Designer and director American McGee has been trying to get a third game, Alice: Asylum, greenlit by EA for a while now, but it seems like it’s not going to happen after all. In a recently published Patreon post, McGee confirmed that EA is unwilling to approve funding for a third Alice game. Meanwhile, the company is also not willing to license out or sell the IP.

“On the question of funding, they have ultimately decided to pass on the project based on an internal analysis of the IP, market conditions, and details of the production proposal,” McGee wrote. “On the question of licensing, they replied that Alice is an important part of EA’s overall game catalog, and selling or licensing it isn’t something they’re prepared to do right now.”

That, unfortunately, means McGee sees no path forward to get a third Alice game made.

“At this point, we have exhausted every option for getting a new Alice game made,” he wrote. “With those answers from EA, there is no other way forward with the project. As such, we will be hibernating this Patreon page and related pre-production activities. The content will remain in place but we’ll no longer present options for funding Alice: Asylum efforts via this (or any other) platform.

“Alice: Asylum is at an end.”

Whether or not this is something that EA will change its mind on at some point in the near or distant future remains to be seen, but for now, the future is looking pretty bleak for the Alice games.

Disney pulls a rabbit out of its hat for the first game screenshot.

Developed by Spyro’s Etranges Libellules in France, Alice in Wonderland will be based on Tim Burton’s upcoming film of the same name, due out on the Nintendo DS, Wii, and PC during the week of the movie’s March 5 release next year. The film will star Johnny Depp, Helen Bonham Carter, and Stephen Fry. Mia Wasikowska will star as Alice, and the movie takes place after Carroll’s original Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass stories. Disney will also release mobile games for the franchise on the iPhone and iTouch in 2010, with a promo app out this December.

The Wii and PC editions will follow the plot of the film, allowing players to join up with such characters as the Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat to help Alice as she fights the Red Queen and Jabberwocky to return Wonderland–now called “Underland”–to its previous glory. The DS version touts an exclusive playable character and unique art style.

Via: GameSpot