American McGee, renowned for his work on the action-adventure series inspired by **Alice in Wonderland**, has announced his return to game development with a new project that serves as a spiritual successor to his earlier creations. This decision follows nearly three years of retirement after **Electronic Arts (EA)** declined to support a pitch for a third entry in the Alice franchise.
In an interview with **GamesRadar**, McGee revealed that his comeback was motivated by a blend of nostalgia and inspiration from his venture into the plushie industry. He and his wife, **Yeni Zhang**, founded **Plushie Dreadfuls** in 2015 to help finance their proposal for the abandoned game, titled **Alice: Asylum**. The plushie line has become remarkably successful, allowing McGee to repay an old loan to **John Carmack**, co-founder of **id Software**. He described the plushie business as “like a rocket that took off without us knowing there was even a rocket.”
The turning point for McGee came during a pop-up shop event in **Tokyo**, where he engaged with enthusiastic fans who expressed their admiration for the Alice games. This experience prompted him to reflect on his creative ideas. “I realized that I still have these stories to tell,” he stated. “I can’t just sit on these [ideas] because when I sit on ideas like that, it makes me crazy.”
New Storyline and Development Plans
While still in the early stages, McGee’s upcoming game will revolve around a character named **James**, an orphan reminiscent of Alice, who becomes entwined with the enigmatic **Plushie Dreadfuls** family. He aims to connect this narrative with **Alice: Madness Returns**, the second and so far final entry in the original series. “I’ve made an explicit point to link the start of the Plushie Dreadfuls game with the end of Madness Returns,” McGee explained, adding that this connection would allow fans to view it as a spiritual sequel.
McGee dedicated a decade to attempting to revive the Alice franchise with EA, creating extensive preproduction materials, including a design bible shared on his **Patreon** page. Unfortunately, EA declined to greenlight the project or sell the intellectual property, citing the significance of Alice as an integral part of the company’s game catalog.
Despite the challenges faced during his previous attempts, McGee’s renewed focus and creative control over this new project may enhance its chances of successful development. Many fans hold a deep affection for the Alice series, and there is optimism that McGee’s return could lead to a compelling new chapter in his storytelling.
As McGee embarks on this new venture, the gaming community will be watching closely, eager to see how his experience and creativity will shape this spiritual successor. The return of such a talented figure in the industry signals exciting possibilities for fans of both the original games and the new plushie-inspired narrative.
