The Internet Gives Tim Schafer $1 Million On Kickstarter For New Game

Famed game designer Tim Schafer (Pshychonauts, Monkey Island, Brutal Legend) and his company Double Fine have officially broken Kickstarter records by raising over $1 million dollars to help fund “a brand-new, downloadable ‘Point-and-Click’ graphic adventure game for the modern age.”

“If I were to go to a publisher right now and pitch an adventure game, they’d laugh in my face,” said Schafer in a video on the project’s page (below).

Not only was the Kickstarter project able to reach and pass its initial $400,000 goal within hours, but it did so with the support of gamers like you and I. Double Fine wouldn’t have turned to Crowd-sourced fundraising site Kickstarter for funding if it didn’t have to, so it’s amazing to see the internet support a project that clearly doesn’t have full support from publishers and traditional funding avenues.

The project’s page explained exactly why Double Fine decided to explore this alternative funding option:

Big games cost big money.  Even something as “simple” as an Xbox LIVE Arcade title can cost upwards of two or three million dollars.  For disc-based games, it can be over ten times that amount.  To finance the production, promotion, and distribution of these massive undertakings, companies like Double Fine have to rely on external sources like publishers, investment firms, or loans.  And while they fulfill an important role in the process, their involvement also comes with significant strings attached that can pull the game in the wrong directions or even cancel its production altogether.

The project still has 32 days left on Kickstarter, so you still have a chance to join the over 30,000 backers that have made at least the $1 minimum pledge. If you do decide to pledge, $15 will get you the finished game through Steam when it’s complete (with beta access), and $30 will get you that plus an HD download of the making-of doc and soundtrack. There is also original signed posts and the ability to have game artists create a your portrait for $250 or $1,000. The team will also be filming the entire process and posting video online throughout the 6 to 8 month development period.

In related news, according to ShackNews Minecraft creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson is apparently having a “a lovely chat” about his offer to help create a sequel to Schafer’s hit 2005 game Psychonauts. The offer followed Schafer’s statements to Rock Paper Shotgun that he would need “a few million dollars” to get it made. However, by the looks of it, Double Fine might not have a problem raising that kind of money through Kickstarter.

You can check out the video Schafer made for the Kickstarter project below:

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