While the themes and characters draw from all 14 of the Oz books, they are getting the stylistic and artistic touches Spicy Horse has used with titles like Alice: Madness Returns and Akaneiro: Demon Hunters.

OZombie is built around a single-player game with multiplayer available after completing the single-player mode. Multiplayer provides access to a range of player characters and competitive features like raids and tournaments.

Less than a month after Spicy Horse launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund OZombie American McGee has pulled the plug on the crowd funding project in favor of Alice film rights.

The Oz campaign has to end. There are two realities driving the decision.

First, we’re facing a challenge with the Alice film rights. Since working to remove it from the Oz campaign we've been unable to launch it as a separate campaign here on Kickstarter – the submission has been rejected multiple times and our appeals have failed (multiple campaigns are not allowed). To launch a campaign for the Alice films rights means we must first shut down the Oz campaign.

Second, we wouldn't consider shutting down the Oz campaign if it were trending towards success. As it is, we've reached 15% of our goal with 20 days left in the campaign. Projections suggest we’ll hit 30% of our goal by campaign end. I've been telling myself to remain optimistic and see this thing through – but when the reality of our funding trend is combined with the pressure of the Alice film rights situation...

For Oz, we can always launch another campaign in the future. On the other hand, the Alice film rights are only within reach during a rapidly closing window of opportunity. We’ll sacrifice Oz today in order to have a real chance with Alice.

For the record, we did also consider (and put work towards) an Alice campaign on IndieGoGo, but decided against this for two main reasons. The first is that we’re concerned about the amount of awareness we can generate on IndieGoGo, since we've never run a campaign there. Here on Kickstarter we have followers (you’re reading this). The other issue is we don’t want to be accused of ‘creating confusion’ or deal with any other negative interpretation that might come out of running two campaigns at the same time.

Ultimately, the route we’re taking is cleaner, faster and would seem to have a higher chance of success.

I sincerely appreciate all of the support and feedback you've provided us via the Oz campaign. It’s been an interesting ride and one that has taught me a multitude of valuable lessons. While we’re ending it early, we’re certainly not walking away empty handed. When Oz makes a return you can expect it to be better and stronger.

Now we turn our attention to Alice. Securing these film rights would be nothing short of a major coup. We’d control a significant portion of Alice’s future. Being able to produce animations, feature films and related merchandise means keeping Alice’s world fresh, no matter what else might happen with the game portion of the property. I hope you’ll join us in making this a reality.

While inspired by Baum, our Oz will be a non-conformist version, distinct from both his original, and ALL subsequent adaptations (including American’s Oz project, which Atari killed nearly a decade ago). Honoring Baum’s sublime vision, Oz is a real place, rather than a young girl’s dream. That idea was an MGM invention.

The Oz features in OZombie is mystical, filled with magic, enchantment, and a vast collection of unique “Ozite” artifacts. It also contains adapted and evolved hardware imported by visitors from other lands, usually represented in a style called "steampunk," which has its own particular look and feel.

The Land of Oz, as in the books, is divided into four diverse countries, with four distinctive populations – Munchkins are in the East, Winkies in the West; Gillikins in the North and Quadlings in the South. At the center of Oz you'll find the legendary Emerald City, the capital and home to the ruler of Oz. Beyond these native territories and the deadly deserts that surround them are many more lands to be explored.

OZombie's Oz, distant and remote, is an island set in the Pacific Ocean. Freed from the constraints and conventions of Western culture, we can explore themes of society and self-reliance in a sort of 'clean room' environment. Dorothy will arrive by boat, a refugee from a world on the brink of ecological and societal collapse

Fight the Scarecrow's demented minions and restore the ruined world of Oz to its former glory. 

Key Features:

• A variety of perspectives and game modes with a focus on roleplaying, tactical combat, exploration, and storytelling
• Powered by Unity3D technology with an initial launch on Linux, Mac, PC, and latest-generation tablets
• Localized for play worldwide
• Offline single-player mode supported after a one-time online registration
• No form of DRM