Timothy Schafer

Hey, who deleted that question about pancakes? The question was do I like pancakes, and the answer is yes! But mostly the flat, Scandinavian style pancakes. The puffy, cakey ones that soak up the syrup are kind of gross after a while. But Norwegian or Swedish pancakes with lingonberries? Holy pancakes those are good.

Linux was like a party that sounded fun we were afraid to go to because we didn't think we'd know anybody there, and the HiB guys were like your socially fearless friend who says, "Don't worry, we'll go together." And when he gets to your house he says, "Is that what you're wearing?" and you say, "uh..." and he says, "Don't worry. I know a guy." And he lends you a cool leather jacket and you go to the party and when you walk in there's a needle scratch and everybody turns to look at you and your friend gives a cool nod and then everybody goes back to the party. So kind of like a John Hughes film. Hope that helps explain things. That's about as technical as I can go. I just hope I don't accidentally knock over a beer can pyramid that some tough guys are building.

Oh and also, if you want to be cool at the party, stay away from wine. (haha! Linux joke!)

You mean the latest masterpiece of fantasy storytelling from Lucasfilm's (™) Brian Moriarty? Why, it's an extraordinary adventure with an interface of magic, stunning high-resolution 3D landscapes, sophisticated score and musical effects. Not to mention the detailed animation and special effects, elegant point-and-click control of characters, objects, and magic spells. Beat the rush! Go out and buy Loom today!

Hey, John. When you say “mishandling of several past games resources” I assume you’re talking about two things: games going over budget, and then Spacebase.

Regarding games going over budget: Many times in the past I have made the choice to invest more in a game than the original budget specified. That is because in the end, my highest priority is the quality of the game. Most of the games you play (not all of them, but more than you think) went over budget and extended their schedules at some point. Double Fine is just more honest and transparent about it. There are many things that lower the risk of Psychonauts 2 going over budget. It’s a sequel, so the gameplay and IP of the game are already known. We are using the Unreal Engine, so we don’t have to write an engine from scratch. And our team is much more experienced than when we made the first game. But if even after that, if the game has any overages, Double Fine is committed to paying for them ourselves, as we have done in the past.

We have successfully completed and shipped both of the games we crowdfunded (Broken Age and Massive Chalice) and are very proud of them. The majority of our fans and critics enjoyed them as well. We have put three games through early access--Hack ‘n’ Slash, Massive Chalice, and Spacebase. Two of these worked out great, and one of those was a disappointment to many people. We have shipped 17 titles over the last 15 years and overall we have a great track record of shipping great games and being extremely transparent and honest with our community. That is the more lasting reputation of Double Fine, and the reason people can feel confident about Psychonauts 2!

I don't want to make any comments here that might affect the outcome of his audition. Official review will be tomorrow during our livestream. :)

The truth is I always act as if I didn't have to worry about profits, had all the money in the world, and no technical limits. Maybe that's why my games are considered "niche," why they go over budget, and why my programmers have to work so hard. So basically, I'd be doing exactly what I'm doing right now! :)

So far, no. I have not been able to. They're busy with the whole space thing they do. With the laser swords and teddy bear monkeys, you know?

Oh goddamn you Chris Remo!

Yes.