On Tuesday, GamesBeat reported that writer Colin McComb had begun developing a followup to beloved PC role-playing game Planescape: Torment. Fan reaction to the news was mostly positive, but a few fans voiced concerns that the developer won’t secure the license to the Planescape setting from rights-holder Wizards of the Coast.
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“I’d say that I understand that concern, and will hopefully be able to share what we’ve got in mind soon,” McComb told GamesBeat. “I’d remind those [that are concerned] of my role with the original Planescape campaign setting at publisher TSR.”
Planescape is a setting of the Dungeons & Dragons game. While with TSR, the company who originally published the pen-and-paper role-playing games, McComb was one of the main writers and designers for the Planescape setting. He is perhaps one of the most important creative figures in making that fictional location as immersive as it is.
“I’d tell [worried fans] that I am at least as excited about this new setting – if not more. Anything else I tell you now will spoil the surprise,” said McComb.
McComb secured approval from Planescape: Torment’s original lead designer, Chris Avellone, so now he’s focused on what’s next for this unofficial sequel.
“Knowing that Chris is on board with the idea, the next step is finding the heart of the game,” he said. “[Finding] a question that will resonate with the players and a theme that we can explore with a cast of reactive characters, creating memorable villains and companions and deep dialogue, and exploring the question: [does[ one life matter? And how [does it matter]?”
But it’s clear that McComb and possibly Brian Fargo, McComb’s colleague at developer InXile, have something more in the works for the new Torment. Roxy Friday, a company for which Fargo sits on the board of, recently trademarked Torment.
Apropos of nothing, both McComb and Fargo have successfully funded projects on Kickstarter.
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When I questioned McComb about all of that, he only offered the following:
“That’s still secret.”