Double Fine Regains Full IP Rights and Launches Kickstarter Following Xbox Separation
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Double Fine Productions has regained full IP and publishing rights for its games following its separation from Xbox, launching a new Kickstarter campaign to secure its independent future.
Double Fine Productions is officially charting an independent course once again. During a recent appearance on Kinda Funny Games, studio head Tim Schafer confirmed that the Psychonauts developer has regained the intellectual property and publishing rights for all games released during its tenure under Microsoft. While administrative paperwork to transfer every single title is still clearing, Schafer emphasized that purchasing past releases directly funds the studio and helps build a financial runway for its future projects. This new chapter arrives on the heels of a massive restructuring at Microsoft that included significant industry-wide layoffs and affected a portion of Double Fine's own staff.
To help secure that crucial operational runway, the studio has launched a crowdfunding campaign for Amnesia Fortnight 2026. The Indie Reboot Kickstarter brings back the beloved game jam format, allowing backers to vote on creative prototypes while 2 Player Productions documents the entire development process behind the scenes. Schafer also noted that other unannounced projects are currently in motion, and confirmed that upcoming updates and a price drop are on the way for the pottery-based multiplayer game Kiln.
For a community that has spent years championing Double Fine's distinct brand of creativity, this transition offers a mix of relief and uncertainty. Regaining complete control over their catalog gives the team much-needed creative freedom, but navigating the indie space without the backing of a tech giant presents real financial hurdles. As players look for ways to support the studio during this pivotal moment, picking up titles like Psychonauts 2 or backing their latest crowdfunding experiment directly sustains one of the industry's most unique creative voices.
Tags: Double Fine, Indie Games, Xbox, Kickstarter, Industry News
Original article: IGN South Africa