The Forgotten: It Begins

Hi again. I've just started playing this game (in between bouts of Morpheus!) and I was wondering if anyone knew why the people who created it never went on to make the other games in the series? I've been to the official website, but wasn't able to really find out anything about what happened. It's a shame because they sounded so jazzed about doing a series of like 7 games or so, and that never came to be.

I'd be interested to know what happened and I'm secretly hoping that someday someone might get the idea to contact these guys and get the rights to the game....then go on and finish it!

Cat, eager as always for info

Cat -- I was one of those people who bought this game when it first came out and then waited and waited for the sequel that never came.

From what I understand, the developers were relying on profit from the first game in order to make the second game, and the first game didn't sell well enough. I believe there was talk years later of developing a sequel, but I suspect the trust of the gamers who had waited so long had already been lost.

At one time there were quite a number of gamers who had bought the first game and expressed anger with the lack of a sequel. When you hear of gamers who are cynical about episodic gaming, this is one of the examples they cite.

I'm personally hoping that the success of other episodic games -- like Sam & Max Season 1 and the AGON series -- will cause the bad feelings that resulted from The Forgotten to be forgotten.

Becky, do you remember a while back (probably over a year ago) that someone who had worked on The Forgotten posted in here? They were trying to find out if there would be a market for a continuation of The Forgotten. They may have been talking about downloadable chapters (I forget), but the response was overwhelmingly negative. Hardly anyone was interested in what they were suggesting.

I remember. I think people were still angry, and that's why the response was negative. People bought the game for full price in 1999. As I recall, it cost about $20.00 -- the same price as complete games sold in that same time period. The game was very short, and clearly was just a taster for the later games in the series -- it wasn't in any way a full episode.

Then the series stops -- the player's investment in the first game isn't rewarded. And then years later someone inquires about continuing it.

Maybe if the developer had inquired in 2000 or 2001 things would have been different?

In my experience, the first game was really glitchy too. It just wasn't finished. And I still have a problem with them releasing something in that state...no discernable plot or ending, I mean, and just saying, "Well, it's episodic."

I think one thing developers who are now working in a episodic form have learned is that each episode NEEDS to have a beginning, middle and end to satisfy gamers. The Forgotten didn't have that.

WW

If he was talking about downloadable episodes, I think it would have been worse. More people have broadband now than 5 or 6 years ago.

Thanks for the info Becky and everyone else.

I didn't realize that the game's creator had posted here on the site and was thinking of doing more episodes. I can understand the reaction that he got in a way....20 bucks for one episode would be alot, plus people probably felt like they couldn't count on the games actually being created. sigh....

I'm a sucker for "what might have been" scenarios and so I guess I can't help but wonder what a game or episode might be like today with new graphics and a satisfying continuation of the Forgotten story.

Maybe our game creator will stick his head in here again and see my post and get inspired. LOL

Cat, who never quite gives up...on anything.

EDIT: Hey everyone. I'm back. I just came from Just Adventure where I found this interview w/ the Forgotten's director. Here's a link:

Forgotten Interview

(Hope it's okay that I posted this here)

Hi Cat -- interesting interview. A detailed explanation of what happened. Thanks for posting it!

You're welcome, Becky!

Cat