The "Sexy" Request That Led to a Snail with Dildos

American McGee, the director behind Alice: Madness Returns, recently shared a wild story regarding his creative battles with EA. While developing the sequel, the publisher requested that the team at Spicy Horse Games "make things more sexy."

In a recent reply to a marketing video on X/Twitter, McGee revealed there was a "fairly big disconnect" between his vision and what the EA marketing team wanted. The publisher pushed for a "Hard M" title that leaned heavily into gore, horror, and a more "psychotic" version of Alice.

When requests for increased sexiness arrived, McGee took a literal approach to mockery. He famously "pasted dildos onto the head of a giant snail" in response to the request and emailed the image directly to the marketing team.

With a laughing-crying emoji, McGee noted that after that specific email, "They stopped making those requests."

How Spicy Horse Games Maintained Creative Control

McGee clarified that he was able to deny these creative interventions because Alice: Madness Returns was not funded by EA. Instead, the project was financed by a Los Angeles bank.

This financial structure meant that Spicy Horse Games maintained complete control over the project's creative direction, provided they adhered to the development schedule and stayed within budget. However, the relationship with the publisher faced significant tension during the final stages of production:

  • The development team requested an additional 30-60 days for polishing the game.
  • EA refused the extension, a move McGee suggests was "probably a bit out of spite."
  • This refusal resulted in a launch that was slightly less polished than the developers intended.

A Historic Milestone for Alice: Madness Returns

Despite the friction with EA, the project remains a landmark in gaming history. McGee highlighted several achievements regarding the development and release of Alice: Madness Returns:

  1. It was the first AAA game fully developed by a Chinese team.
  2. It was the first-ever game to be bond-financed in China.
  3. The team was the first to effectively tell EA "[go f**k yourself]" and successfully get away with it.

The game originally launched in June 2011 for PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. While critics initially gave the title a 6.5/10, its grim, dark fairytale aesthetic has allowed it to become a cult classic among fans. Although the franchise remains dormant, McGee has previously expressed interest in an Alice 3.