Ian Livingstone, Eidos life president and co-creator of the beloved Fighting Fantasy series of choose-your-own-adventure books, says the humbling experience of meeting fans nostalgic for his interactive novels was a key reason for their return.
Written by Livingstone and Steve Jackson and first released 30 years ago, the Fighting Fantasy series will return in August with Blood Of The Zombies, which will not only be released in paperback form but for iOS and Android devices as well.
Speaking to us at the GameHorizon conference in Newcastle yesterday, Livingstone said: “Social media has really fired me up. I find connecting directly with readers inspiring. I’m really excited.
“It was not a commercial decision to release Blood of the Zombies. I’ve met so many people who enjoyed the book as kids and are now in their thirties, and it’s staggering - and quite humbling - how they hark back to their childhood memories of Fighting Fantasy.”
The original books saw readers choose their path through diverging narrative strands and fight monsters with the roll of a dice in a precursor to interactive RPG gaming. Livingstone, who is known for his fantasy settings and characters, said videogames were behind the decision to base his new book on zombies.
“The book was originally set in a medieval world," he told us. "But after 20 years in the games industry I thought it would be nice to bring things full circle and put zombies - always so popular in games - into Fighting Fantasy."
Livingstone opted to retain some fantasy elements: the game will be set in a castle, rather than the suburbs and malls typically seen in zombie games and films. The book will also be published as an interactive novel by Tin Man Games, though Livingstone said the conversion would be true to the book.
Despite moving into the game industry in 1994, Livingstone still sees himself as a creative using multiple platforms for his interactive fiction. “I’m not wedded to virtually realistic 3D," he said. "I like artistic expression and in the digital space that comes in many forms.”
What, then, of the unscrupulous adventurers who couldn't deal with grisly deaths, and cheated by wedging digits into the pages of the book to help retrace their steps if it all went horribly wrong? This is certainly on Livinsgtone’s mind. “I meet so many people who have used the five-fingered bookmark technique,” he said. “We are looking at ways to get cheating into the digital version.”
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2“I meet so many people who have used the five-fingered bookmark technique,” he said. “We are looking at ways to get cheating into the digital version.”
Too true! Those books could be as unforgiving as Dark Souls. I'd never have reached the end of Deathtrap Dungeon otherwise.
While you're at it, an MMO set in the three continents of Titan, including a reconstruction of Port Blacksand would be nice.
Those books were my happiest childhood reading memories. The Old World was always my favourite continent. Some of the stories set there were magical: Dead of Night being my personal fave. Keep of the Lich Lord, Legend of the Shadow Warriors, Deathmoor and Knights of Doom.
Creature of Havoc was a beast to get anywhere.