American McGee, known for his innovative approach to the Alice game series, has revealed fascinating details about his inspirations and the creative process behind the game.In a recent interview with Tucker Hazell, the developer explained that, while he was not a big fan of Alice in Wonderland during his childhood, the conversation with author Michael Crichton was key to sparking his interest. McGee recalled how, while working on a project related to Crichton, he mentioned Lewis Carroll’s work as a starting point for exploring narrative ideas.
American McGee did not grow up with Alice
Initially, McGee considered Alice in Wonderland as a story aimed at children, but his perspective changed drastically after multiple coincidences and references that led him to imagine a dark and gothic version of the classic tale. “At some point, that percolated and crystallized almost immediately as a dark psychological exploration in the world of Wonderland,” McGee commented on the approach he decided to adopt.
McGee’s journey towards the development of Alice was not easy. After losing his job at id Software, he was fortunate to receive a call from Crichton, which opened the doors for him to work at Electronic Arts (EA) and eventually create his memorable game in 2000. Additionally, McGee had the opportunity to interact with personalities like Robin Williams, which adds interesting anecdotes to his career.
Currently, American McGee is working on a spiritual successor to Alice Madness Returns and has expressed confidence that this new project will not bring him legal issues with EA. “There is an obvious overlap, but not one that will cause us problems with lawyers,” he stated, hinting at his enthusiasm for continuing to explore the universe of Alice.
