After 40 years of adventure games, Ron Gilbert pivots to outrunning Death

Ars Technica
Mon, 01 Dec 2025 12:00:09 +0000

Ron Gilbert, known for classic adventure games, has shifted to action-oriented design with his new game, Death by Scrolling, releasing in October. He initially pursued a large open-world RPG inspired by The Legend of Zelda but abandoned it due to budget and resource constraints. Gilbert faced challenges securing funding from publishers, attributing the unfavorable deals to the RPG genre's market conditions.

2025-12-01 | Eurogamer: Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert cancels 2D pixel art Zelda-like RPG after struggling to secure funding

Ron Gilbert, creator of Monkey Island, has canceled his 2D pixel art RPG, initially described as a blend of classic Zelda and Diablo, due to funding challenges. He stated that publishers offered unfavorable deals, and the genre's lack of popularity hindered support. Gilbert expressed disappointment with the current gaming landscape, noting that crowdfunding has become less viable. His artwork from the canceled RPG will be used in his new game, Death by Scrolling, a rogue-like RPG.

2025-12-01 | GamesRadar+: Monkey Island legend Ron Gilbert had big plans for a retro Zelda-style open-world RPG, but publishers said no: "They didn’t look at it as 'we're gonna make $100 million and it’s worth investing in'"

Ron Gilbert, known for The Secret of Monkey Island, had plans for a retro Zelda-style open-world RPG but struggled to secure funding from publishers, who viewed it as unprofitable. He described the deals offered as "horrible" and criticized the analytics-driven approach of major publishers, which leads to a lack of innovation. Gilbert's current project, Death by Scrolling, reflects his views on capitalism and societal issues, set in a purgatory dominated by investment bankers.

2025-12-01 | Rock Paper Shotgun: That Zelda-ish, Diablo-ish RPG Monkey Island designer Ron Gilbert was working on has, unfortunately, been canned

Ron Gilbert's unnamed RPG, a blend of classic Zelda and Diablo, has been canceled after a year of development. Despite hiring an artist and designer, Gilbert faced challenges in securing funding, with publishers offering unfavorable deals. He noted that the current market doesn't favor pixelated, old-school styles, making it difficult to attract investment. Gilbert's recent game, Death by Scrolling, launched in October 2023, but the RPG project could not be sustained.