Double Fine launches Kickstarter campaign for new project

Update

Double Fine's Kickstarter project has cleared its goal of $400,000, in less than 8 hours.

CEO Tim Schafer has said that any extra funds will go towards improving the game further, translating it to several languages and potentially adding further platforms to the list of release SKUs.

Original story

Double Fine has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fully finance a new game, the first "major studio" to do so.

The project will be a downloadable point-and-click adventure game "for the modern age." It will be developed by a small team under Schafer's supervision over the next six to eight months.

Despite setting a target of $400,000 to be raised by 8pm (EDT) on March 13, at the time of writing a total of 6,888 backers had contributed $320,832. If Double Fine raises more than its $400,000 target, the extra money will be invested in the project.

"Crowd-sourced fundraising sites like Kickstarter have been an incredible boon to the independent development community," Schafer said.

"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."

Schafer has also pledged to document the creative process for the projects backers through an ongoing monthly documentary.

"There's an unprecedented opportunity to show the public what game development of this calibre looks like from the inside," he continued.

"This documentary series will strive to make the viewer as much a part of the process as possible by showing a game grow from start to finish, with all the passion, humour, and heartbreak that happens along the way."

"Double Fine is committed to total transparency with this project, ensuring it is one of the most honest depictions of game development ever conceived."

For a base contribution of $15, backers will receive the full game and access to the documentary. Anyone wishing to contribute more will qualify for a tiered "rewards" system, including autographed posters, dinner and bowling with key members of the development team, and being immortalised as a character in the game.

The launch of Double Fine's Kickstarter campaign comes just days after Schafer openly lamented publishers' aversion to risky ideas and original IP.

"Publishers often don't want to release anything new, I mean they're scared of new IP, and Double Fine specalises in new IP," he said.

"That's always been our challenge, is getting a publisher to invest millions of dollars in something brand new like Brutal Legend."