A potential re-release of the 1995 point-and-click game, Discworld, “may happen”, but it all comes down to one person: King Charles.
Helmed by Gregg Barnett and developed by Teeny Weeny Games and Perfect 10 Productions, the nostalgic 90s game may see a re-release on modern hardware if the crown, aka King Charles, agrees. Initially released to good reviews and applauded for its complementary humour and wit, the original game was designed with input from the Discworld novels’ creator, Sir Terry Pratchett.
Recently speaking with Time Extension, Barnett revealed that remasters of the Discworld games — Discworld (1995), Discworld II: Missing Presumed…!? (1996), and Discworld Noir (1999) — are possible but have largely been halted because of UK regulations around ownership of the games’ rights.
With the rights to the Discworld games believed to have entered a state of limbo when Perfect Entertainment — the developer which assumed Discworld rights during the merging of Teeny Weeny Games and Perfect 10 Productions — ceased production in 1999, the UK rules and regulations seemingly left unclear who owned the game’s rights. However, when asked about a possible remaster, Barnett explained, “Whenever something closes in the UK, intellectual property rights revert 50% to the original creator and 50% to the crown.”
When talking specifically about the games making it onto modern hardware and consoles, he explained, “It may happen. And then it could advance to new versions of them. And again, I said, I would like to do a new Discworld game.”
While, at the moment, all talk surrounding the Discworld games finding their way into consumers’ hands in the 21st century is speculative, Barnett’s comments leave fans hopeful and excited. As a series largely considered a staple of point-and-click adventures for their time, we hope that King Charles is just as much a fan of Terry Pratchett and gaming as the rest of us.
Words by Sam Pegg
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