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Double Fine Studios Boss Tim Schafer Wants to Create a Public Funded Game
Post by Eorl @ 03:50pm 09/02/12 | 46 Comments
Yesterday we saw Notch and Tim Schafer wanting to team up and create Pyschonauts 2, a well deserved sequel to a game that was a true cult classic. Today we are seeing the creators of Pyschonauts, Brutal Legend and Costume Quest (among more) asking you, the public, to help create and develop a game.

Tim Schafer, the creator of Double Fine Studios has put across a idea that hasn't been seen before. A small team at Double Fine Studios will use Kickstarter, the world's largest funding platform for creative projects, to create a brand-new, downloadable "Point-and-Click" graphic adventure game for the modern age.

The idea is that the public will donate money to the Kickstarter program, and along with the warm feeling of helping, you will be able to see a game being developed by the public, for the public. The really cool part? Pledge at least $15,000 and you get to have dinner with Tim Schafer and key members of the team. Check out the rest of the premium investor perks:
  • Pledge $15,000 or more:
    Dinner with Tim Schafer and key members of the dev team.

  • Pledge $20,000 or more:
    Dinner and BOWLING with Tim Schafer and key members of the dev team.

  • Pledge $30,000 or more:
    Picture of Ron Gilbert smiling.

  • Pledge $35,000 or more:
    Undoctored picture of Ron Gilbert smiling.

  • Pledge $50,000 or more:
    Become an actual character in the game.

  • Pledge $150,000 or more:
    Tim Schafer (that’s me) will give last four remaining Triangle Boxed Day of the Tentacles, in original shrink-wrap.” (Limit of 1) (Holy crap, what am I thinking? I only have four of those!)
    • Check out the announcement trailer below, and you can go over to this Kickstarter page for more info and to donate.











    Latest Comments
      Link  
    d^
    Posted 04:00pm 09/2/12
    Some of those pledges are pretty good. Sounds like a neat idea but I'm not so sure it will work based on donations only.
      Link  
    Bertis
    Posted 04:02pm 09/2/12
    Considering it's funded by the community it should be free right?
      Link  
    trog
    Posted 04:08pm 09/2/12
    The coolest way to do this would be to treat people that pledge as shareholders and let them in on the profits.
      Link  
    eski
    Posted 04:10pm 09/2/12
    Go go go! They've already got ~$150000 since the announcement, I'd say they'll easily reach their goal. Every time I check the count its gone up by 10-20K.
      Link  
    Pirroh
    Posted 04:37pm 09/2/12
    $200,000 already.
      Link  
    Scooter
    Posted 04:41pm 09/2/12
    Yeah, thats what I was thinking trog... public investors, who get something back from the end result.
      Link  
    Bah
    Posted 04:50pm 09/2/12
    Tim schafer wants free money, well no shit doesnt everyone.
      Link  
    Zapo
    Posted 04:54pm 09/2/12
    Nice, I've just put down $30. Great idea. Go Tim!
      Link  
    ravn0s
    Posted 05:01pm 09/2/12
    wasn't gabe newell thinking of something like this?


    also freddiew did this to get money to make his film.
      Link  
    Bah
    Posted 05:49pm 09/2/12
    When natural selection does this everyone says how stupid it is, yet Tim Schafer basically begs for money with a few extras offered and people are congratulating him on his genius.... you wouldnt even look him in the eye if he was on a street corner.
      Link  
    Superpiccolo
    Posted 05:47pm 09/2/12
    @trog

    Pretty sure under US law that would be illegal unless there were a registered "Investment Firm/Bank". As far as I know (which is not much) that is why the big thing recently is doing it this way with people getting "Gifts" for contributing, rather than "Shares".

    Love this idea though, this is the FUTURE. Fuck pubs up A and bring on the crowd funding!
      Link  
    glynd
    Posted 06:21pm 09/2/12
    Tim Schafer on Twitter:

    https://twitter.com/#!/TimOfLegend/status/167483999055392768

    er don't think link is working ... try this http://twitter.com/timoflegend

    @TimOfLegend
    Tim Schafer
    We just hit $200k...you guys... Oh man. I have to warn you, I always cry at the end of It's a Wonderful Life. :')
      Link  
    Mordecai
    Posted 06:26pm 09/2/12
    At 6:26 PM Vic time $279,598

    Niiice
      Link  
    eski
    Posted 07:36pm 09/2/12
    $320,000 o_O
      Link  
    FraktuRe
    Posted 09:36pm 09/2/12
    trog: Kickstarter does not allow profit sharing as part of the system.
      Link  
    Eorl
    Posted 10:24pm 09/2/12
    And there we have it, in less then a day Double Fine Studios has received $453,495 to publicly back their old school point and click adventure game. Well done!
      Link  
    CHUB
    Posted 10:41pm 09/2/12
    Absolutely sick, forget this publicly funded bollocks, I just want a new point and click adventure game.
      Link  
    Mantorok
    Posted 11:18pm 09/2/12
    ...I just want a new point and click adventure game.
    Tried the Blackwell series or Gemini Rue?
      Link  
    CHUB
    Posted 11:22pm 09/2/12
    I'll check them out, Gemini Rue sounds interesting/has good ratings.
      Link  
    glynd
    Posted 08:43am 10/2/12
    now at 904,000 in under 24 hours!
      Link  
    Khel
    Posted 10:18am 10/2/12
    Haha, I liked this on his twitter

    $955k! Guys, I'll make you a deal. If we hit $980k I'll add RTS elements to the game! And if we hit $1M, I'll take them back out!
      Link  
    simul
    Posted 10:21am 10/2/12
    $955k! Guys, I'll make you a deal. If we hit $980k I'll add RTS elements to the game! And if we hit $1M, I'll take them back out!


    Guaranteed 20k extortion there!
      Link  
    Eorl
    Posted 10:21am 10/2/12
    Holy cow, they are nearly at $1M. All publicly backed. That is just, wow.
      Link  
    simul
    Posted 10:29am 10/2/12
    Tim looks like he finally figured out how to make a commercially successful game - you don't make it until people have bought it :D
      Link  
    Linker
    Posted 10:30am 10/2/12
    Wow, wtf. Really people would pay 15k to have dinner with a game designer. Seems ridiculous.
      Link  
    CHUB
    Posted 10:34am 10/2/12
    Tim looks like he finally figured out how to make a commercially successful game - you don't make it until people have bought it :D
    Let us be real, he's well known for creating legendary point/click games and is offering a new point/click game for $15.

    It's a no brainer, I couldn't see it working for many other developers.
      Link  
    simul
    Posted 10:35am 10/2/12
    Wow, wtf. Really people would pay 15k to have dinner with a game designer. Seems ridiculous.


    He's not just a generic game designer, most gamers grew up with him, ala: The Secret of Monkey Island, Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge, Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango, Psychonauts
      Link  
    glynd
    Posted 10:46am 10/2/12
    and there's the million ...
      Link  
    Khel
    Posted 10:58am 10/2/12
    And its not just Tim Schaeffer making a new point and click adventure, its Tim Schaefer AND Ron Gilbert making a new point and click adventure. It doesn't get much better than that.
      Link  
    Outlaw
    Posted 11:10am 10/2/12
    this'll never work
      Link  
    eski
    Posted 12:12pm 10/2/12
    Khel, funny thing is that back in the old days of Lucasarts, Tim was just a tester working for Ron Gilbert, now Ron is working at the company Tim started.

    Gonna be freaking sweet. Last time Tim was serious about making adventure games he turned out Grim Fandango, who knows what he can do now!
      Link  
    Sc00bs
    Posted 12:16pm 10/2/12
    DOTT was an awesome game :) same with full throttle, ahh the good ole days of point and click adventures :P
      Link  
    carson
    Posted 01:10pm 10/2/12
    Tim Schaeffer should do this for Psychonauts 2. I imagine he'd get enough money to fund it without the need of a publisher to back him in no time.

    The world needs more Psychonuats!
      Link  
    Deviouz
    Posted 08:33pm 10/2/12
    1.2 mill now!!!
      Link  
    eski
    Posted 02:58pm 21/2/12
    $2M with 21 days to go :O

    anyone care to guess the final figure?

    I reckon it'll top out at around $2.5M
      Link  
    eski
    Posted 06:20pm 12/3/12
    Well looks like I was happily wrong, this thing is going nuts again! Will it make 3M? Craziness!

    http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/66710809/double-fine-adventure

    Go donate now before it closes. Be a part of history!
      Link  
    Whoop
    Posted 11:57pm 12/3/12
    The coolest way to do this would be to treat people that pledge as shareholders and let them in on the profits.

    Fuck yeah. If I'm giving them 150 grand, I certainly want something more than some day of some tentacle or other.

    Out of curiosity, it would be cool if there were some kind of stats for WoW's top subscribers. Not any names, just how much money the people who've been subscribed the longest have paid.
      Link  
    Reverend Evil
    Posted 12:44am 13/3/12
    I was about to post that this is a stupid idea. Why give them money to make a game when you end up paying for it at the end. But then I read the thingy on their website and it's actually quite an awesome idea. I'm not interested in this but I hope it werks out for everyone involved.
      Link  
    Tollaz0r!
    Posted 09:25am 13/3/12
    lol,

    $2,800,000 pledged of $400,000 goal.

    So they make their $400,00 budget and walk away with the rest ;D
      Link  
    Eorl
    Posted 10:25am 13/3/12
    lol,

    $2,800,000 pledged of $400,000 goal.

    So they make their $400,00 budget and walk away with the rest ;D

    Your obviously being sarcastic, but I wanted to say this anyway, they use the extra for greater things in the game, like localisation, mac/linux version etc.
      Link  
    Outlaw
    Posted 10:39am 13/3/12
    Pressures on now for douche bag schafer not to fail
      Link  
    Khel
    Posted 10:48am 13/3/12
    I don't think its really possible for them to fail at making an adventure game, given the pedigree
      Link  
    eski
    Posted 01:16pm 14/3/12
    Final tally - $3 335 371

    That's a lot of moolah!
      Link  
    Khel
    Posted 01:20pm 14/3/12
    Wow, they made a lot in the last 24 hours, it was at 2.7 million when I checked it yesterday
      Link  
    eski
    Posted 02:03pm 14/3/12
    Seems like there is a trend developing
      Link  
    Khel
    Posted 02:22pm 14/3/12
    I'm not too interested in giving what is essentially Interplay more money, they haven't shown particularly good business sense in the past.

    And while on the topic of interplay, this comic is relevant

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