Keeping the scale of the project this small accomplishes two things. First and foremost, Double Fine gets to make the game they want to make, promote it in whatever manner they deem appropriate, and release the finished product on their own terms. Secondly, since they’re only accountable to themselves, there’s an unprecedented opportunity to show the public what game development of this caliber looks like from the inside. Not the sanitized commercials-posing-as-interviews that marketing teams only value for their ability to boost sales, but an honest, in-depth insight into a modern art form that will both entertain and educate gamers and non-gamers alike.
I’m surprised it’s taken this long for a major game developer to crowdsource funding for new projects (niche musicians have used it in years past to fund new albums), but who better to capitalize on both nostalgia and goodwill than Tim Schafer’s Double Fine Productions. The man has made some of the most cherished games of my childhood (Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango) and I’m sure as hell excited to back a project that will attempt to revitalize the dying genre.
In just a few hours after posting the Kickstarter page, Double Fine has already got half of its $400,000 funding goal (the original deadline was over a month!) for a genre that is supposedly incapable of selling in this day and age. Hopefully, this will serve as proof to the industry that games don’t have to head down the same path as Hollywood movies are in milking tired franchises year in and year out.
At this point it’s really only a matter of time before we see a Kickstarter for Psychonauts 2…
(Don’t forget to watch the video on the top of the Kickstarter page. It’s very entertaining.)
Update (2/9):
We did it! 100% funded in just over eight hours. You people are amazing! But it’s not over yet. The number keeps going up and now the question is just how much news do we want to make with this? We’re getting a lot of attention already and it seems like this little project could have an impact beyond itself.
All money raised will go to make the game and documentary better. Additional money means it can appear on more platforms, be translated into more languages, have more music and voice, and an original soundtrack for the documentary, and more!
Your backing and comments have been truly inspiring to me and the team, so on behalf of Double Fine and 2 Player Productions I want to say THANK YOU!!!
Amazing.
Double Fine Adventure by Double Fine and 2 Player Productions — Kickstarter.