Gamescom 2014 is coming up, and Activision is apparently announcing the return of a beloved PC gaming label. But for what reason?
For those unfamiliar, Sierra was one of the gaming publishers for the PC. It was especially notable for brutally hard adventure games like King’s Quest, Space Quest, Gabriel Knight, and others, which are so popular that the properties managed to live on. As a publisher, it put out a little game known as Half-Life, among others. Unfortunately, the company’s owner was embroiled in a financial scandal in the ’90s, and it limped along as a shell of itself until 2008, when Activision officially closed the doors.
And now, apparently, it’s back. But for what?
The teaser itself is a hint; that’s a game company logo to be slapped onto the beginning of a game if I ever saw one. If Activision is willing to lay out the cash for that, they’ve probably got something slightly more ambitious than just putting out HD versions of point-and-click games. Not that this isn’t likely on the schedule, as the fandom of these games are vocal and they’ve got money to burn on Steam, but it also seems like Activision wants a little more out of Sierra.
What, precisely, is the question, and a lot depends on what this new Sierra is. A publishing label? A developer? Sheer marketing? We’ll find out at Gamescom.