Key Takeaways
1. Project Owl, a 3D adventure game for the Atari Jaguar, has been claimed to be making a comeback, but lacks official connection to the original creator.
2. The original creator of The Owl Project clarified that the new revival is not their work and has not given permission for its use.
3. The creator has taken breaks from the project due to health issues but has not abandoned it completely.
4. The creator has distanced themselves from the Atari Jaguar homebrew community and does not intend to engage with questions about the project.
5. A recent forum post revealed a legal copy of the previously unfinished Owl Project, reigniting interest in the game after many years.
A strange series of events has puzzled fans of the Atari Jaguar this week. Project Owl, a 3D adventure game that was first revealed back in 2010, was recently said to be making a comeback. However, this announcement has been clouded by a lack of permission or link to the original game.
Clarification from the Creator
On February 19, the creator of The Atari Owl project shared a post on their blog, dismissing the idea that the new revival had any connection to their work. They wrote:
“The video recently shared, claiming to be of The Owl Project, is not mine. There are numerous differences, both significant and minor, and it is not my code; it’s merely something designed to resemble it.”
The creator went on to clarify that they had “never given any permission, nor will I give permission, for anyone to use names, stories, characters, models, code, or any other intellectual property from The Owl Project. No one has ever contacted me for my permission.”
Project Status
Moreover, the Atari Owl creator mentioned that they have not given up on the project, but have taken “a few admittedly long breaks due to health issues,” adding that “only a small part of the game and its features have been shown so far.”
The creator also indicated that they had “distanced” themselves from the Atari Jaguar homebrew community “many years ago” and have “no intention of returning or responding to questions about the project.” They concluded with, “I will keep working at whatever speed I find enjoyable and will share updates when or if I think it’s suitable.”
Recent Developments
The whole situation came to light just a few days prior, on February 15, when an AtariAge forum user named LordKraken reported that they had secured a legal copy of the famed Owl Project. In their post, they declared:
“I have finally gotten a hold of the legendary Owl Project! After being put away for fifteen years, the latest version of this forgotten game can at last be unveiled.
Initially developed as an ambitious experimental title for the Atari Jaguar, it was never finished or released. I recently stumbled upon the project on a Jaguar unit I got from a German collector and restored it. This video offers the first public glimpse of this lost piece of Jaguar development history.”
Source:
Link