Last week, I introduced you to one of my favorite companies, Her Interactive. This week, I want to walk you through what’s happened with the company in the last two years.
Soon after the release of their most recent game, Sea of Darkness (2015), Her announced they would be moving to a new game engine from their older homebrew system in order to add additional features that fans requested: better graphics, more characters, more environments, etc. Fans were told that the next game, Midnight in Salem, would be “coming soon.”
From their August 2015 Letter:
“One of the major limiting factors that prevents us from implementing many of these changes is our current proprietary game engine. Thus, we have made the exciting decision to move to a Unity-based platform for our games. However, this move will affect our development schedule resulting in a delay in the release of our next game, Nancy Drew: Midnight in Salem. At this time, we can’t confirm an exact launch date, but we hope it will launch sometime in 2016. Even though we have started the process of adapting our games for this platform, it’s not something we can do overnight. Working on Nancy Drew: Midnight in Salem is a once in a lifetime opportunity for all of us at Her Interactive. We are creating something we are really proud of and we don’t want to compromise on quality. We promise it will be worth the wait.”
Two years later, and not much else has been released. And fans have started to get angry at the lack of information and the lack of a release date.
But it’s not just the gap that’s frustrating fans. There’s a lot happening in the periphery that makes this story interesting, so we need to back up a couple years to put this announcement in context.
In 2013, long-time CEO and Chief Creative Strategy Officer Megan Gaiser announced she would be leaving the company. Gaiser is largely credited with the success of the company and the games, and was considered a warm and open person by fans and employees. In 2014, a new CEO, Penny Milliken, came on board, and it is under her leadership that Her has changed their tactics dramatically.
Around May 2015, just before Sea of Darkness was released, an “undisclosed number of staffers” were let go, including Nancy Drew’s voice actress, Lani Minella. This left the company with almost half as many people and the development team seemed to be hardest hit.
However, Her wasn’t the one to announce the layoffs. Fans only learned about the staff reduction through a combination of comments from former staff on forums, Twitter, and fans poking around the Her Interactive website.
And then, seemingly overnight, their marketing strategy took a 180.
The New Marketing Strategy
Since Midnight in Salem’s announcement, the entire company has seemingly gone into lockdown. Everything from the game’s development to the number of people on staff is suddenly off-limits from conversation.
One particularly bizarre exchange came in the comments of their Amateur Sleuth Blog run by Marketing Assistant Little Jackalope:
Amateur Sleuth Blog, “Birding and Birthdays”
Comments like these, with a not-quite-answer, are the rule rather than the exception. And this has made longer-term fans frustrated. For two years, fans have requested the typical updates that come with a new game. In the past, this would come in the form of character concept art, screenshots of environments, teasers, trailers, music, and more. A pre-2015 Her Interactive would likely have included fans in the move to the new Unity game engine, showing testing videos, interviews with staff, concept art, or information on the new interface, but those details aren’t coming.
Fans have been trying to find out any information on this game, but most answers are like the one above: a mix of legalese, obfuscation, and I-can’t-say-s that really beat around the bush.
(And if you think I’m exaggerating when I say all of the answers have been like this, check out this compilation of comments from Her on Midnight’s development put together by some particularly dedicated fans.)
The most consistent response from fans has been one of disappointment. It’s not wrong for a company to be tight-lipped about a new product, or even for there to be long gaps between releases. What makes this story so frustrating for fans is that the model has changed completely. Previously open lines of communication have been on lockdown. Well-known employees have been let go, or aren’t communicating with fans. When you’ve had an impressive and reliable release schedule of two games per year with lots of content in between, the drop-off can seem baffling.
That’s what makes this story so weird. An internal reorganization and an utter lack of information has led fans to speculate on what’s actually happening. Is the game ever going to be released? Are they even working on it? Who is currently working at this company? Are they in financial trouble? Why the sudden change?
All of these changes seem to focus around the new CEO. Milliken seems to have adopted a very 90s-era approach to marketing where the company controls the flow of information. If this is indeed the approach they’ve decided to take, they have failed to take into account the new communication lines fans have built between each other and the relationship the company had with its fans. In an information vacuum, rumors and speculation are bound to run wild. For a company that used to be so responsive, the sudden dearth of information is suspicious and the complete unwillingness of Her to release any new information leads fans to unsavory conclusions about the state of the company.
Midnight in Salem is, to our knowledge, this company’s only project. The old Her Interactive, had they been working on the game, would have released something. The lack of anything beyond some bizarre character concepts and constant notes to “Stay sleuthy!” leads fans to believe that production has stopped.
Some Takeaways
Her Interactive is a cautionary tale of what not to do when communicating with followers. Drastic changes in communication style leaves followers bewildered. What Her got wrong comes down to information flow. The fan base that Her has built is not accustomed to waiting years between updates, and they are used to knowing and communicating with staff outside of the marketing department. Now, many fans feel left in the dark by a company that felt at one time like a family. There’s nothing wrong with changing tactics, but you have to be careful not to sour the relationship with your followers by changing too quickly.
The second caution here is that we all crave information, and when it’s taken away, we go looking for it. As a company in the 21st century, you don’t have control over the message anymore. Social media doesn’t allow for the 90s-era one-sided communication model anymore. Fans can ask you questions publicly, and failure to answer those questions satisfactorily will only lead to more questions. More than that, follower networks within social media can now rip apart every scrap of information they find and analyze it to death. If you don’t provide sufficient information or interpretation, followers will do it for you.
Some Recommendations
I wonder, as I read through Her’s comments, if their response comes from a fear that fans won’t like where the company is going. And if that is the case, Her should have more faith in their followers and know that many of them have been with the company for years. Fans like that are not lost easily, and people have been excited to see the company move in new directions.
Bearing that in mind, I have the following recommendations going forward:
First, they will need to be open and honest about what’s happening at the company. Her doesn’t need to detail everything, but if the direction of the company has changed, that’s something fans should be told. If they are looking to become a game distributer rather than producer, as some have speculated, that would be good and interesting information for fans to know!
Second, Her needs to return to its previous style of game marketing, or at very least, increase the amount of material being released. If work is being done, tell fans what it is. If work has been outsourced, tell fans who you’re partnering with and why. If the move from the homebrew engine to Unity is more difficult than anticipated, share some interviews with the developers about the process. Again, fans are not owed all of the nitty gritty details, but the relationship that existed before should be respected, not ignored.
It’s difficult to speculate on what’s happening at Her Interactive, but hopefully they and the Nancy Drew series are still going strong. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing those communication lines open back up soon.
Saving Face 
This was REALLY well written and detailed. I agree with everything you had to say. It’s really sad after having played these games for so long. Thanks for taking the time to write this!
I agree this is very well written..but did j ever think this is how they are building the hype? All you have done is fed that hype machine, I could almost guarantee that every single person complaining will buy MID when it comes out. So all this complaining seems like a huge waste of time and maybe they should put all this energy into volunteering or helping others .
I actually do lots of volunteer work, in addition to studying, and still have time to note that HER is handling this whole thing very badly.
And you aren’t putting your energy into volunteering or helping others because… you’re a hypocrite?
I’m sorry what the hell does the author’s volunteering/helping history have anything to do with Her Interactive or the MID game?? Seems more like you’re just trying to change the subject from HER’s mistakes over onto a personal level with the author of this article and to which I would like to say, “What’s yo problem, m8?”
Came here looking for release info for Salem – fantastic article, thanks.
Wish we knew when it was coming out though – even knowing weeks/months/years would help!
Thank you for this article, I grew up playing these games with a friend and we were always on the message boards too. It has been a couple years since I have played these games and was feeling nostalgic and wanted to get a new one. I was very confused that the only new game out was Sea of Darkness.
Thanks you for this brief description of what is happening. Like you said, the fans crave information. It is sad to see a company I loved so much potentially failing.
And if you want my two cents, they should but the games on Steam or something and advertise there. People don’t buy CD in Target like they used too.
Megan – they are on Steam! Though I don’t think they advertise. But you can buy and play the games there. They also offer digital downloads on the HerInteractive website.
Are you aware that the Nancy Drew games are eventually sold on Big Fish? I have played almost every single one and haven’t bought any of them directly from HER, partly as they are quite expensive when they first come out and also as they never seem to offer a demo, as is done by Big Fish. Not all the games in the series are worthwhile, and I hate to pay $20 for something that could turn out to be a disappointment. If you don’t mind waiting a year or so, I would highly recommend Big Fish; I’ve bought their games for many years; their prices are very reasonable and their customer service has always been excellent. Happy Gaming to everyone!
They used to come out on Amazon — if you were patient, you could wait a few months and get them for $4.99-$9.99 with reviews to determine whether you wanted to buy. I’d just watch the Walkthroughs on YT as these games aren’t worth playing, much less paying $20 + for.
Good sleuthing! 😉 Thank you for answering some of the questions I’ve had about the delay in the newest game. It’s too bad to hear about these changes and challenges at the company, I’ve loved playing their games.
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I’m so glad I found this post. I’ve loved HER Interactive for years, and have been seriously frustrated by the complete silence for so long. It’s absolutely tragic that such an excellent company seems to have been run into the ground. I’ll continue to play and re-play games, but what a huge disappointment this new CEO is. Thank you for all the information.
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I watched the game on Arglefumph. At first I was horrified by the Sims graphics, but the plot was very interesting. I think the vibe HI was going for is “virtual reality,” in a sense of taking characters into an world the player can live in. For example, at the end, you can continue to mingle with characters at a party until you choose to end the game by walking out the door.
The plot and characters were interesting. A few things that struck out (but not in a good way):
1. The game was outsourced to Asia which is known for scamming Americans on bitcoin schemes. At one point, a character (the Judge) randomly acts confused about bit coins as developers are mocking “stupid Americans.” Thanks for the making the audience the butt of jokes, HI. Wow.
2. The goth tour lady said “do as thou wilt” as a joke — this is a hat tip to satanism As is:
Goth lady: “Do as thou wilt.” (tribute to satanism)
Nancy: what?
Goth lady: Oh never mind (hehe! Joke!)
3. It is implied Ned is cheating on Nancy. with some girl throwing herself at him while Nancy is on a case….There were other remarks about stupid people of Salem — again Asia mocking traditional Americans living off the land. (Hello! Asia was built with American technology and expertise. Where’s the gratitude? They think Americans are stupid idiots because our leaders gave them all our money and tech while we foot the bill and suffer a lower standard of living as a consequence. You’d never see an American game making fun of traditional Asian in old town villages. I found the attitude rude and a slap in the face to Americans. The protagonist’s plans to take the historic areas and build real estate is what China is doing. You can tell Asians created this movie and are stupidly or either consciously or unconsciously mocking their American players. Maybe the market is China, which is why HI pursued this disgusting angle.)
4. The lawyer talks about sacrificing a family for career. Why not depict a woman with good family-career balance. Instead, the subtle message is — you have a career and your eggs rot (attorney) and your man cheats .on you. (Ned)
5. The African-American lady is depicted as a stereotypical entitled lazy black person, again a nasty, mocking Asian stereotype of African-Americans. The character stands around doing nothing all day beyond getting others to do her work for her and then rejoicing at having no business so she doesn’t have to work. Very racist treatment of this character, though it was subtle.
6 Also, the same aforementioned character was depicted with a camel toe. While you’re talking to her, you can see that her jeans are way too tight. It’s a weird and inappropriate image in a video game targeting young Christian women..and don’t tell me that wasn’t done on purpose. I found it gross and kept wanting to tell her to pull her jeans out of her crotch. The crotch is clearly outlined — the games could easily have placed her behind the counter but instead put her abnormally high above it so you can see that. Just gross.
7. Deidre followed you around with an evil expression and was a hateful B.
8. The overall Sims quality with characters moving around, weird, mis-shappen fingers, hands than moved through furniture, and dialog that didn’t match with the lip movements didn’t work for me. Though it was great to have more people around though weird that the character would just stand around swaying and talking to themselves.
9. The second half of the game was more interesting, and I liked the depth of characters.
10. Then you got your commie, social justice warriors protesting throughout the game as if Americans don’t have to endure enough of that in our society. Spare us the social justice warriors. Americans have to contend with Chairman Mao Commie tactics polluting their society — then get it shoved in their faces again in an HI game. .
Too much stupid Asian anti-American, satanic themes and proganda and subtle digs at America and homage paid to Satanism. I’m glad I didn’t buy it, but it’s always fun to watch Arglefumph play in the background when I’m doing something else. I’d recommend watching him and not wasting money on this game. HI has a sick twisted mentality. Someone else commented on how the old Nancy Drew would have an innocence, sophistication and decency in her voice. This new Nancy Drew is just a coarase, aggressive, street smart type. Her comments, observations, and reactions were not vintage Nancy Drew, but just some teenager being cavalier and aggressive. Wrong tone.
You can tell HI wants to tap the China market with this game which is likely why it was created the way that it was — sims/anime/alternative reality. HI should move there and enjoy Communist China and let a new more inspiring game company take their place.