, but I bet no one outside of Hothead and Ron knows for sure.
I love Ron's work, but unless he actually wants to join TellTale and make "THE REAL MI3". Because, from what I've seen most of us really liked CMI. Of course, I didn't really find the "explanations" to be all that satisfying, or the ending either, it was a really nice game overall.
And if there is an "orginal explanation" for MI2's ending, then I'm sure that Telltale will find a way to weave it into the games they make next.
Of course if we hear he's hired for TTG to work on something, that would leviate some of my fear for the state of DeathSpank. Until then, the only logical thing for me to be is, based on the evidence available at the time, to fear that DeathSpank isn't what it was intended to be, it will be a letdown.
(Another project is an option besides TTG of course, but I doubt if that's the case it will be announced remotely soon, and DeathSpank's release would be earlier to already solidify or debunk my fears...)
As for the poll, "unsure". Yeah, LCR was nice, but the guy hasn't really shown anything of value after that. And 10 years is a long time to go from good to aweful (Daikatana is a beautiful example of this, or how about DNF?)
Just don't let him make Monkey 3. He can work on Monkey Island, but he can't invalidate CMI, EMI or TMI.