Police Quest Series Consultant, Daryl Gates, Dies at 83

I fondly remember playing the Police Quest games by Sierra many years ago. My cousin had most of them, and I would hog the computer while he had to sit and watch TV. I also recall the laugh I had with those old Sierra On-Line games where if you typed something like “F@$k you” then it would reply with a message like “same to you buddy”. Clever.

Anyhow, there was a consultant behind the games in the Police Quest and Police Quest: SWAT spin-off series known as Daryl Francis Gates, and he sadly passed away on Friday at the age of 83. He died of bladder cancer after a long battle with the disease.

Daryl was a former Chief of Police in the LAPD, who was criticized heavily during the Rodney King saga years ago and the riots in Los Angeles thereafter in the early nineties. He retired soon after. He served a total of 43 years in the LAPD. Gates is also considered the father of SWAT [Special Weapons And Tactics].

                                                               

He is credited with creating Police Quest IV: Open Season, the fourth game in the series, released in 1993, Police Quest: SWAT, otherwise known as Police Quest 5, as well as Police Quest: Swat 2 and Swat 3.

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Source: Police Quest Game Consultant Daryl Gates Dies [1UP]

Police Quest Series Consultant, Daryl Gates, Dies at 83

Fan-Made King’s Quest Sequel Killed by Activision

                                           “But why?! It’s just not fair!”

Activision has made a lot of people very angry over the past year or two, especially just in the past few days. Lately they fired two head guys from Infinity Ward, and another evil deed that the company has committed is shutting down a fan-made sequel in the legendary King’s Quest series, called King's Quest IX: Every Cloak Has A Silver Lining or just The Silver Lining later on.

King's Quest IX: Every Cloak Has A Silver Lining or King’s Quest 9 for those of you who can’t comprehend roman numerals was a fan-made, unofficial sequel to the series, whose last title was King’s Quest VIII: Mask Of Eternity, no doubt, back in about 1998; more than ten years ago.

The game was all ready in hot water a while back in 2005 when Vivendi sent the developers, Phoenix Online Studios, a COD or cease and desist order. Then later the game became known as just The Silver Lining, as Vivendi granted them a non-commercial licence after fans lashed out, which means that they were allowed to continue development, but not allowed to make any money by selling it for instance.

But now Activision are the new holders of the IP by Sierra, and they pretty much shut them down, refusing to give them a non-commercial licence or renewing the old one, and ended eight years of hard work. The project started back in 2002, possibly earlier. Some say it was as far back as 2000. The game was apparently set to see a release this year, with the first episode in a planned five episode release format (see Half-Life 2 Episodes).

A few years back, I remember playing remakes of King’s Quest I and II by Tierra, later AGD Interactive, also just a couple of fans messing around in AGS (adventure game studio) that wanted to modernise the series.  After those two, Infamous Adventures remade King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human. The remake of King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella is still under development at Magic Mirror Games. King's Quest V has a remake in King's Quest V - The Text Adventure.

I even have the original King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride lying around somewhere.

It’s sad, and it might even make you angry, but it’s the law, unfortunately. Activision hold the rights to the franchise, but they’re too busy milking Call of Duty and Modern Warfare for all they’re worth to consider having someone make another game in the KQ series.

Just goes to show that you should ask beforehand, I guess. I bet all other mod-makers and devs making fan-made games belonging to another series are quaking in their boots now.

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Source: TSL-Game.com

Fan-Made King’s Quest Sequel Killed by Activision