Ron Gilbert Says Walking Dead Shows How Adventure Games Can Succeed

Ron Gilbert, one of the best-known adventure game designers in the industry, believes that the recently launched The Walking Dead series from Telltale Games shows that the genre is very relevant for today’s mainstream gamers.

VG247 is quoting the developer as saying that, “I think, with The Walking Dead, it’s kind of proof of the mass marketing of adventure games.”

He adds, “Things like Sam & Max are wonderfully fabulous games, but they’re a little nichey in a way. But I think The Walking Dead really proved that there’s a large number of people out there who, if you build a game that’s accessible to them – build an adventure game that’s accessible to them – they will just flock to it.”

The classic adventure game mechanics appeal to a number of players because they allow the player to experience complex worlds and interesting stories, although Gilbert acknowledges that there are other groups of gamers who are only interested in quick action.

The Walking Dead has performed well and received critical acclaim and the entire first season will be offered in physical form during December.

The developer is currently working with the team at Double Fine on a new game called The Cave, which is set to arrive in January 2013 on the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii U.

Gilbert says that the game offers characters a lot of freedom to move around the environments without any real threats because it occupies one part of the gamer’s brain and allows him to better focus on puzzle solving.

Gilbert is best known for his work on Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion.

He is also collaborating with Double Fine on their new classic adventure game project that was funded using Kickstarter earlier during the year and should be launched in 2013.