Activision destroys The Silver Lining

Bad news for King’s Quest fans who were looking forward to the episodic releases of the fan-made sequel The Silver Lining, which were supposed to start in Spring 2010. It isn’t going to happen. It’s never going to happen, and it’s all Activision’s fault.

See, The Silver Lining Development Team, which was made up of fans of King’s Quest and members of Phoenix Online Studios, have been working on The Silver Lining since 2002. It was to be a sequel to the original game. And it was almost ready to be released, in five episodes, to fans. But Activision now owns King’s Quest, after acquiring Vivendi, which had acquired Sierra, and wants the project wiped from existence.

This isn’t the first time The Silver Lining has been shut down. When Vivendi Universal got its hands on King’s Quest, it sent out a cease-and-desist in 2002. However, fan response and some kindness on Vivendi’s part allowed the project to continue under a special, non-commercial agreement. Activision, however, won’t agree to any non-commercial agreement. And so, it’s all over. The website for The Silver Lining is now only home to a letter from The Silver Lining Development Team explaining what has happened and thanking all of its fans and followers for their support over the last eight years.

The complete and total destruction of the fan-made The Silver Lining sequel isn’t enough for Activision though. Part of the cease-and-desist order commands that all the forums related to The Silver Lining project be closed. It’s like they’re trying to completely erase even any discussion about the project. Classy. A cleared out forum is now up at the site for people who were involved with or following The Silver Lining to continue to meet and talk amongst themselves.

Activision’s actions are ridiculous. The company isn’t doing anything with King’s Quest. The Silver Lining wasn’t hurting anything. Its actions weren’t protecting anything, they were just malicious and cruel. Especially so, considering that the project was so close to being completed and officially released. Shame on Activision. I hope the company hears back in force from all of the people who were eagerly anticipating The Silver Lining.

Read [Kotaku] Also Read [The Escapist] Site [The Silver Lining]