Twinsen's Little Big Adventure reboot cancelled as studio were "unsuccessful in securing a publisher"
The cult classic remasters are still in development, though
Under the new rights holders Studio 2.21, cult classic series Little Big Adventure was set to make a comeback after three decades off-grid, with original creator Didier Chanfray attached to the projects. The comeback plans included an all-new reboot, plus remasters for the two 1990s action-adventure games. But today, the studio announced that they were “unsuccessful in securing a publisher,” which has led to the reboot’s cancellation and layoffs at the developer.
“Despite our earnest efforts,” CEO Ben Limare wrote in a blog post, “we were unsuccessful in securing a publisher for the reboot of Twinsen’s Little Big Adventure.” According to Limare, the reasons for this are threefold: genre appeal, the series’ limited recognition, and the planned costs. “Despite a passionate, albeit small, community of fans, Twinsen’s Little Big Adventure isn’t globally recognized, which added to the hesitations of potential publishers,” wrote Limare.
“While indie game studios can often deliver remarkable games with lean teams (as we've seen with Death’s Door and Tunic), our vision for this project involved a team of 15 to 20 people, echoing the original game's size,” he continued. “This considerable investment, juxtaposed with the risk inherent to the genre and IP, was a factor in the decision.”
Work on the reboot has been “halted” and Limare says the project should be regarded as cancelled. The developers will now “reincorporate the reboot’s ideas in the remaster, but that’s a conversation for another time.” Going forward, the studio is reducing team size (layoffs), and exploring two routes for the remasters: self-publishing or finding another willing publisher. Limare writes that collaborating with another studio or Patreon are possible avenues toward self-publishing. Fan comments under the blog are mostly asking for a crowdfunding option, like Kickstarter, though.
The original Little Big Adventure cast you as Twinsen, a strange little guy who’s initially locked in an asylum for his apocalyptic dreams. You then fought against the tyran Dr. Funfrock (fun name) with moves that changed based on Twinsen’s emotions.
You can see snazzy high-definition screenshots from Twinsen’s Little Big Adventure Remastered and its sequel on Steam.