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.
