Last November MindQuest Entertainment founder and CEO Keith Griffin triumphantly declared that his company’s online spy game TerraQuest was the kind of game “adults play when they grow up.” Alas, not enough of them did, because MindQuest today announced that the game had been stopped.
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Designed for Mac OS X and Windows using Shockwave and other technology, TerraQuest encouraged players to search for clues for a US$25,000 payout. In fact, a quarter of a million dollars was to be awarded to players by the end of six play periods. Players paid a one-time registration fee for the privilege.
Although MindQuest made it clear at the outset in an interview with MacCentral that the prize money was funded from sources other than direct registration fees, they couldn’t keep the ball rolling long enough to make it work.
“There is simply not enough participation in the experience to keep this version of TerraQuest going,” said the company in a statement.
MindQuest plans to take the feedback of users and editors who reviewed the game to modify its “structural part,” and hopes to revisit the concept in the future.
Players who participated in TerraQuest won’t be out a dime, however: MindQuest Entertainment noted that all registration fees and charges for “express clues” will be refunded in full to each player. The winner of the first game period — Roland Spencer — will get his $25,000 payout as promised.