American McGee’s Alice reaches ‘endpoint’ as EA rejects sequel pitch

The rabbit hole is no more

In glum news for Gothic gaming fans everywhere, producer and screenwriter American McGee has seemingly confirmed that EA has rejected his pitch for a third title in the cult platform adventure series American McGee’s Alice. The second sequel, tentatively title Alice: Asylum, will no longer move forward as planned, with the series creator currently convinced that the series has come to an end.

Having built up a following via crowdfunding website Patreon, McGee took various materials to the publisher, including concept art, design documents, a narrative outline, and a development “bible”, but it seems that EA simply didn’t have the same interest or passion for the project as McGee and his backers. Speaking on Twitter, McGee suggests that this motion not only represents an “endpoint” for the Alice universe, but also for his own interest in the game development industry.

The original American McGee’s Alice launched on PC in 2000 and told a particularly grim tell of Lewis Carrol’s troubled young hero as she returns to a darkened take on Wonderland. This extremely cult release would be followed up in 2011 with action-heavy sequel Alice: Madness Returns. It should be noted that both titles are merely “fine” at best, but still garnered loyal, dedicated fanbases due to their curiously dark tastes, strange weapon designs, and intriguing takes on the Alice in Wonderland mythos.

McGee has attempted to get Alice: Asylum off of the drawing desk for many, many years, and it seems that this fight has taken its toll on the will and patience of the creator. McGee notes that he has no interest in developing further video games, and, should any company ever pick up the Alice license, then they will likely be making further titles without his input.

Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?

Indeed.