It has been over a decade since fans saw the release of American McGee’s Alice: Madness Returns. They have been waiting for concrete word on a third title since then. Despite establishing a Patreon with a variety of backers and a shop to support the production of Alice: Asylum, American McGee has just announced that the third game cannot happen after all.
Initially revealed in 2017, Alice: Asylum was going to follow Madness Returns as a third installment. Since then, American has revealed various bits and pieces of the work going on behind the scenes to make the game happen. Electronic Arts, the publisher and owner of the Alice IP, was uninterested in backing the project. They were also not willing to sell the IP back to American so that he could find a new publisher for Asylum.
Despite this initial rejection from EA, American and his team continued personally working on the game’s Design Bible. This was a book detailing every proposed feature of Alice: Asylum. Fans financially supported the behind-the-scenes production by funding his Patreon and by buying items from his shop. None of this proved enough in the end, however, as American took to Twitter today to state the project’s end.
Eventually, work on the Design Bible for Alice: Asylum wrapped up. American was in contact with EA for a few weeks to see if they would help. Unfortunately, EA decided that the market isn’t right for the third installment despite the previous game’s popularity. They told American that they are not interested in selling the IP. This means that the game cannot be published at all.
Due to EA’s response and the years-long battle to get rights to Alice, American has stated that he is stepping away from the project entirely. If a third game ever comes to fruition, he will not be a part of it despite leading the first and second titles. He has said that he will instead be focusing on his family and running his online shop.
We can only hope that Alice: Alysum will one day come to be despite this sudden cancellation. Until then, why not have a browse through some other gaming guides or news?
