Al Lowe, the man who created the Leisure Suit Larry series of adventures and who helped design the game's comeback via publisher Replay Games, quit the company.
Lowe told Kotaku his decision was partly based on a recent conviction of Replay's president Paul Trowe, who pleaded guilty to showing an explicit video to a minor. Trowe, who claimed he sent the video to the young woman without knowing her age, received two years probation and mandatory sex offender counselling in a Texas plea bargain, according to Kotaku.
Texas Department of Public Safety records show two arrests for Trowe, 42. State records show that Trowe pleaded guilty in 2007 to a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance and received 10 years probation on that charge. The documents obtained by Polygon also show that Trowe was arrested in Austin on Oct. 11, 2012, for displaying harmful material to a minor. He later pleaded no contest to the misdemeanor and was sentenced to two years probation on April 15, 2013, according to the document.
"There were many reasons for my departure, including that incident," Lowe said, in an interview with Kotaku. Positive quotes regarding Lowe's departure, released by Replay and published by Venturebeat were subsequently scored through, at Lowe's request.
Leisure Suit Larry games were popular in the early 1990s. They feature a luckless single man who, in seeking a partner, wanders into various mildly suggestive encounters. Last year Replay Games, along with Lowe, launched a successful Kickstarter to create Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded, which was released in the summer to generally underwhelming reviews. Polygon has contacted Lowe and Trowe.