Double Fine Working On Kickstarter Funded Adventure Game

Tim Schafer’s well respected around here, his Double Fine studio kicking out some funky, something esoteric adventure games for all platforms over the years.

But running a publisher-funded development cycle has its own inherent problems, and that’s led the team to try a different approach – crowdfunding, via the wonderful Kickstarter website.

“Crowd-sourced fundraising sites like Kickstarter have been an incredible boon to the independent development community,” says the press release.

“They democratize the process by allowing consumers to support the games they want to see developed and give the developers the freedom to experiment, take risks, and design without anyone else compromising their vision. It’s the kind of creative luxury that most major, established studios simply can’t afford. At least, not until now.”

The project, started yesterday, has already reached $318,000 of the required $400,000 goal (with a month to spare) so it’s almost irrelevant us posting about it this morning, but the truth is that for $15 you can make a real difference.

For just $15 you’ll get “the finished game in all of its awesome glory on Steam, exclusive access to the PC Beta on Steam, access to the video series, and access to the private discussion community.”

Naturally, you can pledge more.  In fact, $10,000 will bag you lunch with Tim Schafer and and fellow industry legend Ron Gilbert, but every bit counts.  We’ve no doubt they’ll make the target, but wouldn’t it be nice to say you helped?

17 Comments

  1. Despite not liking point and click adventure games, I’m gonna put some spare money to it as it’s a brilliant plan and I hope it does well. Not as much as 150k though!
    Viva la Revolution!

  2. Awesome, I’ve heard of many kickstarter projects, but never one by a proper game developer. And as I love Double Fine I wish them the best of luck. Hopefully they’ll start a kickstarter for an HD remaster of Psychonauts.

    • I’ve already backed an entirely auditory game to be made (basically a game for the blind) and it’s nearly out of beta now :-)

    • Threw some money at the screen, though unforunately not enough to get a dinner and bowling. They’re currently past 600k USD.

  3. So basically you’re pre-buying the game before it’s even made?

    Interesting idea and I hope it works out, but is there a reason they can’t raise $400K by usual means? I’ve got no problem with buying games from smaller devs, but as past performance is no guarantee of future success I’d rather save the $15 for something I can actually see. For that reason I’m out (please read that in your best Duncan Ballatyne impression)

  4. i’m selling “i wanted to donate but i was late” T-Shirts for $15

    • Since they don’t stop accepting money past the goal, and it lasts for more than a month; you can keep your shirts. :-)

  5. This is an excellent way for helping brand new indie developer studios that can’t get funding via a publisher.

    I hope they will listen to the community but at the same time not implent every single idea that everyone comes up with as that would result in a mess of a game. Although, i thought Valve had a program that is designed to help new developers?

    I wish Double Fine good luck. :)

  6. Personally, I don’t think this is the right way to go about creating a game, even for an indie developer. Taking people’s money before the game has even been made doesn’t sit right with me. IMO, the should follow Notch/Mojang’s example and start off free in alpha, then slowly increase the price through beta upto release. If they start making it and let people try it for free, chances are if it’s good they’ll buy it. Developers should see it as players investing in the game as it’s being made, not “invest your money now and we’ll make a game”.

    • People will have extensive beta and testing access, as well as all the behind the scenes videos of how the game is being made.

      Also, your comparison to Notch and Minecraft is a bit of a stretch, funding-wise. Double Fine is a studio with a decent sized staff. It takes a lot of money to keep that afloat, and that’s where this funding comes in. Minecraft was a part time project for a single man until it became too big a project for that, and Notch had to create a company to continue building it. Very different needs in both cases.

      This is still investing in a company and people with a history of making great, funny games. You know the kind of thing to expect at the end of it, and you can get involved with the process along the way to release.

      • I still don’t agree with it though tbh. Something just doesn’t sit right with me about it.

  7. More importantly, GameSpot are reporting that they are looking into making Psychonauts 2 with funding from the Minecraft developer! If it actually happens, I will quite possibly die of excitement.

  8. Wow, I saw this elsewhere last night before I went to bed and the total was only at about $230-250k. 7 Hours later and it’s well over it’s target at £510k!

    Excited for this game as I’ve enjoyed all the other DF productions I’ve played and I love point and click adventures, Schafer having made some of my favourites. I won’t be donating though as I am barely able to support myself at the moment.

  9. Spiffing.

      • Sorry, tried to embed the fancy widget so we could keep an eye on it. Didn’t work too well.

Comments are now closed for this post.