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Gilbert departs Hothead, DeathSpank done

Secret of Monkey Island creator leaves position at Canadian studio as development on action RPG concludes; certification on 360, PS3, [REDACTED] in progress.

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Ron Gilbert got his wish in early 2008, when Hothead Games announced that it had installed the Secret of Monkey Island creator as its creative director and agreed to develop his hard-to-pitch project, DeathSpank. However, Gilbert's time at Hothead is ending along with the action role-playing game's development, as the veteran game designer announced through his personal blog this week that he has parted ways with the company.

These naughty, naughty ogres are in for a spanking.
These naughty, naughty ogres are in for a spanking.

"I wanted to let all the Premium Gold Level Grumpy Gamer subscribers know that I left Hothead," said Gilbert. "When I started working there two years ago, my goal was to make DeathSpank the most awesome game ever made and have it win a Nobel Prize and the early word out of Stockholm is that DeathSpank is neck-in-neck with some string theory dweeb (eleven dimensions my a**)."

Gilbert also confirmed that DeathSpank has left the production phase and will start down "that long and winding road of certification and testing of the Xbox and PS3 and [REDACTED] versions." (Redacted in original.) Last month, Electronic Arts said that it would publish the effort on Microsoft and Sony's consoles through its EA Partners program.

Though initially announced as an episodic game a la Hothead's Penny Arcade Adventures, DeathSpank evolved into a full downloadable title for Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. Along with its adventure-game-style storyline and puzzles, DeathSpank also features a strong action RPG element, where gamers cut their way through swaths of enemies to gain items and level up.

For more on DeathSpank, check out GameSpot's most recent preview.

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arnaob

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PC version got a tag canceled !!!! Wow :@ :@

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dean0null

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No, it doesn't. It just means that it's probably going to be coming to the Wii or PC. We just don't know whether it's in development for another system. But we do know that it'll be available for Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network in the Summer of 2010.

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GSyyMega_LoseryyGS

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and now the game description reads the game is cancelled? too bad..

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TheEldestGod

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@greendominator There's actually a long backstory about how that name came to be and the name was actually the whole reason the game was made. Basically, Ron Gilbert came up with the name and a character one day and then decided he wanted to make a game about it. I know it doesn't change the fact that the name is kind of odd, but just thought I should share.

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wonzan

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Looks interesting!

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Majd_Abdulqadir

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This game is so charming. I'm bought! I love how the horizon slowly rolls in.

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green_dominator

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Why the name?? why not Bloody Death or some nonsense like that?? Am I the only one who thinks the name sounds bad?? It looks good considering.......

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jigglebilly1983

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Ron Gilbert is a poor mans Tim Schaefer. Not saying that D-Spank is bad though.

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monson21502

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never heard of him

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buft

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the game looks good in that it appeals to the RPG addict in me but with action RPG's the gameplay is always a bigger factor for me than the story and my biggest concern with this is that with all the weapons being one move and assignable i dont want to spend all my time in the menus switching them around. Pricing and world size will also be something i look at closer to the time

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Avatar image for deactivated-5f0932068c331
deactivated-5f0932068c331

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game looks like tons of fun. :)

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kaziechameleon

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Looks like a good game.

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GodsPoison

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I'll trade you a Taco for that legendary hero's Sword! Deal!

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maverick_76

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DEATHSPANK JUST SOUNDS FUNNY!

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borgmaster

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so now they can make the next penny-arcade game?

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Wanderer5

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DeathSpank looks awesome. I like the artstyle and it looks fun.:)

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SDBusDriver1979

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Ron Gilbert got the chance to make his game and now he is out. Livin the dream.

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Quinzark

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nice one :)

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Fandango_Letho

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I can't wait for this game, especially when you know its been tailored by Ron Gilbert.

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box0rocks

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aww! No Pc? :( oh well, glad i have ps3

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Elian2530

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I want this game haha. Looks like a lot of fun. Simple, yet charming game. And a loot lovers dream.

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Sutton

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Maybe it's just the trailer, but this looks pretty terrible. On a personal note: I have NEVER been at the beginning of a comments list! HELL YEAH!!!

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MuffintopX

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So does Penny Arcade episode 3 get made now? DeathSpank was the reason it was moved to a graphic novel.

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fkbwii

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Nice graphics :D

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Killingspree303

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Deathspank looks awesome :P

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XanderKage

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[REDACTED]? Ouch. No love for PC...

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