Alice: Madness Returns creator and director American McGee says he “pasted dildos” on the top of a large snail after writer EA requested developer Spicy Horse Video games “make issues extra attractive.”
The identify behind the darkish, online game twist on Alice in Wonderland shared behind-the-scenes particulars about the way it got here to be in a recent reply to a advertising and marketing video posted on X/Twitter. He admits there was “a reasonably large disconnect” between his imaginative and prescient for the 2011 sequel and what the advertising and marketing staff at EA needed.
McGee says EA needed to push Alice: Madness Returns to be a “Arduous M title” that leaned extra into gore and horror with a “psychotic” predominant character – however the requests didn’t cease there. When somebody on the firm requested the Shanghai-based Spicy Horse alter how “attractive” the sport was, McGee acquired inventive.
It could be truthful to say that there was a reasonably large disconnect between the sport I needed to make and the sport EA Advertising and marketing needed me to make after we have been creating Madness Returns.
The advertising and marketing staff felt strongly {that a} Arduous M title targeted on gore, horror, and that includes a… https://t.co/HddXtHuWXz
— 🔪 American McGee 🖤 (@americanmcgee) April 23, 2026
“I did NOT need painting Alice as a psycho, cowl her in blood, or ‘make issues extra attractive’ (sure, that was a request),” he mentioned. “Famously, I pasted dildos onto the top of a large snail in response to the ‘attractive’ request and emailed that to the Advertising and marketing staff.”
With a laughing-crying face emoji, he added, “They stopped making these requests.”
McGee clarified that he feels he was ready to deny requests like this as a result of Alice: Madness Returns was funded by a Los Angeles financial institution, not by EA. The character of the deal meant that Spicy Horse maintained full management of the mission so long as it caught to the event schedule and didn’t push the price range.
It was profitable up to the tip of growth, when the staff felt it wanted “one other 30-60 days for sharpening.” McGee mentioned EA’s refusal to lengthen the deadline was “most likely a bit out of spite,” leading to a barely much less polished launch with little interference from the writer.
“We made historical past in relation to all this,” he added. “Madness Returns wasn’t simply the primary AAA sport totally developed by a Chinese language staff. It was additionally the primary ever sport to be bond financed in China. We have been additionally the primary staff ever to inform EA [go f**k yourself] and (kinda) get away with it.”
Alice: Madness Returns launched in June 2011 for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Though reception from followers and critics wasn’t the strongest upon its launch (we gave it a 6.5/10), its grim fairytale model helped it discover an viewers, touchdown it as a cult traditional within the years since. McGee has tried to make Alice 3 up to now, and there was even as soon as a TV present within the works, however the franchise in any other case stays dormant.
Michael Cripe is a contract author with IGN. He is greatest recognized for his work at websites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Make sure to give him a comply with on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).