Ron Gilbert cancels RPG project due to lack of support and funding

GamesIndustry.biz
Wed, 03 Dec 2025 11:40:25 +0000

Ron Gilbert has canceled his untitled RPG project due to insufficient funding and support. In an interview, he cited challenges from working with a small team and unfavorable publisher deals, stating that the market's focus on analytics stifles creativity. The game, which combined elements of classic Zelda and Diablo, was announced in 2024 and aimed for a late 2024 or early 2025 release. Gilbert expressed a preference for the indie game market's creative freedom.

2025-12-03 | GameSpot: Game With Amazing Premise Has Been Canceled

Legendary game designer Ron Gilbert announced the cancellation of his upcoming RPG project, which was inspired by The Legend of Zelda. Despite a year of development with a small team, Gilbert struggled to secure funding due to unfavorable publishing deals and a lack of interest from investors. He criticized the industry's analytics-driven approach, which limits creativity and leads to similar game designs. Gilbert's latest release is Death by Scrolling, launched in late October 2023.

2025-12-03 | PC Gamer: Ron Gilbert canceled his Zelda-inspired RPG, in part because a good publisher is hard to come by these days: 'It's like they have formulas that they apply to games to try to figure out how much money they could make'

Ron Gilbert canceled his Zelda-inspired RPG due to difficulties securing funding and resources. In an interview, he expressed frustration with publishers' analytics-driven approaches, which prioritize formulaic games over unique projects. Gilbert noted that while crowdfunding helped with his previous game, Thimbleweed Park, Kickstarter is now less viable for game funding. He believes the indie market allows for more creativity, contrasting it with the constraints imposed by larger publishers.