Microsoft Buys Psychonauts 2 Developer Double Fine Productions

8 responses to “Microsoft Buys Psychonauts 2 Developer Double Fine Productions”

1. 

   soldant

   June 10, 2019 at 8:57 am

   Tim, we just want you to make great gamesHope they got that in a contract, because Schafer hasn’t made much of note since Psychonauts…

   Reply
   1. 

      jamesh

      June 10, 2019 at 10:29 am

      I enjoyed Brutal Legend: it was definitely flawed, but still quite fun. I think it’s main problem was that many people saw it as a bit of a bait and switch: expecting an action adventure game and getting an RTS game. It didn’t help that two thirds of the RTS factions were only usable in the multiplayer that became a ghost town.

      And some of their smaller games have been really good. They’ve also given some other members of the studio a chance to lead, rather than everything being a “Tim Schafer game”.

      Reply
      1. 

         moventura

         June 10, 2019 at 7:11 pm

         I loved Brutal Legend. I finished I and unlocked most things in it. I was ok with the bait and switch as I also love RTS games.

         Stacking was another cool game from Double fine.

         Reply
2. 

   thatteemo

   June 10, 2019 at 9:24 am

   They will probably settle for stuff to pad out the Game Pass

   Reply
3. 

   germinalconsequence

   June 10, 2019 at 11:21 am

   So what becomes of Fig? Especially the people who “invested” in Psychonauts 2? I’m not particularly a business person but wouldn’t there be a competing interest between Microsoft and the Fig backers that put enough into the project to get returns from sales? What does this say for Fig as a whole if Double Fine got itself bought out after promoting Fig as a way of being able to continue doing what it loves?

   Actually, for that matter, what is going on with Fig? It was headlining when it first started up but there’s been neither hide nor hair about what has happened with projects on it and whether the model was successful. Though I guess this in itself is an answer to that question.

   Reply
   1. 

      grunt

      June 10, 2019 at 1:59 pm

      https://www.pcgamer.com/au/tim-schafer-explains-why-microsoft-now-owns-double-fine-productions/

      Right down at the bottom

      And while the studio will be focused on Xbox, Xbox Game Pass, and PC, he also confirmed that all existing commitments to Psychonauts 2 backers will be fulfilled on all promised platforms.

      Cynical part of me wonders if the PS4/5 versions of Psychonauts 2 will have “development issues” and effectively result in a period of Microsoft domain (ie, PC and Xbox) exclusivity…

      Reply
   2. 

      john_stalvern

      June 10, 2019 at 4:59 pm

      That whole investment thing was a scam. Those people will never make their money back, they never had a chance to.

      Reply
   3. 

      deek

      June 11, 2019 at 12:22 pm

      Fig seems to be going well. Check out the article below:

      https://variety.com/2019/gaming/columns/the-changing-face-of-video-game-crowdfunding-1203165542/

      According to this, eight Fig games are currently successfully bringing in dividends for their investors. Four games have currently or nearly broken even on investment. Another game (Outer Wilds) resulted in an over 200% return on investment when investors got bought out by a publisher.

      Now they’re playing with the format, and introducing an “early access” type approach to some games. It’ll be interesting to see how that works out.

      Reply