A producer tied toReturn to MonkeyIsland hints that another sequel to a classicLucasfilm Gamespoint-and-click adventure game may be next.Return to Monkey Islandis, to many fans of point-and-click adventure games, a miracle of sorts. Disney acquiredLucasfilmin 2012, and Monkey Island’s creators had left the company long before that. Now thatReturn to Monkey Islandis back, hope for sequels to other beloved games is renewed - and now could become a reality.What madeReturn to Monkey Islandpossible isn’t just the willingness ofMonkey Islandco-creator Ron Gilbert to make a new game. The biggest key to the project happening was a change in Disney’s approach to making games. Disney not only allowed the property to be further developed by a third-party studio,Gilbert’s Terrible Toybox, but it did so knowing point-and-click adventure games are largely a passion project. That’s what makes fans of the genre so hopeful.RELATED:Return to Monkey Island Features Neil Druckmann CameoNot just any tease for a new game would be taken seriously, but when the tease is coming from Craig Derrick, an executive producer atLucasfilm Games, a tease demands to be taken seriously. Derrick recently posted a congratulations to the team at Terrible Toybox for creating a “true masterpiece of its genre.” He then followed that up with a second post on Twitter reading, “I’m sure more will be said throughout the weeks and months ahead, but for now, I’ll be standing by when it’s time to go BACK TO THE MANSION!” The reference being to Lucasfilm Games' 1987 gameManiac Mansion.
While the reference is obvious, a tweet from Derrick in August, well beforeReturn to Monkey Island’s release, makes the connection clearer. Derrick retweeted a throwback post mentioning thatManiac Mansionwas Lucasfilm Games' first title that it both developed and published. Derrick’s comment on it was that, “I know that I must… GO BACK TO THE MANSION.” Suffice to say, Derrick either wants to playManiac Mansionagain quite badly or there may be an effort to make a new sequel to the game.
Maniac Mansionalready has a sequel, of course, and a very popular and beloved one at that.Day of the Tentaclewas released in 1993 and is argued by some to be the best point-and-click adventure game ever made. Terrible Toybox’s Ron Gilbert helped lead the development ofManiac Mansion, and Terrible Toybox’s Dave Grossman co-directedDay of the Tentacle. It’s a recipe for success if Terrible Toybox chooses to make another game with Lucasfilm Games.
There is a big hurdle to overcome, though. Point-and-click adventure games are not hugely successful ventures. They’ll never have the potential audience of a shooter or an open-world action game. It’s entirely possible thatReturn to Monkey Islandisn’t successful enough to justify more point-and-click adventure games with Disney’s support. Having executive producer Craig Derrick asking for more is a good sign, though. Maybe aManiac Mansion 2from a resurgentLucasfilm Gamescould happen after all.
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