Leisure Suit Larry dumped by Vivendi?

What we heard: The ex-High Voltage staffer (who wished to remain anonymous) told us the cuts were tied to the cancellation of a Leisure Suit Larry sequel for consoles and a Larry spin-off for the PSP. While the sequel had no title at the time of its cancellation, it was to follow Magna Cum Laude's Larry Loveage (nephew to the series' original star, Larry Laffer) as he went on spring break. According to the staffer, the game had been in development for roughly a year and a half when it was canned.

The other game allegedly axed was a Larry side story, a tryst if you will, on the PSP. That project was intended to bring the Japanese dating sim genre to the American market, albeit with a uniquely Leisure Suit Larry touch of perversity.

A High Voltage rep confirmed that there were two games canceled and that both games belonged to the same series. Hunter: The Reckoning is likely the only other series High Voltage has worked on that could reasonably be expected to field two separate projects in today's market. However, the last two Hunter installments, Wayward on the Xbox and Redeemer on the PlayStation 2, were outsold by Magna Cum Laude. Perhaps more important is that they were also outgrossed by Magna Cum Laude (no pun intended), as the Hunter titles more rapidly found their way into retailers' bargain bins. Leisure Suit Larry's sheer staying power (he's been working his mojo for almost 20 years now) and animal magnetism make Bachelor #1 a much more likely candidate to have two games green-lighted in the first place, even if they were regrettably canceled.

Bogus or not bogus?: Not bogus.