Tag Archives: Sierra

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Interview with Roberta Williams (Phantasmagoria Reunion)

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Conversations with Curtis – Watch Roberta & Victoria Hemingson (who played Adrienne in Phantasmagoria) reunite for the first time since 1995! Join Victoria Morsell Hemingson, Paul Morgan Stetler and Daniel Albu as they talk to the one and only Roberta Williams (of Sierra fame)!

Roberta Williams is a pioneering figure in the world of computer gaming, best known for her significant contributions to the development and success of Sierra On-Line, a prominent game development company. As the co-founder and former lead designer of Sierra, Roberta played a pivotal role in shaping the adventure gaming genre and revolutionizing interactive storytelling. Her imaginative and captivating game designs, such as the groundbreaking “King’s Quest” series, introduced players to richly detailed worlds, complex puzzles, and engaging narratives, setting new standards for interactive entertainment. With her innovative approach to game design and her dedication to pushing the boundaries of technology, Roberta Williams has left an indelible mark on the gaming industry, inspiring countless developers and players alike.

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Drunken Master Paul Interview & Behind the scenes of making Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh

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Paul Stetler who played Curtis Craig from Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh from Sierra On-Line now has a YouTube channel and in this video he’s reviewing my good buddy Drunken Master Paul. Lots of good stories about being on the set of making the game, how he originally got his job at Sierra and much more!

 

Conversations with Curtis

Featured, Travel, PC Games, Special Episodes

Sierra Flashback w/ Ken & Roberta – Good, Bad & Disappointments

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In this video we sit down with Ken & Roberta Williams in their house in Southern California for an exclusive chat about Sierra On-Line games including some of their biggest hits and some of their failures and disappointments. We discuss the making of the popular games like King’s Quest, Leisure Suit Larry & Phantasmagoria…but also some of the hidden gems and nuggets from Dynamix, Papyrus, Coktel Vision and more.

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Ken Williams | Co-Founder of Sierra On-Line – Retro Tea Break

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Ken and Roberta Williams created Sierra On-Line in 1979 with their first graphical adventure game for the Apple II compute “Mystery House”. From these humble beginnings the world opened up for them and with games such as Police Quest, Space Quest, Leisure Suit Larry and Kings Quest, Sierra rocketed to the top of the charts and became one of the biggest game publishers in the world. Today we meet Ken and discuss those early days, and find out a little more about his history and his exciting new game.

Featured, PC Games

Microsoft now OWNS classic SIERRA GAMES?!?

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Microsoft’s announcement to buy Activision for $70 billion comes with an added surprise: They will also own classic Sierra On-Line game franchises! King’s Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, Space Quest, Phantasmagoria, Tribes, Willy Beamish, & hundreds more. Here are my thoughts on the epic merger and what it may mean for the future of Sierra games we all love.

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The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery

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When Jane Jensen first said that she would like to make a dark-tinged, adult-oriented mystery of a Sierra adventure game, revolving around an antihero of a paranormal detective named Gabriel Knight, her boss Ken Williams wasn’t overly excited about the idea. “Okay, I’ll let you do it,” he grumbled. “But I wish you’d come up with something happier!”

What a difference a year and a half can make. At the end of that period of time, Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers was a hit, garnering vive la différence! reviews and solid sales from gamers who appreciated its more sophisticated approach to interactive storytelling. Rather than remaining an outlier in the company’s catalog, it bent Sierra’s whole trajectory in its direction, as Ken Williams retooled and refocused on games that could appeal to a different — and larger — demographic of players.

There was no question whatsoever about a sequel. In January of 1994, just six weeks after the first Gabriel Knight game had shipped, Jane Jensen was told to get busy writing the second one.

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