Aptly named Return of Alice, American McGee's next twisted Alice game is shooting to outdo the original. EA Partners said they went to McGee because he had a passion for the IP and gave him a blank canvas to work with.

And just look how he's started to fill that canvas.

[Thanks VenDeath]

"We've given him a blank canvas to go where he would like," said David DeMartini, Electronic Arts Partners chief. "There is nothing set in stone and nothing has been removed either."

Writing on his personal blog today, McGee said that the sequel to American McGee's Alice, currently named The Return of American McGee's Alice, will have the same writer and executive producer as the original game.

"The original Alice was a good bit of fun - and aspects of the original are still quite compelling," he wrote. "The challenge for us - to build a great game, and a sequel worthy of the original - is real, but not daunting.

"For me, this is a dream come true."

It could be for Electronic Arts Partner label as well.

Although the current project is part of a single game contract, it doesn't mean that collaboration won't lead to other titles down the line, DeMartini said.

"We are really having him focus on this one for now," he said. "Letting him create as strong a game as he can."

But if the game does well, it could lead to future projects.

DeMartini said that there currently aren't any plans to bring the original Alice out of retirement, even as a port for the Playstation Network or Xbox Live Arcade, but that it "wasn't a bad idea."

He added that while the new Alice project, which isn't connected in anyway to the film that has been in the works for yeas, is being developed for the PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, that doesn't mean it will never come out on the Wii.

"It is possible we would revisit that," he said.

"People loved the original game, loved the gameplay," he said. "It was highly creative and interesting."

When EA Partners started thinking about returning to Alice, they "felt that there would be no better place to turn than to the original creative force behind the first game," he said.

"The first place we turned was to American and American shared a passion for the IP and he's had eight years to think about it."

Currently titled The Return of American McGee's Alice, the game is still in pre-production and "won't be completed for some time." The game is in development for the PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

"This new project is a dream come true for me and the fans who've kept the Alice flame alive," said American McGee, senior creative director at Spicy Horse. "EA gave us creative latitude and support on the original game which resulted in something beautiful and daring. This trip through the looking glass promises to be even more exciting."

"EA Partners is thrilled to team up with American McGee and Spicy Horse on the next installment of the Alice franchise," said David DeMartini, senior vice president and general manager of EA Partners. "American McGee's interpretation of Alice was an instant classic, and EA Partners is ready to help him bring his innovative vision for the franchise to even darker, more exciting places."

What are you hoping for from this game? A rework of the original? New ground broken? Multiplayer?

Red Eagle first revealed plans for games based on the movie adaptations of Jordan's books back in November, when they also revealed plans to create a massively multiplayer online RPG based on the series' setting. The new press release doesn't mention films, but it does indeed mention the MMORPG, which will be distributed by EA Partners at retail along with the standalone titles.

“The Wheel of Time is a blockbuster global brand and our relationship with EA Partners will ensure that Red Eagle Games’ products are made available to consumers around the world through familiar retail channels,” said Rick Selvage, Chairman and President of Red Eagle Games.

When Red Eagle first announce plans for Wheel of Time games, I was a bit skeptical, but now it looks like they're really happening. I have got a lot of reading to catch up on.

Red Eagle Games Signs Worldwide Distribution Deal With EA Partners
EA Partners Signs on as Distribution Partner for Games Based on Robert Jordan’s Fantasy Series The Wheel of Time

MALIBU, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Red Eagle Games today announced they have signed a strategic distribution agreement with Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) for games based on Robert Jordan’s beloved fantasy series, The Wheel of Time.

Red Eagle Games will develop and publish a line of stand-alone games on all major videogame platforms, including consoles, personal computers, handheld systems and wireless devices. The games will be distributed by EA. In addition, Red Eagle will launch and operate a massively multiplayer online role-playing game that encompasses the themes, characters and world of The Wheel of Time, which will be distributed at retail by EA.

“The Wheel of Time is a blockbuster global brand and our relationship with EA Partners will ensure that Red Eagle Games’ products are made available to consumers around the world through familiar retail channels,” said Rick Selvage, Chairman and President of Red Eagle Games.

“EA Partners is excited to team up with Red Eagle as their global distribution partner for games based on The Wheel of Time series,” said David DeMartini, senior vice president and general manager of EA Partners. “The Wheel of Time series has a massive worldwide following and we’re excited to help give Red Eagle Games’ interactive products a blockbuster launch on the global stage.”

The rich details of Jordan’s meticulously crafted series have captivated readers since 1990, when The Eye of the World, the first book in the series, was published. Eleven additional books, including one prequel, have since been added to the series and have consistently appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List with the last four of his novels in the series debuting at No. 1. Jordan passed away in 2007 at the age of 58, but a final book, A Memory of Light, will be finished by fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson using notes and a partial draft left with Jordan’s wife and editor, Harriet Rigney, and is expected to be published in fall 2009 by Tor Books.

Jordan’s wildly popular books have been translated into 24 languages, and have sold about 44 million copies worldwide. In addition, the series has a vast global on-line community of tens of thousands of dedicated fan Web sites.

Moledina's new gig at EA Partners will see him "seek out breakthrough games and provide their developers with a selection of seasoned practical and business capabilities to help them realize their dreams." The EA Partners program is responsible for releases such as Rock Band, The Orange Box, Crysis and Rage. Not a bad job if you can get it, we think. Congrats, Mr. Moledina.

According to an MTV Multiplayer discussion with EA Partners group general manager David DeMartini, Suda51 and Shinji Mikami aren't the only Japanese talent the pub has its eye on.

See there's a board — a secret board — at EAP with names of good "gets" from all over the globe.

DeMartini tells MTV that "it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to guess who might be on the board or who might not be on the board," noting that "EA looks at the top 20 developers in the world and we try to sign anything those guys are working on."

The goal with Grasshopper, apparently, is to bring the developer from the minor leagues — a hit with critics and the Insert Credit crowd — to the majors, shifting millions of units, not tens of thousands. Even Mikami said it's all about the money.

For speculation on who else might be on the board — folks like Hideo Kojima — venture forth for the full piece.

EA Wants To Sign More Japanese Developers, Teases Board Covered In Secret Plans [MTV Multiplayer]

We're certainly sad with the results for Flagship and what's happened with Hellgate, because at the time we signed it, we were trying to get involved in a very complicated relationship between Namco and Flagship. We were coming late to the party, and trying to do whatever we could to sprinkle the game magic on the project and get it headed in the right direction.

I think that's an example where all three parties had the best interest of the game in mind, and sometimes the game doesn't work out. Hellgate is still an incredible concept. The guys who worked on it spent thousands of hours trying to make that concept work, and sometimes we just don't see something. Sometimes, we just didn't take enough time. Sometimes, things don't work out the way you expect.

It's kind of like a film with all big stars — on the script, it should be successful, but the movie doesn't turn out as good as everybody hoped. That's why EAP takes a portfolio approach with its games. You have to place a lot of bets, and hope for a lot of hits.

Certainly worth a read through — I always enjoy reading interviews that cover a lot of ground, and this certainly satisfies in that respect.

David DeMartini on the Renaissance of EA Partners [Gamasutra]