Back in April, gamers were pleasantly surprised when news broke that a Nintendo DS, Wii, and PC game based on the PBS art show The Joy of Painting was in the works. The show, which ran in the 1980s and early 1990s, was hosted by the late Bob Ross, who painted landscapes with “happy little trees” and “happy little clouds.” Ross became a cult hero not only for his artistic abilities, but also for his soothing voice, brown afro, and amicable demeanor.
Little was known about the games except that they were scheduled to be developed by AGFRAG Entertainment Group, a small studio largely concentrating on PC flash games. Gamespot now confirms that on the Bob Ross Game Yahoo Group, which the developers used to keep gamers up to date on the project, the following message was posted:
“AGFRAG is no longer involved in the development of ANY Bob Ross Game. Please contact Bob Ross Inc. for further information. Thank You.”
Later Kotaku dug up an MTV article about Bob Ross Inc. quoting the company’s media director Jane Kowalski:
“By hook or by crook there will be a game. There’s no way we couldn’t do a game because everybody wants one badly. We are currently working on digging up the development team that has the swift enthusiasm to carry through.”
Been really looking forward to this, I’d love to use the Wii Remote as a paint brush and “beat the devil out of it” 😀
Here’s The Joy of Painting: Colors of Nature. You’ll love it.