Kings Quest IX: A Silver Lining, a fan game inspired by the old Sierra Kings Quest series has been in development by Phoenix Online Studios since 2002. They were due to release it this month, but in September Vivendi, who now own Sierra, responded in the way most corporations do to their most fanatical fans: they sent them a cease and desist letter. So the Save Kings Quest IX campaign was created, and, surprisingly enough, Vivendi found a clue and has said they can release the game.

So, kudos to Vivendi for responding so well. Obviously what happened is that some middle-manager with delusions of legal competence sent the original cease & desist letter to Phoenix. When the SKQIX campaign got underway and the petitions started appearing in the Vivendi forums, upper management got wind of it and realised that ticking off your fan base isn’t really a good idea.

So I’m looking forward to the 1st release of this early next year.