The Sam Suede Kickstarter project was announced yesterday and as I’ve been looking forward to working on this game (and still am) I was pretty excited to see it go live. I’ve not been connected with a Kickstarter project before.
Unfortunately, and almost immediately following the launch, there were some claims made about the project and Wisecrack Games (the guys behind it) that were not the most favourable. Although I’m not going to link to those remarks I thought I should write this blog post to make clear my position and my understanding of the current state of things related.
When I was contacted by Wisecrack Games I was incredibly excited by the thought of working on a game designed by Al Lowe and Ken Wegrzyn. I still am. I really want to work on this game and want all issues to be resolved as quickly as possible so that we can push the Kickstarter into high gear, get the funding and deliver a game that players will love.
I understand that people are going to be sceptical about the project because of the claims made, particularly as they’ve been worded to appear to come from Al Lowe himself. It is my understanding that not only does the game or the Kickstarter project have no issues with copyright, Wisecrack also has a written agreement with Al, along with his approval for the materials that support the project.
I don’t have an insight into the motivations of related parties and don’t like to get too heavily involved in business dealings beyond those that affect me directly – this is why I chose to be a freelance writer. However, when I’m involved in a game project it is always my intention to be as thorough as I can be and that includes supporting the game in an honest way. This is why I want to be open here.
I’ve been in contact with the Wisecrack guys a few times since this blew up and now, as in all my dealings with them, they strike me as stand-up people with no intention of deceiving. So, unless my character judgement has suddenly had a catastrophic failure, I’m sure this current situation will be rectified as quickly as possible.
Then I can return to what I do best, devote my time to creative endeavours and work on Al and Ken’s great new game.
Please support the Kickstarter project.
OK, those claims have been worded to appear as they’re coming from Al. For all we know, they might.
But how about the whole Kickstarter pitch which is worded to appear as if Al Lowe is still working on it. “Al Lowe & Ken Wegrzyn present…” Really? Don’t you think that’s misleading?
Also, read the update of this article:
http://venturebeat.com/2012/05/30/leisure-suit-larry-creator-wants-infringing-kickstarter-campaign-taken-down-exclusive/
So, really, you won’t be working on “Al and Ken’s great new game.” since Al isn’t involved in any way anymore with this project.
From the start it was obvious it was just using his name in a misleading way. Now it’s proven.
This game has no chance of getting funded as long as Wisecrack continues its charade.
I wrote this in good faith without knowing about the update. I’m sorry that I seem to have upset you all so strongly. My intention was only ever to make a good game and be open as possible about it.
I’ve just seen the post by Al Lowe himself, here:
http://www.replaygamesinc.com/blog/2012/05/al-lowe-and-sam-suede/
While he’s not currently involved, it’s clear that Wisecrack has his blessing.
They might have his blessing, but that doesn’t excuse them from being misleading and suggesting Al Lowe is still working with them. Of course, they might say they didn’t intend that, because they didn’t say it directly. But when you start with “Al Lowe presents…” you must know how it will be seen.
And he clearly said he’s not involved anymore so it will do them good to remove anything that vaguely points in that direction.
This Kickstarter campaign is deceitful, misleading, and flat our WRONG. It’s obvious Al Lowe has nothing to do with this game since he originally designed it yet you people use his name flagrantly all over your page. I also see you took all the Leisure Suit Larry screen shots off your page after legal action was taken. You should really re-evaluate who you’re working with.
I think it is a shame that Wisecrack Games are still trying to sell the game as if Al Lowe was actively involved. While they state that Al’s work is finished in the comments, the project homepage still heavily implies his continued involvement. Quote: “And you are getting the real deal…from the MAN himself! Al Lowe and Ken Wegrzyn have laid the blueprint for the comedy/adventure by completing the game design and prototyping. Along with Steve Ince, they are now ready to hit the ground running…”
Simply saying “This game was started with Al Lowe who brought his trademark humour to the project. We hired Steve Ince to write the dialogue and with your help this game can finally be released.” would have still garnered attention. By overstating Al’s involvement, they really hurt the project.
Great post Steve and thanks for writing this. Personally I can see that the Kickstarter was a little misleading as Al isn’t currently working on the game but it *is* Al’s design regardless of when he worked on it. I can totally see why it was marketed as an Al Lowe game and it sounds like Al was in total support of the Kickstarter before Paul started stirring up trouble.
Evidence:
– Al agreed to his name and picture being used.
– Al agreed to going to dinner with a backer for a $10k tier reward.
– Al and Ken apparently discussed the timing of the two Kickstarters and it was decided that the LSL kickstarter would go first.
– We’ve had no comment from Al regarding Paul’s claim that he is ‘pissed’ and Al’s official statement was positive.
Paul has made a total ass of himself and personally if I could take the money I pledged to LSL and give it to Sam Suede I would. Since I can’t I’ll have to settle for not supporting Replay Games in the future. Sam Suede has my pledge and my support.
Thank you so much, Laura. It’s good to get a comment like this which shows that the truth of the situation will win through in the end.
I’d still like the LSL game to be successfully completed, but not for Replay’s sake. There are so many fans who have a genuine love of LSL and Al Lowe that they deserve to get a great game. What Paul fails to realise is that a series of successful game projects, with developers and fans supporting each other, benefits us all in the long term.
For those of us who have been making adventure games for some time, we know that the fans and the gaming community as a whole are incredibly important to what we do. It’s important to connect in an open and friendly way.