The End of Sierra as We Knew It, Part 2: The Scandal
a day ago
- #Sierra On-Line
- #King's Quest
- #Accounting Scandal
- Roberta Williams worked on King’s Quest: Mask of Eternity, the most challenging project of her career.
- Mask of Eternity was Sierra’s first King’s Quest game not made in Oakhurst, California, but in Bellevue, Washington.
- Roberta Williams decided to make Mask of Eternity different from previous King’s Quest games, incorporating real-time 3D and action elements.
- The game suffered from development issues, including an unsuitable engine borrowed from Dynamix, leading to technical problems.
- Roberta’s authority waned as Sierra underwent corporate changes after its acquisition by CUC.
- Blizzard’s Diablo success led to pressure to make Mask of Eternity more like an action RPG, further complicating development.
- CUC’s merger with HFS to form Cendant was marred by massive accounting fraud, later uncovered by Henry Silverman.
- Walter Forbes, CUC’s leader, was eventually convicted of fraud but initially received a $47.5 million severance.
- Mask of Eternity released in 1998 to mixed reviews, disappointing fans and marking the end of Roberta Williams’s game design career.
- The game’s failure killed the King’s Quest series and symbolized the decline of Sierra On-Line.