Double Fine has bypassed the corporate middle men and gone straight to the fans to fund their newest project. Industry veteran Tim Schafer (Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango), has a thing for Adventure games – specifically point and click graphic adventure games, however getting funding from publishers is next to impossible since they view these as essentially dead. Not so says the world. Intent to make his next masterpiece Schafer and Co. turned to crowd-sourced fundraising site KickStarter to ask for help. Boy did they get it.

Double Fine listed their fund raising goal as $400,000 – $300,000 for the development of the game itself, and $100,000 for the filming of a documentary detailing the entire behind the scenes process. Within an hour they’d raised $100,000. As of right now the game has been completely funded and then some, with the extra money to be used for things like making an iOS/Mac version, increased VO, and/or increased music budgets.

What you get in return is an unprecedented behind the scenes look at the making of the game. You also get to contribute ideas to the game effectively taking part in its creation, you get to beta test, and of course you get the game when it’s released in the format of your choosing. There are other goodies if you donate higher amounts, but that’s a pretty incredible deal for $15.00.

Already sitting at over $500,000 with 33 days left to raise money, it’s a safe bet other major game developers are paying close attention. This experiment could change the dynamics in the gaming industry over night as major game development companies realize they can give the fans the games they want, and keep total control over their work.
Why would you make the game publishing companies want while giving up control over the creative process when you can go directly to the fans for upfront funding? This is a win/win situation for the fans and the game developer.

Somewhere right now EA and Activision are shitting themselves.

How long before we see a major label artist dump his deal and crowd-source fund their next project? Can you imagine? Why would any artist with a decent buzz even consider signing to a major label when you have tools like KickStarter available?

The internet is an amazing place right now if you’re a content creator. It only sucks if you’re a gate keeping middle man who is no longer required. I can’t wait to see how this plays out. Check out their KickStarter page here.