THE HOBBIT

Once upon a time, there was a game publisher who was king of adventure games. With series like Roberta Williams Kings Quest, Sierra could do no wrong; it seemed like they could take any story, throw in some puzzles and make gold. Then they changed the name to Sierra On-Line, changed their focus to the CD-ROM market, and started making action games—but their heart wasn’t in it. They had been quiet for a while when out of nowhere came a little green man with an umbrella and a bowtie. He was called The Hobbit and he wanted everyone to play his puzzle/platform game.

The game itself was great: simple controls but challenging levels and plenty of secrets to keep you playing for hours on end. The game was so good that it’s considered a classic now. However, it couldn’t save the company; by this point, the name “Sierra” had become synonymous with “CD-ROM” for many people and without the hefty backing of a major studio behind them, The Hobbit failed to grab people’s attention the way it should have. It would be the last game from Sierra to use their signature style; shortly after its release they merged with Activision—who promptly closed down Sierra’s studios.

Once upon a time, there was a game publisher who was king of adventure games. With series like King’s Quest and Space Quest , Sierra On-Line could do no wrong; it seemed like they could take any story and throw it at the wall, and it would stick in the most wonderful way. They were responsible for some of the most beloved games of all time, from Leisure Suit Larry to Gabriel Knight .