E3 06: Al Lowe a player once more

LOS ANGELES--After an extended leave of absence, Leisure Suit Larry creator Al Lowe is returning to the game business. Lowe and former Mindscape producer Ken Wegrzyn today announced the formation of a new development studio, iBase Entertainment, and a new game: Sam Suede: Undercover Exposure.

The game is described as an action comedy. The main character, Sam Suede, is a wannabe private dick who must solve a murder at the Mystery Week Fantasy Camp on Ecstacy Island. iBase said the gameplay will incorporate puzzle, stealth, and action elements.

As for what brought Lowe back into the game after years of inactivity (he was not deeply involved in the development of Vivendi Universal Games' 2004 game Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude), Lowe said he needed a reason to leave behind his "strenuous life of pina coladas and golf."

"Ken and I are creating a game that's big on humor, and provides the fun and exploration lacking in many of today's games," Lowe said. "I've always wanted to play a game about a common man thrust into extraordinary circumstances and surrounded by beautiful women. Sam Suede is that game."

Sam Suede is set to arrive in 2007. It will be targeted for gamers in their teens and older, and will appear on consoles, handhelds, and PCs.