DeathSpank Announced

Hothead Games sent us over a press release announcing DeathSpank, an RPG/adventure hybrid being created by Secret of Monkey Island’s Ron Gilbert.

HOTHEAD GAMES TO PUBLISH NEW RON GILBERT GAME DEATHSPANK

Gilbert joins the Vancouver crew as Creative Director

The Great White North (January 9, 2008) In a move that may upset the balance of the universe (or at least that around the 49th parallel), Hothead Games announced plans to publish Ron Gilbert’s long-awaited RPG-Adventure game, DeathSpank. Described as “Monkey Island meets Diablo”, the game will be released in episodic format and feature Gilbert’s unique style of humor and storytelling. In a related move, Ron Gilbert will be joining the company’s Vancouver-based studio as Creative Director, effective immediately.

Speaking from his secret game design cave, Ron Gilbert said, “I’ve spent over four years trying to find the right publisher for this strange little game. Now that I’ve done it, you just know that somewhere four horsemen are saddling up.”

The episodic game follows the thong-tastic adventures of a misguided hero named DeathSpank, a character that first appeared on Gilbert’s Grumpy Gamer website in a series of animated comics he penned with long-time creative collaborator, Clayton Kauzlaric.

Hothead prepared for Gilbert’s arrival by ordering the finest morsels of jellied moose meat and lager brewed with water from the nearest available glacier. “We’re all huge fans of Monkey Island and we love Ron’s unique vision and sense of humor,” said Joel DeYoung, COO of Hothead Games. “Ron shares Hothead’s goal of bringing much-needed humor and innovation into games, so having him here in Vancouver as our Creative Director is an excellent fit.”

As Creative Director, Gilbert will work in the Vancouver-based studio on all of Hothead’s games. He is also expected to improve his hockey skills substantially during his stay.

About Hothead Games
Hothead Games is an independent game development studio based in Vancouver, Canada and staffed entirely by industry veterans. The company is committed to creating top quality games for the experienced gamer. Hothead is best known for its upcoming RPG-adventure game series, On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, based on the widely popular online Penny Arcade comic strip. Hothead self-publishes its titles with a focus on offering accessible game play and episodic content through digital distribution.