Editing Stonekeep (section)

==Reception==
===Sales===
In preparation for ''Stonekeep''{{'}}s launch, Interplay shipped 175,000 units to retailers. This was the company's biggest shipment ever, according to Greg Miller of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.<ref name=latimeslaunch>{{cite news | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020134736/http://articles.latimes.com/1995-11-03/business/fi-64334_1_cd-rom-game | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-11-03-fi-64334-story.html | title=Long Journey to Reality | date=November 3, 1995 | work=[[Los Angeles Times]] | author=Miller, Greg | archive-date=October 20, 2014 | url-status=live }}</ref> Interplay dedicated $1.5 million to the game's marketing budget, also the largest for any of its games by that point.<ref name=marketing>{{cite press release | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961220013329/http://www.interplay.com/press/skmark2.html | url=http://www.interplay.com:80/press/skmark2.html | title=Interplay Launches Multifaceted Marketing Campaign For Epic Saga Title ''Stonekeep'' | publisher=[[Interplay Entertainment|Interplay]] | date=October 2, 1995 | location=[[Irvine, California]] | archive-date=December 20, 1996 | url-status=dead }}</ref> In response to public reception of ''Stonekeep''{{'}}s pre-release demo, the company "stepped up the initial release forecast to 200,000 units".<ref name=200k>{{cite press release | title=Gamers Herald ''Stonekeep'' - 'Interplay's Return to RPG Gaming' | publisher=[[PR Newswire]] | date=November 6, 1995 | location=Irvine, California }}</ref> In the days before ''Stonekeep''{{'}}s release, ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' reported: "With store orders already topping 90,000, Interplay says it's set to become the fastest selling game in the company's twelve-year history."<ref name=nextgenlaunch>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970419221811/http://www.next-generation.com/news/112895h.html | url=http://www.next-generation.com:80/news/112895h.html | title=''Stonekeep'' Ready to Roll | date=November 28, 1995 | author=Staff | work=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] | archive-date=April 19, 1997 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Upon its release, the game placed fourth on [[PC Data]]'s monthly computer game sales chart for November 1995,<ref name=nov1995>{{cite news | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402042448/http://articles.courant.com/1995-12-27/entertainment/9512270091_1_pc-data-on-line-computers | url=https://www.courant.com/1995/12/27/pixels-258/ | title=Pixels | author=Hunt, Kevin | date=December 27, 1995 | newspaper=[[Hartford Courant]] | archive-date=April 2, 2018 | url-status=live }}</ref> but was absent on the following month's chart.<ref name=pce>{{cite journal | author=Staff | title=Leaderboard | journal=PC Entertainment | date=April 1996 | issue=28 | page=20 }}</ref> According to Interplay, its global sales surpassed 300,000 copies by June 1998.<ref name=interplaysales>{{cite report | date = June 22, 1998 | title = Interplay Entertainment Final Prospectus |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170226210148/https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1057232/0001017062-98-001416.txt | url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1057232/0001017062-98-001416.txt | archive-date=February 26, 2017 | location=Irvine, California | page=37 }}</ref> Author [[Erik Bethke]] later described ''Stonekeep''{{'}}s commercial performance as "weak", which he blamed on its five-year development cycle.<ref name=bethkesales>{{cite book | author=Bethke, Erik | author-link=Erik Bethke | title=Game Development and Production | page=21 | date=January 25, 2003 | publisher=Wordware Publishing | isbn=1556229518 }}</ref>

===Critical reviews===
{{Video game reviews
| CGW = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name=cgw>{{cite magazine | author=Schlunk, Petra | magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] | title=''Stonekeep'' Is Worth Its Wait |date=February 1996 | issue=139 | pages=122–124 }}</ref>
|GSpot = 6.6/10<ref name="GSrev"/>
| PCGUS = 77%<ref name=pcgamerus>{{cite journal | author=Wolf, Mike | journal=[[PC Gamer US]] | title=''Stonekeep'' |date=February 1996 | volume=3 | issue=2 | pages=147, 148 }}</ref>
| PCZone = 76 out of 100<ref name=pczone>{{cite journal | author=Presley, Paul | journal=[[PC Zone]] | title=''Stonekeep'' |date=January 1996 | issue=34 | at=61, 62 }}</ref>
| rev1 = ''[[Arcane (magazine)|Arcane]]''
| rev1Score = 7/10<ref name="Arcane3"/>
|rev2 = ''Maximum''
|rev2Score = {{rating|3|5}}<ref name="Max2"/>
|NGen = {{rating|5|5}}<ref name="NGen13"/>
| rev3 = ''[[Electronic Games|Fusion]]''
| rev3Score={{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name=fusion>{{cite journal | author=Katz, Arnie | journal=[[Electronic Games|Fusion]] | title=Everybody Must Get Stoned |date=January 1996 | volume=1| issue=6 | page=106 }}</ref>
| rev5 = ''PC Games''
| rev5Score = A<ref name=pcgamesrev>{{cite magazine | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961018124224/http://www.pcgamesmag.com/games/Jan96/stone196.html | url=http://www.pcgamesmag.com:80/games/Jan96/stone196.html | title=''Stonekeep'' | magazine=PC Games | author=Olafson, Peter | date=January 1996 | archive-date=October 18, 1996 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
}}
A ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' critic deemed it "well worth the wait. The graphics are stunning, the music is eerie, and the interface is a pleasure to use." He made particular note of the automap, strong puzzle element and original visual designs for the monsters.<ref name="NGen13">{{cite magazine|title=Boulder|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=13 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=January 1996|page=163}}</ref> ''Maximum'' praised the game's "atmospheric 3D rendered world" and sound effects, but criticized the lack of challenging puzzles, low amount of gore and "sluggish" combat.<ref name="Max2">{{cite magazine|title=Maximum Reviews: Stonekeep|magazine=Maximum: The Video Game Magazine|issue=2 |publisher=[[Emap International Limited]]|date=November 1995|page=159}}</ref> The editors of ''[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]]'' named ''Stonekeep'' the best computer role-playing game of 1995.<ref name=cgm1995awards>{{cite journal | author=Staff | journal=[[Computer Games Magazine]] | title=A Decade of Gaming; Award Winners of 1995 |date=November 2000 | issue=120 | pages=56–58, 60, 62, 66, 68, 70–76 }}</ref>

Petra Schlunk of ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' called ''Stonekeep'' "successful on many levels; both hard-core and newcomers to role-playing should enjoy this." She wrote that "a lot of thought and heart went into the game's design and production", and she singled out its writing, characters and storyline for praise.<ref name=cgw /> The game was later nominated for ''Computer Gaming World''{{'}}s 1995 Role-Playing Game of the Year award. The editors praised it as "a milestone in computer role-playing games", with "beautiful SGI rendered characters and fascinating story development", but noted that it was held back by bugs. It won the magazine's readers' choice award in its genre.<ref name=cgw1995>{{cite magazine | author=Staff |title=The Computer Gaming World 1996 Premier Awards |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |issue=143 |date=June 1996 |pages=55, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 67 }}</ref>

''[[PC Gamer US]]''{{'}}s Mike Wolf called it "a decent offering for roleplaying novices [... but] far from the magnum opus you'd expect".<ref name=pcgamerus /> A review by Bernard Yee of ''[[GameSpot]]'' did not offer similar praises, concluding that "''Stonekeep'' is a dated first-person RPG that suffers from a poor interface, little depth, and few frills."<ref name="GSrev">{{cite web|title=Stonekeep Review |url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/stonekeep/review.html |first=Bernard|last=Yee|date=1996-05-08|website=[[GameSpot]]|access-date=2009-09-12}}</ref> In ''[[Electronic Games|Fusion]]'', Arnie Katz called ''Stonekeep'' "a good antidote to the idiosyncratic complexities that pass for depth" among role-playing games, and praised its interface and audiovisual presentation. He summarized it as "an exciting quest that doesn't concede much to rival RPG releases."<ref name=fusion /> Paul Presley of ''[[PC Zone]]'' called ''Stonekeep'' "a case of gloss but no substance", which failed to offer "something over and above that which ''Eye of the Beholder'' was delivering all that time ago."<ref name=pczone />

Andy Butcher reviewed ''Stonekeep'' for ''Arcane'', commenting, "Although the 'plot' as such is somewhat weak, and the game quickly falls into an 'explore the level, kill the monsters, solve the puzzles' affair, ''Stonekeep'' is engaging and surprisingly addictive."<ref name="Arcane3">{{cite journal|last=Butcher |first=Andy |date=February 1996|title=Games Reviews|journal=Arcane|publisher=[[Future plc|Future Publishing]]|issue=3|pages=73}}</ref>

In 1996, editors of ''Computer Gaming World'' ranked it as the tenth top [[vaporware]] title in computer game history (due 1991, delivered 1996), stating that "after seeing the same basic demo for years, the game finally shipped, as an anti-climax."<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Wilson |first=Johnny |title=15 Top Vaporware Titles in Computer Game History |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |issue=148 |date=November 1996 |page=130|display-authors=etal}}</ref> ''Stonekeep'' was also ranked at number six on GameSpot's top ten vaporware hall of shame.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vaporware Hall of Shame|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/vaporware/html/number6.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090516110058/http://www.gamespot.com/features/vaporware/html/number6.html|archive-date=2009-05-16|first=Stephen|last=Poole|access-date=2009-09-12|website=[[GameSpot]]}}</ref> In 2009, ''[[GamesRadar]]'' also included ''Stonekeep'' among the games "with untapped franchise potential", due to the cancellation of ''Stonekeep 2: Godmaker''.<ref name=untaped>[http://www.gamesradar.com/123-games-with-untapped-franchise-potential/?page=2 123 games with untapped franchise potential], GamesRadar US, April 30, 2009</ref> In 1996, [[GamesMaster (magazine)|''GamesMaster'']] ranked ''Stonekeep'' 56th on their "Top 100 Games of All Time."<ref>{{Cite journal |date=July 1996 |title=Top 100 Games of All Time |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/c/cf/GamesMaster_UK_044.pdf |journal=GamesMaster |issue=44 |pages=76}}</ref>

===Reviews===
*''[[Australian Realms]]'' #27<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/australian-realms-magazine/Australian%20Realms%20%2327%20FebruaryMarch%201996/page/4/mode/2up | title=Australian Realms Magazine - Complete Collection | date=June 1988 }}</ref>