Game designer Jane Jensen, creator behind Gabriel Knight, and composer Robert Holmes have formed game the development studio Pinkerton Road to create a series of adventure games with support from the gaming community. Their Community Supported Gaming (CSG) concept mimics the program in which organic farms look for support from continuing customers enabling future funding for farming. To help start with the first "season" of games that will run through June 2013, they're looking to collect a funding goal of $300,000 from their Kickstarter campaign.
Jane and Robert will be creating the projects together from their farm in Pennsylvania. With membership to the Community Supported Gaming program, participants will be able to receive every game produced within that year along with concept art and a glimpse into the development process of creating the titles. CSG members will even be able to pick the first game the studio produces, including Gray Matter 2. Check out their Kickstarter page for more details concerning some of the possible games to be developed during the program.
Gabriel Knight Creator Jane Jensen Launches Pinkerton Road Studio Independent studio to focus on dramatic story games for PC and tablets
LANCASTER, Pa. - April 5, 2012 - Game designer Jane Jensen and composer Robert Holmes, both 20+ year veterans of the video game industry, have formed Pinkerton Road, a new studio devoted to developing adventure games with deep and compelling storylines. The independent studio will use a unique "community supported gaming" model to make Jensen's distinctive games available to subscribers, along with exclusive behind-the-scenes involvement in the games' development. Pinkerton Road will be headquartered on the couple's Pennsylvania farm.
Community Supported Gaming (CSG) is a concept Jensen and Holmes derived from Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), a subscription model in which consumers financially support independent organic farms in exchange for regular orders of fresh produce and a direct relationship with the people growing their food. Jensen and Holmes plan to build a similar community relationship through the development and delivery of their games. To kick off Pinkerton Road's initial CSG season, which will run through June 2013, they have launched a Kickstarter campaign with a $300,000 funding goal: http://tinyurl.com/pinkertonroad-csg
Jane Jensen is best known for her acclaimed adventure games: thrillers with complex, dramatic plotlines that are often grounded in real historical mysteries. She began her career at Sierra On-Line in 1989, where she worked on the flagship King's Quest franchise before creating her own supernatural mystery series, Gabriel Knight. She next co-founded Oberon Media, where she designed more than a dozen story-focused casual games including Deadtime Stories and Dying for Daylight, as well as adaptations of James Patterson's Women's Murder Club novels and Agatha Christie's mysteries. Her most recent adventure, Gray Matter, released in 2010.
"I've wanted to return to adventure game development for years, and now is exactly the right time. The casual game market is ready for meatier fare and the hardcore audience is nostalgic for games like these. Plus, tablet use is exploding, which gives us access to a brand new audience of e-book readers -- an ideal target for story-based games," says Jane. "Forming Pinkerton Road means retaining control of my ideas and ensuring my games' quality all the way through development. At this point in my career, this level of involvement is very important to me, and I know it will enable me to get my best work out to my fans."
During Pinkerton Road's inaugural 2012-2013 season, the studio will develop up to three games funded by backer donations as well as private investments. In return, the studio's CSG members will get first access to the games, regular video updates from Jane, opportunities to participate in beta tests and weigh in on development decisions, and, at the higher donation tiers, receive an exclusive invite to an on-site open house to meet the Pinkerton Road family in person at the studio farm. Three game concepts are currently under consideration, and project backers will get to vote for which game Pinkerton Road makes first.
The Pinkerton Road 2012-2013 CSG Kickstarter campaign will run through May 19. To support the studio's efforts and subscribe to their first year of game releases, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/pinkertonroad-csg
About Jane Jensen
A 20-year veteran of the gaming industry, Jane Jensen is an internationally renowned game designer. Her Gabriel Knight PC adventure games won numerous industry awards and continue to be fan favorites in the adventure community. In 2003, Jane co-founded Oberon Media and went on to design best-selling casual games such as Deadtime Stories, Women's Murder Club, and the recent hit Dying for Daylight. Her newest adventure game, Gray Matter, came out in November 2010 to great anticipation and praise. She most recently worked at Zynga. Jane has also written four novels. Fans are invited to connect with her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/janejensenhomes
About Robert Holmes
Robert Holmes is a composer, producer, musician, and strategic digital marketing executive. Having grown up as a musician and performer in the glory days of LA's 1970s rock and roll period, Robert later moved from pop music studio work into film and television post-production and scoring. Seeing opportunities in the new computer game industry, he joined Sierra On-Line and was soon paired with designer Jane Jensen. His music has appeared in numerous video games, notably including Jane's Gabriel Knight and Gray Matter adventures. Robert also performs with his daughter, actress and singer Raleigh Holmes, in the roots / folk band The Scarlet Furies.
About Pinkerton Road
Pinkerton Road was founded in 2012 to focus on story-based games for PC download, iPad, and Android tablets. The game studio is based in Lancaster County, PA. More can be learned about the company on their official website (www.pinkertonroad.com) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/PinkertonRoad).
