Penny Arcade Video Game Announced...

[Redleader34]

Yes I know its a repost of a blog, but Iust found out now...

Holy fruit fucker!

Penny Arcade, not content to pump out comics, raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for sick children and put on ginormous fanfests, is getting into the game development biz.

Tycho and Gabe announced today that they are teaming up with Hothead Games to create an indie, episodic video games based on their comic.

The first game, entitled Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, will be a comic adventure game for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. No date has yet been set for its release.

The game will be sold and delivered digitally, though the team hasn't figured out yet who will handle that aspect.

"We are right now looking at different vendors," Robert Khoo, director of business relations for Penny Arcade, told me. "Steam is always a possibility."

The episodic game, which will feature many fan favorites from the Penny Arcade universe (including the Fruit Fucker), will be delivered in monthly installments.

Khoo said that the PA team decided to go with Hothead because they like their previous work and felt content that they would remain faithful to the feel of Penny Arcade. Khoo added that Gabe and Tycho will have an enormous amount of input into the game, including providing art and writing the story.

"We're going to do all of the storyboarding," he said. "All of the writing is already done. It certainly has the Penny Arcade humor in it. We talk to them daily about the process."

"We have absolute control over everything and we want to flex that control."

Vlad Ceraldi, President of Hothead Games, says this new venture feels very comfortable for the team Hothead has assembled for the project.

"All our developers are industry veterans with years of experience translating characters from other media into video games, having been involved with such hits as The Simpsons Hit & Run and The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction," he said. "So working with Penny Arcade to create their first game is a natural fit, and we're thrilled to have the opportunity to collaborate with them."

Khoo said that the Penny Arcade team has long been interested in having a game created based on their strip, but they right opportunity never presented itself before.

"We get pitched a deal every month and the big issue has always been control," he said.

"We're really excited to be working with Hothead Games on our first electronic adventure," said writer Jerry "Tycho" Holkins. "From the moment we laid eyes on them, it was clear they had the technical and creative chops to execute our grim vision. Now that we have pooled our strengths, our dark work may truly begin."

While the team is excited about the possibility of the game, they also realize how important it is they get it right.

"This is something that they've always wanted to do, but at the same time they know how risky it is," Khoo said. "We have to ensure it is nothing short of awesome."

I can't wait to see what this game is like. I asked him if it would have a Sam & Max feel and he said that's probably the closest thing out there right now to what the Penny Arcade game will be like.

[DPDarkPrimus]

That blog entry was posted 08.25.2006.

I've known about it for a long time.

The July issue of PC Gamer, which is due out in a week or so, will have 5 Penny Arcade-themed covers, and an HD version of a new trailer on the disc.

[Redleader34]

I just revived the July issue in the mail, and that's why I posted this article, since the website did not have a link to the content inside my issue.

[Drooling Iguana]

I've heard that Ron Gilbert had some involvement with this game, which should guarantee its awesomosity.