Why Lucasarts cancelled it

[misanthrope]

I agree with Misanthrope

[TyraaRane]

Originally posted by AkaNezumi

She said that she has friends at LucasArts and claimed I was flying off the handle and being offensive because the game "sucked" and thats why it was cancelled. She went on to say that they like these types of games just as much as us and were very upset at it being cancelled.

Honestly, I don't think that's true. With Full Throttle 2, which showed some serious indications of sucking, it was cancelled...but at least LucasArts said "yeah, we cancelled it 'cause it sucked."

If they're not afraid to admit it with FT2, why would they hide behind "market conditions" for Sam & Max 2?

Sorry, but something's just not adding up there...

[Brushguy]

Here's how I interpret it after looking at the comments they've released: The sales department could not get their eyes off of the sales of RTX, A&D, and Wrath, instead of looking at the sales of Sam and Max 1. They probably assumed the game wouldn't recoup enough money for them and didn't want to take the risk for money resources. Whether Mike Stemmle had a say in this or not is beyond me.

So they pulled the plug. But good grief, millions of fans are pouring out everything we have within our power - well written and sound e-mails, twenty-thousand signature petitions, pre-ordering a cancelled game - this means something.

22,589 petition signatures times $45 (average cost of game) = $1,016,505 for Lucasarts! Even if the petition is speaking an invalid number, official sites like IGN and magazines like GameSpy would've extended the Sam and Max game to average gaming fans who've never heard of the game, boosting sales higher.

No matter what happens, I firmly believe Lucasarts will revive Sam and Max Freelance Police in the near future.

[joysan]

it's not just a game, dammit! it's sam and max! it's an experience. a chance to get to bask in their baldly funny dialogue, and helpfully bizarre situations.

I'm upset. I just finished playing the first one this year, and then was v. excited that just now, instead of having to wait unforeseen years, a sequel was coming out in a scant few months. and then, the crushing disappointment.

I wrote an e-mail but it was more about catching flies with honey.

/joysan, grrr.

[StonerDaveN'Max]

Originally posted by joysan
it's not just a game, dammit! it's sam and max! it's an experience. a chance to get to bask in their baldly funny dialogue, and helpfully bizarre situations.

I'm upset. I just finished playing the first one this year, and then was v. excited that just now, instead of having to wait unforeseen years, a sequel was coming out in a scant few months. and then, the crushing disappointment.

I wrote an e-mail but it was more about catching flies with honey.

/joysan, grrr.

Wow, that sounds very accurate to what all of our hearts have been screaming about the cancellation, all formed up into words. and if you could, please send the e-mail via snail mail, it carries more weight on the effect.

CONGRATS ON A ON-TOPIC THREAD!!!

[joesdomain]

They probably canceled it for the same reason for the canceling of Full Throttle 2. I get tired of Lucasarts canceling projects. They canceled Star Wars Galaxies An Empire Divided for Playstation 2 and X-box before they released the PC version. Now they are keeping it PC and making a space expansion pack called Jump to Lightspeed set for a release date of Fall 2004. Typical!

[ShaneyBoy428]

Speaking of Star Wars Galaxies, LucasArts is having a fan fest for the game at the Hilton Anaheim on June 4th & 5th. So why don't we bust up the joint dressed as Sam & Max. No? How 'bout we seize the podium and yell : "YOU KILLED SAM & MAX, YOU ****ING NERDS!!" No? Um....send them a bunch pizzas they didn't order?

[Nostalgic]

That's a DAMN good idea, you guys HAVE to do that! I would but I don't live in the US.

Speaking of Star Wars Galaxies, LucasArts is having a fan fest for the game at the Hilton Anaheim on June 4th & 5th. So why don't we bust up the joint dressed as Sam & Max. No? How 'bout we seize the podium and yell : "YOU KILLED SAM & MAX, YOU ****ING NERDS!!" No? Um....send them a bunch pizzas they didn't order?

[Udvarnoky]

Originally posted by joesdomain
They probably canceled it for the same reason for the canceling of Full Throttle 2.

They were canceled for totally different reasons.

[Murray the Chao]

Originally posted by ShaneyBoy428
Speaking of Star Wars Galaxies, LucasArts is having a fan fest for the game at the Hilton Anaheim on June 4th & 5th. So why don't we bust up the joint dressed as Sam & Max. No? How 'bout we seize the podium and yell : "YOU KILLED SAM & MAX, YOU ****ING NERDS!!" No? Um....send them a bunch pizzas they didn't order?

I like the podium seizing idea too! LucasArts would HAVE to listen then. I am working on something for you to chant on the podium.

[Skinkie]

Yeah, as if it's actually gonna happen.

[Dr Edison 007]

Hey Murray, I know what you can yell: Please gimme back my Sam & Max or I'll continue to bug the hell out of people on the internet by making up stupid ways to get my revenge on you.

[Rabbit Thingy]

I think this is the whole point. LucasArts seems to be more effort into producing console game, that even though they suck do better sales wise than an adventure PC game would.

Don't be too quick to say that LucasArts is letting Star Wars push other games out of the way. They are still making quite a few non-Star Wars games, and even those Star Wars games they are producing are of uneven quality.

It seems the good old days where LucasArts was merely trying to put out a good game have been replaced with "screw whether it is good or not, it has to be VERY profitable.

I'm guessing that LucasArts assumed that adventure gaming was dead due to poor sales of Grim Fandango (Anyone have sales figures?). But this is a game based on the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead and a lead character with a cylindrical shapped skull. Not the kind of things that inspire high sales.

Originally posted by toenail1
actually, they didnt go wrong with enter the matrix

IT SUCKED!!! but somehow it sold well.... im still trying to do the math to figure how that game sold well

Why can't I stop watching those dancing monkeys?

[StonerDaveN'Max]

Originally posted by Dr Edison 007
Hey Murray, I know what you can yell: Please gimme back my Sam & Max or I'll continue to bug the hell out of people on the internet by making up stupid ways to get my revenge on you.

Listen man, you really need to lighten up, a lot. Its cool that your always putting your two cents in, but you dont have to be so mean all the time. Could you just try and lighten up a little up?

[edlib]

Originally posted by Rabbit Thingy
I'm guessing that LucasArts assumed that adventure gaming was dead due to poor sales of Grim Fandango (Anyone have sales figures?).

If that was really the case then I doubt that they ever would have even started production on this game, since GF was published in '97. A lot of money was spent in getting this game as far along as it was. No point in even considering putting thousands of bucks into a game that you know you'll never release...

It had to be something a lot more recent that changed thier mind. Perhaps they were watching the sales of other adventure games being released by competitors.
Perhaps it was a memo that came down from the upper echelons of managment that said "URGENT COST-CUTTING MEASURES: STOP ALL PRODUCTION ON ANY GAME THAT ISN'T GUARANTEED SALES OF (X) COPIES!!!" and maybe it was decided that this was the only game currently in production that met the bill... who knows?!?

Until someone talks, that is...

[Murray the Chao]

Here's what I think you should chant:

HELL, NO! WE WON'T ALLOW THIS!
HELL, NO! WE WON'T ALLOW THIS!
LUCASARTS IS A BIG, FAT JERK!
LUCASARTS IS A BIG, FAT JERK!
ARE WE FANS OR ARE WE MISANTHROPES?
ARE WE FANS OR ARE WE MISANTHROPES?
NO MORE CANCELLATIONS! NO MORE CANCELLATIONS!
NO MORE CANCELLATIONS! NO MORE CANCELLATIONS!
SAM & MAX!
SAM & MAX!
FREELANCE POLICE!
FREELANCE POLICE!
WE'RE STRONG!
WE'RE STRONG!
WE FIGHT!
WE FIGHT!
WE'RE KILLER BUNNIES TONIGHT!
ALL RIGHT!

[ShiningDragoon]

Perhaps they should see about getting the cartoon back on the air and see how well it does or something.

[StonerDaveN'Max]

Steve Purcell would love nothing more than to do just that, but its owned by some company that he has no control over, so it would be completely up to them if they wanted to do something like that. If someone would be nice enough to find out what company that would be and post it here, maybe we could do something like e-mailing then [but not bugging them] to see if they would be willing to give it a shot. But it might be tough, seeing as weve been trying to do this with lucasarts in some sence.

[Dr Edison 007]

Yeah, poor ol' Stevie never wins.

[joesdomain]

They cancel it for the same reasons why they cancel other games. Because they can!!! Look at the poor selection of titles Lucasarts is offering during E3 2004 this may. Star Wars Battlefront on PC/PS2/X-box, Star Wars Republic Commando on PC/X-box, Star Wars Galaxies:Jump to Lightspeed on PC, Mercenaries on PS2/X-box, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic for Macintosh, and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords for PC/X-box. I feel bad for PS2, Gamecube, Gameboy Advance, and Macintosh video game players.

I have heard sales for 2003 non-star wars titles like Gladius, RTX Red Rock, Secret Weapons Over Normandy, and Wrath Unleashed for all versions that came out was average or terrible. I mean you can get RTX Red Rock from Wal-mart for $9.00 dollars now.

[One Hung Low]

I also think that cancelling the game sucks - someone said something about an online petion that we could sign - I and about 20 of my buds would gladly sign if someone could direct me to a site. Sam & Max just isn't an adventure game - IT'S A WAY OF LIFE. Come on LucasArts put the game back into production -you knuckle-heads.

[Skinkie]

The petition was sent like a month ago. The game is dead, we lost.

[Murray the Chao]

Then we must make their forum suffer until they give up. Jay the ****ing admin deserves it for locking the petition topic earlier today.

[Dr Edison 007]

Murray, we don't care.

Out of those 5 stages I'm in the stage of acceptance (and so are many others), but you are apparently still in anger.

It's pretty sad your still in the second stage after all this time.

[Murray the Chao]

It's REALLY sad that you are accepting it!


After all, the petition that my sig links to is still going.

[Skinkie]

Originally posted by Murray the Chao
Then we must make their forum suffer until they give up. Jay the ****ing admin deserves it for locking the petition topic earlier today.

Several people tried this when those forums originally opened. They were all locked and deleted. Please don't continue this kind of action, it does nothing but piss off the people at LucasArts and if you want them to ever even consider finishing the game (they won't by the way) then you need to not make them angry.

[egmccann]

Friggin'... I'd been waiting for this for a *long* time. Just happened to pick up CGW today (for the Tribes/T2 DVD) and read about this in the "letters" section.

Sorry, my respect for Lucasarts (and, honestly, Lucas-anything) has just continued to slide downhill. I mean, really:
-Used to put out a variety of *good* games, Star Wars related or not.
- Used to take chances.

Now:
-Mostly Star Wars related, and console-themed (even on the PC side, which make *those* suffer.)
- Even if it's not, they screw up their *own* properties. (I was looking forward to Secret Weapons over Normandy, having liked SWOTL... until SWON turned out to be an arcade game, not a sim.)
- Lucas himself gives up story in his milk-cow SW franchise for more "speed" and kiddie effects
- Starwars.com hides its decent content behind "Hyperspace" - after how many years, and does this for Ep 3, not 1 or 2...

I think the bean counters have taken control over from the artists and people who just love the games and movies.

So, IMHO... Lucas(inc) is dying as a producer of art, and becoming another corporate monolith.

RIP.

[misanthrope]

In the long run, I think LucasArts will ultimately suffer because they are abandoning the very thing that made them successful in the first place. Is it possible to overdose on Star Wars games?


Any rumors for a DOTT 2?

[Dr Edison 007]

There's supposed to be a third Maniac Mansion?

[Skinkie]

No.

[Dr Edison 007]

Then why the hell are you asking for rumours about a game that does not exist, Mr. Misanthrope?

[Skinkie]

There's been some completely unfounded rumours for like 10 years now, nothing even significant enough to mention. Point is, they're not making it.

[misanthrope]

Dear Mr. Ed,

I was only asking if anyone heard any rumors. I wouldnt ask if I knew. HEE HAAWW!