Even then, there are still games that break the formula like The Last Express , or Cavedog s upcoming adventure series Elysium , that prove there is still room for creativity and innovation in adventure gaming. I would argue that it is largely due to a lack of knowledge about and advertising for adventure games - even the typical Playstation game is better promoted. But what this means is that if people have even heard of the genre they associate it with the type of gameplay found in the Myst -like puzzle games. Unfortunately, the fact that puzzle games are not indicative of all gameplay within the entire genre is one that most people don't stay around long enough to find out. Also problematic is the tendency of the industry to forget that for every action game that makes the money that Quake did, there are a lot more that fail to break even.
Companies seemingly refuse to innovate and rely on other people's hot selling concepts instead.
Since there haven't been any hot-selling traditional adventure games in quite a while, companies choose to put their resources elsewhere in the action or strategy domains. Ironically, this choice results in the fact that it is less likely that there will be a best seller in the adventure game genre. Even the companies who do choose to branch out into adventure games have been getting cold feet. Blizzard's Warcraft Adventures would have introduced hordes of strategy gamers to the rich world of adventure gaming. Now we hear that Interplay has put The Secret of Vulcan Fury on hold.