I mentioned the other day I was waiting for any new news on Brütal Legend, one of the games that got dumped by Vivendi when they merged with Activision.

There was a rumor that EA would pick it up, but CEO John Riccitiello had this to say about the game: “I have seen it… I am well aware of what the game is. It’s a very significant creative risk.”

Aw, maaaan. That’s not a “no,” but I was really hoping for a “yes.”

If you haven’t seen the trailer, here it is.

From the Double Fine projects page:

Work has been going around the clock and insiders close to Schafer have described Brütal Legend as the chronicle of Eddie Riggs, a roadie of a virtuous metal band, pulled back in time to learn his true purpose. Offered the wealth and knowledge of an ancient kingdom in exchange for assembling a legion of his own design, the roadie commands a barbaric mob of demons, dragsters, amp stacks, leather, and chrome. Together they thunder across the land in the ultimate Tour of Destruction, driving the ancient world headlong into the Age of Metal.

It’s frustrating because it’s headed up by Tim Schaefer, a major force behind classic LucasArts adventure games as the Monkey Island series, Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango. (”Run, you pigeons! It’s Robert Frost!) The company’s staffers do webcomics, always a sure sign of a vital and creative mind.

More importantly, this is the company behind Psychonauts, one of the best damn games of the previous generations of consoles.

That pedigree is also the company’s curse. Psychonauts just never sold well, despite being completely awesome. Now it’s a “creative risk.” This is probably an accurate and impartial assessment, but dammit anyway. Why can’t the rest of the world get on board with games that are basically a love letter to me personally?

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