In conjunction with showing DeathSpank at PAX 09 and creator Ron Gilbert (Monkey Island) delivering a keynote address, developer Hothead Games has unleashed a wealth of information related to the humorous action-RPG, including a new trailer.

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While the Penny Arcade Adventures developer has previously been reluctant on timing and platforms, the company now says that the game is coming to platforms "too numerous to mention, including PS3, XBox 360, PC..." in... Read more

Ron Gilbert, creator of Monkey Island and developer of DeathSpank, today delivered a keynote at the Penny Arcade Expo. The speech covered his journey to become a game developer, then took a sharp turn to Gilbert's take on the industry today. "The games industry [has become] just that.. an industry," said Gilbert, a slide behind him showing a set of smokestacks.

After stating that the first Monkey Island was developed by seven people for $135,000, Gilbert decried the corporate mentality behind modern big-budget development, saying: "Big companies need to be safe. This is why indie games excite me."

"They have the freedom to fail... Read more

Breaking a long silence following Ron Gilbert's announcement of DeathSpank in 2008, details have arrived on the Monkey Island creator's action adventure via 1up.

The titular "Hero to the downtrodden, a vanquisher of evil, and a dispenser of justice" DeathSpank will solve Monkey Island-style puzzles with trademark Gilbert humour and a dose of lateral thinking--aided by a hint system--and bloody Diablo-style combat.

Both ranged and melee baddy-bashing will feature, with DeathSpank decked out in weapons and armour scavenged from the world and fallen foes. A leveling system will naturally boost power and abilities, as well as allowing him to use level-locked items.

Developed by Hothead Games, DeathSpank will no longer be an episodic series as originally announced. Neither platforms nor a release date are currently known.

Ron Gilbert, the creator of many beloved old-school LucasArts adventure games including Maniac Mansion and The Secret of Monkey Island, has announced his new project: DeathSpank, an episodic RPG-adventure said to mix Monkey Island and Diablo.

Canadian developer Hothead Games, the company behind the upcoming Penny-Arcade episodic RPG series, will be publishing the series, with former advisor Gilbert now joining the studio as its creative director.

Hothead writes that the games will follow "the thong-tastic adventures of a misguided hero named DeathSpank," who has previously been featured in animated comics on Gilbert's Grumpy Gamer blog.

"I've spent over four years trying to find the right publisher for this strange little game," said Gilbert. "Now that I've done it, you just know that somewhere four horsemen are saddling up."

Neither party provided an estimate as to when the first episode, DeathSpank: Episode One: Orphans of Justice, would arrive, though a sole piece of artwork was released.

Header Image: Dan Lee/Idle Thumbs