Revolution: The Quest for Game Development Greatness

by Tony Warriner, Martin Mulrooney (Co-Author), Charles Cecil (Contributor)

From one of the makers of the highly acclaimed Lure of the Temptress and Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse (and everything in between) comes a brand-new book of epic proportions.

Revolution: The Quest for Game Development Greatness charts the journey of celebrated adventure game developer Revolution Software. From its inception in the early 1990s right through to the release of Broken Sword 5 in 2013, this book details every project – both released and cancelled – that the studio undertook during this time. Constantly buffeted by outside forces, Revolution doggedly pursued its goal to produce the fi nest narrative games. Amidst a multitude of disasters and corporate malice, the developer somehow created Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars, probably the fi nest European adventure game ever written. The story of Revolution is told with warmth and wit by Revolution co-founder (and the studio’s very first employee) Tony Warriner, who kept a detailed log of the company’s progress over the years. Fans of the games – as well as those looking to glean nuggets of development wisdom – will be enthralled by this insider tell-all account, which also includes a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes photographs and images from the studio archives.

Genres: Nonfiction

646 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[James Alston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, very frank account from the author. So much detail and a such a fascinating read. I guess my only wish would be that more of it was dated (as in, what year did each bit take place) as it would help put things in the wider perspective with what else was going on at the time. But that's a very minor quibble and doesn't detract from the book's readability. The photos are terrific too. You can tell this was a labour of love to write, and a huge amout of effort that really paid off. A valuable snapshot in the history of game development.

[Jaap Jansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books provides great insights into the typically overlooked aspects of making point and click adventures: the engine and the scripting.
Occasionally, Tony likes to focus very much on details and ad hoc problems, but it is still an interesting read. Some non-programmer perspectives would have been welcome, but I can’t complain!
Highly recommended!

[Federico Lucifredi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing level of detail from the point of view of a co-founder, co-owner of Revolution. It is an insider's view of the Game Development world — and often not a flattering one. the creativity, technical and financial challenges all come through, and if you were into the now nearly extinct genre known as Adventure, this is a special treat!