With the announcement that the OZombie Kickstarter has fallen through due to a shortage of donations, American McGee has moved on to more familiar territory, asking fans for donations to fund a new short film titled Alice: Otherlands. Meant to be a continuation of the Alice game series, McGee and his company, Spicy Horse, are asking for $200,000 in donations so they can produce the film.
Wait, that sounds a bit high, doesn’t it? Before you jump to conclusions, you’ll be happy to know that Spicy Horse has released a statement clarifying any and all questions fans might have about the high cost of the project. It turns out that the money will be used to buy back the actual film rights to “American McGee’s Alice,” which through some odd happenings, American McGee himself does not own. Check out the list below to see just what’s up with this project:
-The Otherlands short films are not a replacement for a 3rd Alice game.
-American and Spicy Horse are still negotiating with EA for the license so they can create a 3rd Alice.
-The shorts are a way of demonstrating consumer interest in the property (and giving the people what they want, more Alice!) for EA and other potential business partners
-Spicy Horse will not be making the films in-house, nor will they be earning a profit from the Kickstarter.
-The figure is purely to purchase the American McGee’s Alice film rights and make the animation (or animations, if particularly successful).
-If Spicy Horse and American cannot purchase the film rights, they go on the open market where anyone can purchase them and create an American McGee’s Alice film
-Naturally, an American McGee’s Alice film without American McGee’s involvement is something American McGee would like to prevent
-“American McGee’s Alice” is a distinct IP which American McGee, the dude, does not own at this time. Yes, he doesn’t own his own name in this instance.
-Copyright and IP law is a pain and I hate it very much
-If you say American McGee’s name three times, he appears.
As you can tell, it’s important to Spicy Horse that they get the rights back to their own project, and if fans want to see more Alice, then they’ll care too. The project has raised about $80,000 of its $200,000 goal, so be sure to check the Alice: Otherlands Kickstarter and donate if you want to see a few films added to the Alice canon!