Return to Monkey Island is about ‘unfinished business’ for its creators

digitaltrends.com:

Few adventure games series have the staying power of Monkey Island. Something about the humor and heart in the ongoing travels of Guybrush Threepwood as he strives to become a mighty pirate has resonated with players ever since the point-and-click adventure game The Secret of Monkey Island first released over 30 ago. 

Following the 1991 release of Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge, there have been sequels and homages, but none made by the original creators of the series. That’s changing with the upcoming release of Return to Monkey Island, which launches on September 19. I had a chance to sit down with series creators Ron Gilbert and Dave Grossman at PAX West to ask them about what brought them back and where the newly revived series goes from here. For them, the sequel is a matter of unfinished business — both for Guybrush and themselves.

Why are you returning to Monkey Island after all these years?

Ron Gilbert: This story really is about unfinished business. And I think there’s two levels. There’s the unfinished business Guybrush has with finding “what is the secret of Monkey Island?” And then I think there’s the unfinished business that Dave and I have of doing a new game, and it is about this unfinished business.

Dave Grossman: We sort of left a thread dangling in midair about 30 years ago. 

There have been other Monkey Island titles that have danced around, but not strictly continued the story. Can you share where and when this story takes place?

Gilbert: It starts right at the end of Monkey Island 2. And then it gets really bizarre. And that’s all [we will] share. Because I really want people to experience that moment.

This is a series that has been around for over 30 years. How do you approach building an