Editing Sam & Max Hit the Road (section)

==Sequels==
[[File:SamMaxFreelancePolice.jpg|right|thumb|''Sam & Max: Freelance Police'' was to take the franchise into 3D graphics.]]
The first attempts at creating a sequel took place in September 2001 with ''Sam & Max Plunge Through Space''.<ref>{{cite web |title=''Sam & Max Plunge Through Space'' |url=http://www.mixnmojo.com/php/site/gamedb.php?gameid=103 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617105039/http://www.mixnmojo.com/php/site/gamedb.php?gameid=103 |archive-date=June 17, 2008 |access-date=2008-08-09 |publisher=The International House of Mojo}}</ref> The game was to be an [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]] exclusive title, developed by Infinite Machine, a small company consisting of a number of former LucasArts employees. The story of the game was developed by series creator [[Steve Purcell]] and fellow designer Chuck Jordan and involved the Freelance Police travelling the galaxy to find a stolen [[Statue of Liberty]]. However, Infinite Machine went bankrupt within a year, and the project was abandoned.<ref>{{cite web |date=2007-07-24 |title=After Darkness Comes the Light |url=http://www.telltalegames.com/summerofsamandmax/history/history4 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122235414/http://www.telltalegames.com/summerofsamandmax/history/history4/ |archive-date=2013-01-22 |access-date=2008-08-09 |work=The History of Sam & Max |publisher=[[Telltale Games]]}}</ref>

At the 2002 [[E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo)|Electronic Entertainment Expo]] convention, nearly a decade after the release of ''Sam & Max Hit the Road'', [[LucasArts]] announced the production of a PC sequel, entitled ''[[Sam & Max: Freelance Police]]''.<ref name="Freelance Police Telltale">{{cite web |date=2007-07-24 |title=After Darkness Comes the Light (Part 2) |url=http://www.telltalegames.com/summerofsamandmax/history/history4b |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071231125906/http://www.telltalegames.com/summerofsamandmax/history/history4b |archive-date=2007-12-31 |access-date=2008-08-07 |work=The History of Sam & Max |publisher=[[Telltale Games]]}}</ref> ''Freelance Police'', like ''Hit the Road'', was to be a point-and-click graphic adventure game, utilizing a new [[3D computer graphics|3D]] [[game engine]]. Development of ''Freelance Police'' was led by [[Michael Stemmle]], one of the original designers of ''Sam and Max Hit the Road''. Steve Purcell contributed to the project by writing the story and producing [[concept art]].<ref name="Freelance Police Telltale"/> The original voice actors for Sam and Max, [[Bill Farmer]] and [[Nick Jameson]], were also set to reprise their roles. In March 2004, however, quite far into the game's development, ''Sam & Max: Freelance Police'' was abruptly cancelled by LucasArts, citing "current market place realities and underlying economic considerations" in a short press release.<ref name="Freelance Police Missing">{{cite web |last=Adams |first=David |date=2004-03-26 |title=Missing in Action: The Lost Games of the PC, Part 1 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/03/26/missing-in-action-the-lost-games-of-the-pc-part-1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211161546/http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/502/502326p1.html |archive-date=2012-02-11 |access-date=2008-08-07 |website=[[IGN]]}}</ref> The fan reaction to the cancellation was strong; a petition of 32,000 signatures stating the disappointment of fans was later presented to LucasArts.<ref name="Freelance Police Telltale"/>

After LucasArts' license with Steve Purcell expired in 2005, the ''Sam & Max'' franchise moved to [[Telltale Games]], a company of former LucasArts employees who had worked on a number of [[LucasArts adventure games]], including on the development of ''Freelance Police''. Under Telltale Games, a new [[episodic games|episodic series]] of ''Sam & Max'' video games was made. Like both ''Sam & Max Hit the Road'' and ''Freelance Police'', ''[[Sam & Max Save the World]]'' was in a point-and-click graphic adventure game format, although it lacked the original voice actors for the characters. The first season ran for six episodes, each with a self-contained storyline but with an overall story arc running through the series. The first episode was released on [[GameTap]] in October 2006, with episodes following regularly until April 2007, and a special compilation on the [[Wii]] released in October 2008. A second season, ''[[Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space]]'', began in November 2007 and ended in April 2008. This was also released as a compilation on the Wii. Originally expected to be released in 2009,<ref>{{cite web |last=Thang |first=Jimmy |date=2008-05-27 |title=''Sam & Max Season Three'' Coming 2009 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/05/27/sam-max-season-3-coming-2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828102652/http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/876/876768p1.html |archive-date=2009-08-28 |access-date=2008-08-10 |website=[[IGN]]}}</ref> a third season, ''[[Sam & Max: The Devil's Playhouse]]'', began in April 2010.<ref>{{cite web |title=Telltale Games - Sam & Max 2010 |url=http://www.telltalegames.com/samandmax2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212222339/http://www.telltalegames.com/samandmax2010 |archive-date=2009-12-12 |access-date=2009-09-14 |publisher=[[Telltale Games]]}}</ref>