In a time where every other game is a sequel of some kind, Tim Schafer’s Double Fine game studio has been pumping out original IP with the likes of Iron Brigade, Stacking, and Happy Action Theatre. But according to the veteran game developer, this hasn’t been easy.
The Double Fine boss has revealed that it has been difficult attracting publishers to fund new IP, which explains why the games they have recently released have been smaller downloadable projects that don’t cost as much to produce and distribute as large AAA games.
“Publishers often don’t want to release anything new,” Schafer said in an interview with Digital Spy.
“I mean, they’re scared of new IP. That’s always been our challenge… getting a publisher to invest millions of dollars in something brand new like Brutal Legend.”
“It has helped to have games that are smaller, like digital download games are smaller so the budgets are smaller, like Happy Action Theatre. The whole reason it got made was that I was asking for very little money to get it made,” he said.
“And once it proved the power of it, money was invested in it, but the original thing that we were asking for was very small.”
Do you think smaller, new IP is the way of the future for game development? Or has the 2011 year-of-the-sequels (all ending in “3”!) convinced you otherwise? Let us know!
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