As the co-creator of the Monkey Island series, Gilbert was one of the foremost pioneers of the classic adventure genre. He created numerous critically acclaimed classics like Maniac Mansion and Zak McKracken before moving on to found Humongous Entertainment in 1992. Humongous released a number of successful titles under his leadership, including several produced under the company's subsidiary label Cavedog Entertainment.

"I have been a fan of Penny Arcade because I have always found their comic so funny and biting," said Gilbert. "When I first heard they were making a game and that they had chosen to weave adventure game elements into it, I knew immediately I wanted to be involved. Working with the Penny Arcade guys and the team at Hothead has been an absolute riot."

On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One is the first chapter of the planned episodic Penny Arcade Adventures game for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The downloadable game will feature characters from Penny Arcade, including the well-known Gabe and Tycho. Hothead is working with the Penny Arcade creators and Gilbert in an intense collaborative development process.

Jerry Holkins, a writer at Penny Arcade, can hardly believe he is working with Ron Gilbert on a game. "I can hardly believe it," suggested Holkins. "The whole thing is super crazy."

Joel DeYoung, the game's Producer at Hothead, pointed out that even though Gilbert's contract with the company did not require him to reveal the coveted secret of Monkey Island, that has not prevented them from trying. "We've definitely tried to get it out of him but have had no luck so far," said DeYoung. "He did make clear that if he told us the secret, he would have to kill us. We're already down two programmers and a designer."