Discworld rerelease "may happen" but depends on "King Charles", developer says
UPDATE: Rhianna Pratchett responds.
UPDATE 13/2/2024: Following comments from Discworld game developer Gregg Barnett, in which the designer suggested some sort of rerelease could be on the horizon, Rhianna Pratchett has shed more light on the situation.
Speaking with PC Gamer, Pratchett - who is the joint owner of independant production company Narrativia, which was launched by Discworld author Terry Pratchett back in 2012 - clarified the company only has "rights to the characters" rather than the games themselves.
"If we did have the rights, then this would be a whole lot easier. We're genuinely not sure who does own the rights because studios have been bought and sold over the years, along with IP. Last time we investigated this, they were thought to be with Sony, but that's never been fully confirmed," she said, adding the company would "love to see the old games re-released".
According to Pratchett, the revelation that the crown owns 50 percent of the Discworld games is news to them. "Who knows what might happen if that's really the case. Maybe he's a fan," she said. Pratchett also stated the only reason there hasn't been a new Discworld game released in the time since is because "no one has come to us with the right ideas and the resources to actually make it happen".
Said Pratchett: "We still own the IP rights... The reason why Gregg got the rights to do the games was that he came with solid ideas which fitted the nature of Discworld." In a follow up post on social media, Pratchett further stated "no one has spoken to us about any re-release being on the cards".
The original story continues below.
ORIGINAL 8/2/2024: A re-release of the 90s point-and-click Discworld game "may happen", designer Gregg Barnett has teased. However, the developer said because of the way intellectual property rights work in the UK, 50 percent of the game currently belongs to the crown, which complicates matters a tad.
Discworld was originally released in 1995, having been created with input from Discworld novels author Terry Pratchett. On its launch, the game was well-received, with many complimenting its humour. It became a classic of its time, and a source of many fond memories. I can still recall the voice of Eric Idle's Rincewind perfectly.
A sequel then followed in the form of Discworld 2: Missing Presumed...!? in 1996, before Discworld Noir arrived in 1999.
But, could we see Discworld and its follow-ups remastered for modern hardware? Well, maybe. In a recent interview with Time Extension, Barnett was asked about the rights to Discworld, and whether any publishers had tried to contact him about them. This was because many assumed the rights were in some sort of limbo.
Barnett subsequently told the publication that 50 percent of the rights had actually reverted to him as the creator "because the company Perfect Entertainment had been closed for over 10 years". The other 50 percent, meanwhile, had gone to the crown.
"Whenever something closes in the UK, intellectual property rights revert 50 percent to the original creator and 50 percent to the crown, which is King Charles. So that's the two owners of the games," he explained.
Barnett went on to state that there have already been "discussions" about re-releasing the Discworld games in some form or another. He suggested "something may be happening down the track". However, because of those IP rights, it won't be as straightforward as it could be under different circumstances.
"It's obviously a complicated process when you're dealing with the crown," Barnett closed.
I personally would love the chance to revisit Discworld with my two children. What do you think? Do you reckon King Charles would be up for it?