Gilbert finally gets DeathSpank publisher

Monkey Island mastermind Ron Gilbert has finally found a publisher for DeathSpank: Episode One - Orphans of Justice.

Canadian outfit Hothead Games will be doing the honours, as the result of a successful partnership formed when making the Penny Arcade game. So solid is the relationship between the two that Gilbert will join Hothead as Creative Director, too.

Orphans of Justice is the first episode in the DeathSpank series of RPG-Adventures, described by Gilbert as a "perfect melding" of Monkey Island adventure and Diablo gameplay.

It sounds enticing, but it has taken Gilbert four years to convince publishers to bite - though he sees this as a positive thing.

"Everyone hated it. But the weird thing is the more publishers that turned it down, the more convinced I became that this was a great idea," said Gilbert. "Every rejection fuelled me with excitement and the knowledge that I was right."

DeathSpank is the main character in the short-lived Grumpy Gamer comics created by Gilbert and Clayton Kauzlaric.

Little else is known about the project, including dates or target platforms, although a stab at a PC release is probably well founded.

Still, he borrowed a desk from Tim Schafer to design it and has a sparkling portfolio to his name. What could possibly go wrong?