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The Demonization of Sierra (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love David Grenewetski)
Late February in the year of our Lord 1999, David Grenewetski, the President of Sierra, did gamers the world over the biggest favor that had ever been bestowed upon them--he let go almost the entire adventure staff of Sierra. In one broad brush stroke, critics worldwide painted Mr. Grenewetski as the devil incarnate, and Roberta Williams, Al Lowe and Lori Coles became unwitting martyrs in a struggle for loyalty between Sierra--an American icon--and a devoted fan base. But who really is to blame for this corporate downsizing? Is it David Grenewetski, who was only doing what he was hired to do and trying to keep the company in the black? Is it Roberta, Al and Lori, who maybe had become too complacent in their jobs? Or is it the fickle adventure fan, who talks a good game but often refuses to purchase a new release until it is in the bargain bin?
Corporate downsizing has become an everyday occurrence in today's business world. It is never pretty, and one can be sure that Mr. Grenewetski brandished his white-collar ax with a heavy heart. But the ugly truth is that adventure games barely turn a profit for their developers. Sierra, a company that many of us looked upon as family, ate its offspring. What damage was really done, though? There was not another King's Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest, Quest for Glory or Leisure Suit Larry in the works (though LSL 8 was in the planning stages). Gabriel Knight 3 is still scheduled to be released this September. Maybe these honored and award-winning game series had worn out their welcome and Grenewetski was astute enough of a businessman to separate his emotions from his professional acumen. What recourse, though, does the average fan wield? Boycott Sierra and GK3!? That could possibly backfire in unimaginable ways! What company would ever again produce or distribute an adventure game if even mighty Sierra could not sell Gabriel Knight 3? None. Instead, what if adventure gamers banded together and purchased enough copies of GK3 to make it the best-selling game of the year? The positive message that this would convey to the industry could not be measured in dollars alone. Could Sierra itself help to rejuvenate the adventure genre? Sure. Show some guts--advertise GK3 on television, put an advertisement in Entertainment Weekly instead of PC Gamer, merchandise Gabriel and Grace. In other words, do for this adventure game what other companies do for their featured products. Maybe a company the size of Hasbro picking up the rights to a game like Simon 3 will be a blessing in disguise, as they have the money and the innovation to approach different avenues of advertising. If the fans and Sierra also work in tandem, the end result may indeed be Sierra's recommitment to the adventure genre.
Three years ago, the company I had worked at for ten years downsized and I lost my job. My ego told me that I would soon find a comparable position; the workforce dictated otherwise. I had, without realizing it, become complacent. I no longer had that "edge" that drove me to new heights, and I believed that any company should hire me based on my past achievements. I have a feeling that many of the ex-Sierra employees now mistakenly feel that same way. I have met Al and Roberta and Lori, and they are wonderful and gregarious people. But had they truly become complacent? It is extremely difficult to admit one's personal failings. I finally discovered that I had the strength within myself in order to again succeed, and they will also. A whole new world awaits. They will have the opportunity to impart their years of experience to newcomers in the industry with whom they may have otherwise never had the chance to work with. They have ten times the talent most people could even dream of, and the only obstacle will be lack of imagination. They need, for personal and creative reasons, to explore new areas within themselves, to free their minds of their past creations. Let's be clear on one point, though: I do not want another King's Quest game, another Quest for Glory or another Leisure Suit Larry game. Let's bury these wonderful but hoary series of games. What I do want is new adventure games from Roberta and Lori and Al that take us in new and previously unexplored directions, games that will show how hungry these artists are to once again have their names in the spotlight.
Finally, the biggest obstacle to the resurgence of the adventure genre is the adventure fans themselves. They are a whiny lot. If you speak despairingly of them, they complain because you are complaining. If you praise them, they complain if you don't praise loud enough. It is time for us to put up or shut up. Adventure fans are generally nonsupportive. They will wait to purchase the latest adventure game until it appears in the bargain bin. They will post questions on the newsgroups such as, "I played the first two Monkey Islands and loved them. Should I purchase the third one?" Duh. Just Adventure received a lot of negative emails last month when we posted a suggestion by Stu Yoder that adventure fans should purchase every new game that is released. Well, I have thought about this long and hard, and I agree with Stu. Why should we not purchase every adventure game that comes out this year? Surely, the scarce few new releases will not lead us into bankruptcy. This support could only prove to the gaming community at large that adventure gamers do enjoy some solidarity. But, no, it is easier for some of us to complain than it is to support the genre. We can think of more reasons to not buy a new release than we can to purchase one.
I will again receive emails that we have lost another reader because we took a stand. Yet the onus is not all on the fans' shoulders. The industry must realize that adventure gamers are traditionalists. We don't demand 3D cutting-edge graphics. Action/adventures are not our cup of tea. We are more than happy with 2D point-and-click adventures as long as they have an involving plot and character development. In 1913, Arthur Wynne created the first crossword puzzle ever for the New York World. Eighty-six years later, the concept and layout of that first puzzle remains unchanged. Adventure games and gamers are much the same--we want our intellect challenged and not our primal instincts. The publishers and distributors must also lower the bar by which adventure sales are judged. There was a time when a King's Quest selling 300,000 copies made it the best-selling game of the year. Now that figure is considered laughable. Adventure games will probably never again be best-sellers, as they once were, and the anticipated sales figures need to be adjusted for today's marketplace.
In the final analysis, was David Grenewetski's Oakhurst massacre really so horrible? I contend that a few years from now, we will look back and see that moment as the turning point in the long and wonderful history of the adventure game. The question is, will it mean a new beginning or the end of the genre? The answer lies within ourselves.