Back in May there was a hot little rumor floating on the lips of adventure game fans: Monkey Island could be coming back. This morning, it was confirmed that the rumor is true, and not only one but two titles are coming: The Secret of Monkey Island is a new episodic series coming to PC and WiiWare, and there's also The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition, a complete remake of the first game coming to Xbox 360 and PC. Worked up yet?
The announcement of the project marks a rather awesome collaboration between LucasArts and Telltale Games. Telltale will be developing the episodic series, while LucasArts will handle all development on the remake. The first episode of The Secret of Monkey Island will debut on PC on July 7th, and preorders are already open for it on the Telltale website. If you preorder it before then, you'll get a free collector's DVD with a handpainted cover from Monkey Island artist Steve Purcell, a voucher for a free Telltale game of your choice and access to an exclusive Monkey Island section of the website.
I'm alreadya fan of Telltale's episodic content, but being a huge adventure game fan, this particular announcement really makes my heart swell. The five episode series will set you back $34.95 to preorder -- are you going to get it?
SHIVER ME TIMBERS! MONKEY ISLAND® IS BACK THIS SUMMER!
LucasArts and Telltale Reveal Series of New Monkey Island Adventures Coming Soon! SAN FRANCISCO, Calif – June 1, 2009 – LucasArts today announced that the original hilarious pirate adventure is back, with two new projects underway based on the classic Monkey Island franchise. Beginning in just a few short weeks, Telltale will premiere the Tales of Monkey Island™ game series, delivering a completely new epic storyline and swashbuckling flair that will unfold across five monthly episodes on PC and WiiWare™. The Monkey Island celebration continues later in the summer when LucasArts publishes The Secret of Monkey Island™: Special Edition, a completely re-imagined version of the first game in the series that adds updated high definition graphics, a re-mastered musical score, and full voiceover to the classic adventure game originally launched in 1990. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition will be made available on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and PC.
Today's announcement represents a new partnership between LucasArts and digital entertainment pioneers Telltale who are crafting new experiences for today's audiences with engaging stories delivered through regular monthly episodes. Tales of Monkey Island is developed by Telltale, whose team includes designers and artists who worked on all of the previous Monkey Island games. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is being developed internally by LucasArts, the company that started it all with the original Monkey Island games.
“We couldn’t be any more excited about bringing Monkey Island to today's gamers -- both in our special edition of the original classic, and through our collaboration with Telltale on the episodic series,” said LucasArts’ President Darrell Rodriguez. “We can’t wait for Guybrush Threepwood and LeChuck to return to gamers’ screens.”
About Tales of Monkey Island Telltale's Tales of Monkey Island brings the adventures of pirate Guybrush Threepwood into a new era with an explosive storyline that becomes deeper and more entangled during the course of the five-episode saga. While battling his nemesis, the evil pirate LeChuck, Guybrush accidentally unleashes an insidious voodoo pox that threatens to transform the buccaneers of the Caribbean into unruly pirate monsters. Players will experience the humor, romance, and swashbuckling action the Monkey Island games are famous for and unravel an insidious plot which is revealed across the course of the series. Tales of Monkey Island is set to premiere on PC and WiiWare in the coming weeks. "The Monkey Island series set the standard for storytelling and character development in games," said Telltale CEO Dan Connors. "The next several months should be filled with all kinds of surprises as we continue the dramatic stories of Guybrush, Elaine and LeChuck. We are happy to be working with LucasArts to make this happen."
Telltale has posted a video preview and screenshots today at http://www.telltalegames.com/monkeyisland, and has opened up pre-orders at this site.
About The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition This summer, LucasArts will release The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition via Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 and for PCs. Back by popular demand, The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition faithfully re-imagines the internationally-acclaimed classic game (originally released in 1990) for original and new audiences alike. The development team at LucasArts is bringing the game into the modern era with all-new HD graphics, a re-mastered musical score, full voiceover, and an in-depth hint system has been added to help players through the game’s side-splitting puzzles. Purists will also delight in the ability to seamlessly switch between the updated HD graphics and the original’s classic look. The game's twisty plot leads hero, Guybrush Threepwood, on a hilarious quest throughout the fabled Monkey Island. Tales of pirate wealth attract Guybrush, who lands at the port of Mêlée with high hopes, no money and an insatiable desire to become a pirate. If the player is clever enough, Guybrush will win the confidence of Mêlée's established pirates and soon find himself blown by the winds of fate toward Monkey Island -- a storied isle whose name alone chills the bones of even the most bloodthirsty buccaneers. More information about The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition can be found at the official website, www.MonkeyIslandSpecialEdition.com. These efforts are just the start of LucasArts’ new mission to revitalize its deep portfolio of beloved gaming franchises. In addition to these new Monkey Island projects, LucasArts recently revealed that the classic adventure game Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (originally released in 1992) is included as an unlockable bonus in the Wii™ version of Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, set to be released on June 9. Additional announcements are forthcoming.
About Telltale, Inc. Telltale is the first and only studio to release interactive episodic content on a monthly schedule. Founded in 2004 by LucasArts veterans with decades of experience, Telltale has quickly become an industry leader, establishing the model for downloadable game seasons and releasing more than twenty games to date. Telltale's games have won numerous awards, including “Adventure Game of the Year” accolades from publications such as IGN, PC Gamer, GameSpy, and Adventure Gamers, and have been recognized by mainstream outlets ranging from USA Today, to The New York Times to Variety. Telltale currently develops and publishes episodic series on PC, Wii™, and Xbox 360™, with plans to expand to additional platforms and channels in the coming year. For more information, visit http://www.telltalegames.com.
About LucasArts LucasArts, a division of Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd., is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide for video game console systems, computers and the Internet. Based in San Francisco, Calif., as well as on the Internet at www.lucasarts.com, LucasArts was created in 1982 by George Lucas to provide an interactive element to his vision of a state-of-the-art, multifaceted entertainment company.
I'm into it, and will pre-order, but whats the deal with the way Guybrush looks? Anyone? Isn't he supposed to look like a dufus instead of a tough dude?
This completely threw me off guard. Like Dominic Armato in the trailer, I had been waiting for the next Monkey Island game for years, and eventually gave up hop eentirely. Even when I saw the story here just now, I immediately assumed it would just be some sort of Mario Party-esque mini-game collection and not a real Monkey Island game.
...But TWO?? Two real, honest-to-God Monkey Island games?? Awesome. I'm totally going to get these. I particularly like the how the remake of the original is looking. Not quite sold on the 3D graphics of the new episodic title, but whatever.
I've always wanted to play the original so this is perfect. I love platformers and adventure games and this is what put adventure games on the map. I'm fucking STOKED! I just hope this sells well enough to not only continue the series that I've heard so much about but maybe energize the entire genre. It would be awesome to see a flood of quality XBLA adventure games.
I totally wasn't sold on the idea of a remake until they mentioned the 'red button'. Anyone who doesn't play the game in super old school mode is officially a traitor and should be shot.
Well considering I've played the original approximately 20 billion times since it's come out (These days I even play it on my pda, ds and wii. Thanks scummvm!) I think I'm going to give the hd option a whirl just for the novelty.
I'm looking forward to the new episodic one a lot more than the remake. Why? Because the remake's graphics look like shit! Oh, the backgrounds are nice, but on that vid up there the people (who desperately need more frames of animation) look like the claymation/bad renders of budget games! :(
So cool. I love the idea of switching between 3d and classic graphics. Haven't played the original since i was a kid, hope i don't start to remember all the puzzle solutions.
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12:27 PM on 06.01.2009, 
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