SiN Episodes appear dead

By Robert Purchese Published 26 January, 2007

Ritual's new owners not keen.

Ritual's new owner Mumbo Jumbo has said that action games will not be the studio's primary focus from now on, casting doubt on the future of SiN Episodes.

"The idea of acquiring Ritual was to have them strengthen our development in the casual genre and not to have them involved at all in the action style games," Mark Cottam, CEO of Mumbo Jumbo, told GameDaily.

"If there's an opportunity to have them do something on the SiN episodes, we would look at that, but that will not be the focus of the company."

Ritual has so far released one episode of the new SiN series, via Steam, which met with decent reviews.

"The combined companies will focus exclusively on casual [games], unless opportunities present themselves that we think are strategic from a business standpoint... Again, I wouldn't close the door on [traditional games] but that's not the primary focus," Cottam added.

Ritual studio head Ken Harward recently told our sister site GamesIndustry.biz that the developer wasn't just a one-trick pony - hedging his bets perhaps.

"I'd like to see Ritual continue to branch out into different genres, potentially even experimental genres. I do not view Ritual as simply a first-person-shooter development house," he said.

We're not overly optimistic for SiN's future, but it's nice to hear there's still hope.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (29) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Darkedge #1 5 years ago

    i'd likt to see the story continue and find out what happens, but i'd only buy another episode if the quality is pushed beyond poor, unfinished, unpolished mod which emergence was..

  • nickthegun #2 5 years ago

    Sadly, another reasons why Episodic gaming probably wont catch on.

    Also I would like to ask Mark Cottam, CEO of Mumbo Jumbo, to define the 'Casual Genre' to me in less than 100 words, with a cockpunch for each media buzzword.

  • asphaltcowboy #3 5 years ago

    WTF? :/

    What a load of shit!

  • davisorle #4 5 years ago

    I thought that Sin had a lot of potential... It's sad to hear this and I hope that they change their minds soon enough.

  • BravoGolf #5 5 years ago

    Mumbo Jumbo?

  • Lost_in_Darkness #6 5 years ago

    Well then, that's a kick in the nuts to everyone that purchased the game with expectations for more. Bad show Ritual.

  • davisorle #7 5 years ago

    true....

  • Tomnd #8 5 years ago

    so did they sell multiple episode packs to anyone?

  • Fitzmogwai #9 5 years ago

    No great loss. I bought the first episode following the glowing reviews and it was crap. Didn't jusify a second episode, and I wouldn't have bought it if it ever got released anyway.

  • Calo #10 5 years ago

    LevelLord will sort it out XD

  • lambtron #11 5 years ago

    "Mumbo Jumbo"

    Sounds like they at least got the name of the Company right...

    Casual games FTUL.

  • sanctusmortis #12 5 years ago

    Damn, and the film showed it had so much promise.

  • BadBoyBonner #13 5 years ago

    For episodic (sounds like a fetish) gaming to catch on it needs to be about 2 quid an episode with 15 episodes scheduled with the possibility of more. Anything other than an impulse purchase an you not really being episodic - it sort of stuck in the middle ground.

    Half-life 2 doesn't count in my book as being episodic per se, and would have done almost as well or better as a full price release. In fact after ya have purchased one kind of package on steam it becomes something of a mathematical conundrum as to which package is the best way to move forward with some of the Valve stuff! Lol

  • NoQuarter #14 5 years ago

    Episodes will work when the content is good enough. Sam n Max is good enough. HL2 Ep1 is good enough. Both will sell, whether they are shorter chunks or longer games.

  • Schiraman #15 5 years ago

    I quite enjoyed the first episode, it was a bit retro and lacking in variety but solidly good fun. It'll be a real shame if there are no more episodes, I like the idea of episodic gaming :(

  • jellyhead #16 5 years ago

    So the unknown Mumbo Jumbo have killed Ritual.
    Nice. :(
    Also shows a problem with episodic gaming, it's as vulnerable as any other product only you only get to play for an hour before the game is canned rather than at least having a full installment.

    oh well, wonder how many Bemani flash games Ritual will develop before their staff get bored and leave?

  • jellyhead #17 5 years ago

    [link url=http://www.mumbojumbo.com/
    ]http://www.mumbojumbo.com/
    [/link]

    oh dear.
    / gauges own eyes out with spoon.

  • Royal Fool #18 5 years ago

    Man, fuck this, I loved Emergence so much.

  • JavaJawaUK #19 5 years ago

    "Episodes will work when the content is good enough. Sam n Max is good enough. HL2 Ep1 is good enough. Both will sell, whether they are shorter chunks or longer games. "

    Sam & Max will sell because it's friggin Sam & Max.

    Mixed feelings about SiN. I really loved the action - nice and gory and highly stylised, but I didn't care much for the story or the poor implementation of Source when HL2:EP1 was around at the same time flaunting just how beautiful it could be.

  • urban #20 5 years ago

    sounds like somebodies on their high horse.

  • Svecke #21 5 years ago

    "The idea of acquiring Ritual was to have them strengthen our development in the casual genre and not to have them involved at all in the action style games," Mark Cottam, CEO of Mumbo Jumbo, told GameDaily.

    What? The? F%#k? How did their reasoning go? I mean, Mumbo Jumbo is a game company that - and this I surmised from a 10 second peek at their homepage - makes crappy Breakout and Zuma clones. And they want -Ritual- to shape up their casual game production?

    It is like hooking up the Duracell bunny to Chernobyl.

    WTF?

  • Kostabi #22 5 years ago

    If Sin Episodes is dead then I'll never buy another Ritual game. Melodramatic, but true.

  • Freek #23 5 years ago

    Given the fact that their new owners want them to move into the casual scene, nobody here is going to buy another Ritual game.
    Well, maybe if they make a really good puzzle game, but i'm not looking forward to "Sudoku Maze 2008", or what ever those guys are going to have to subject themselfs to in order to pay the bills.

  • TheEnd #24 5 years ago

    Sin Ep1 sucked. No big loss.

  • UncleLou #25 5 years ago

    If Sin Episodes is dead then I'll never buy another Ritual game. Melodramatic, but true.

    Why? Obviously the first episode didn't sell enough to warrant further episodes (not that I am surprised), I am pretty sure it wasn't their choice.

    Hardly a reason to boycott them forever (their future causual gaming plans notwithstanding). Let's say they made a AAA game in 3 years time, in a genre you loved, great reviews everywhere, you still wouldn't buy it?

  • z.e.r.o #26 5 years ago

    For people wondering why Ritual has gone casual, please read this comment to a news that came out around 20th December...

    [link url=http://www.dot-brain.com/2006/12/20/sin-episodes-canc elled/
    ]http://ww w.dot-brain.com/2006/12/20/sin-...[/link]

    Basically Ritual was bought empty, as soon as many of the original developers left the building.

  • Kostabi #27 5 years ago

    Why? Obviously the first episode didn't sell enough to warrant further episodes (not that I am surprised), I am pretty sure it wasn't their choice.

    If the episodes are canned then it just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Granted, I got exactly what I paid for - episode 1, but it was also with the understanding I wouldn't be left hanging on forever waiting for the ending...

    The way Ritual basically shovelled it under the carpet over the last few months leaves a lot to be desired too.

  • Lemon Project #28 5 years ago

    Here we get to contemplate the pros and cons of episodic gaming. A shame as I quite enjoyed the first and would've paid again to continue the story.

  • dudefella #29 5 years ago

    Casual games? Ritual? Waste of development talent. Shame.