Last year, I wrote an article about the unfortunate cancellation of the development of American McGee’s Alice Asylum thus called “Leaving Wonderland”. Poor McGee was so heartbroken by EA’s selfish hold on the IP of Alice, he has since left the gaming industry and halted production on all Alice-themed merch. However, although the original creator has no more plans for Alice, it doesn’t mean the fans aren’t entitled to continue the fight or create their own content.

An artist named Anri Gveras has taken up the torch of reading through the pitch bible of Alice Asylum and taking all the concepts into reality through Unreal Engine 5. They started their work in progress around August last year, four months after American McGee’s post.

Their main objective in creating this fan project reads as follows in a post on their social media:

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“I believe that during production, this project may attract the attention of potential investors and the IP owners (EA) by showcasing the potential this game has.

“Let’s let EA know that Alice community and the gaming community in general loves and wants this game. And if EA changes their opinion, I’ll be here with all the assets already created by this time.”

I came across their work while scrolling through TikTok, so I set up a brief interview and asked the following questions to get the scoop on the artist and the story of their project.

1. Hi! Go ahead and introduce yourself!

“Hello! My name is Anri Gveras, I’m a 3D artist and level designer.”

2. When did you first come across the Alice series?

“I had heard about the Alice games long before I actually delved into the series. However, it wasn’t until 2019 when I saw my elder sibling playing Alice: Madness Returns that I truly fell in love with its unique style. Since then, I have played both games and continue to replay them up to this day.”

3. Have you made any other games in the past?

“Never had any experience working on a game before, only did some small projects and created 3D artworks. Alice: Asylum is my first full game project.”

4. What lead you to start creating this project?

“I’ve been following the pre-production of Alice: Asylum and created some 3D assets based on the concept art for the game during that period, so I was already kind of close to what I’m currently doing. But only after the news about the proposal for the game beinf rejected, I decided to start working on this project to do my best to bring Alice: Asylum to life.”

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5. What is your favorite concept from the pitch bible of Alice Asylum?

“It’s hard to pick one, but one of my favorites is the illustration of the scene in which Alice encounters the Dollmasker surrounded by a pile of dolls. It’s bright and colorful, yet sinister at the same time. The doll shop area in which it was supposed to happen didn’t make it into the proposed game as a playable level, but at least it’s there in the form of a cutscene ending moment.”

6. Which of the concept dresses is your favorite for Alice Asylum?

“The Red Monarch dress that Alice is going to wear in the Queensland world. I love the silhouette, all the details, colors, symbolism, and overal aesthetic. I will always adore Omri’s work as the lead art director of the design bible, especially his work on clothes and character designs.”

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The inspired artwork by Omri:

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7. Any final words on what this game means to you?

“It’s certainly a unique game in its narration and art style. As an artist, it will always be an inspiration and a great example of hoe far one’s imagination and creativity can go when exploring the human mind and psychology. The game holds a special place in my heart because I have many memories associated with it.”

Thank you so much for the interview, Anri! Please check out their work to help their dream of making Alice: Asylum!

They can be found at @anrigveras on Instagram, Tik Tok, YouTube, and X.

Are you also looking forward to seeing Anri’s work? Let us know in the comments below!