Double Fine Studios, the folks who got us games such as Psychonauts and Broken Age, have started a new initiative where they will help publish titles for indie games, so that indie games don’t have to deal with actual publishers and their corporate structure and demands, and can essentially ‘stay indie,’ reports Game Informer.
“Lots of indies have approached us and asked if we could help them out with publishing, so we knew there was value in what we have to offer,” Double Fine chief operating officer Justin Bailey said. “They all had a unique request and that’s where we started to see there was a real need for the knowledge we’ve gained over the last 14 years on how to prototype, fund, develop, and publish our own games.
“We noticed that there wasn’t a publisher offering these service in a flexible format that’s customized to what indies need without also creating a certain codependence.
“The current focus is just on making the titles we publish successful and something that both the developer and Double Fine can be proud of,” Bailey continued. “The alternative we want to offer – a way for indies to stay indie.”
Of course, this discussion came about in reference to Double Fine’s recent assistance with the release of Escape goat 2. Speaking specifically of that game, Bailey said, “For Escape Goat 2, we’re primary providing promotional assistance and distribution. Our goal is to help indies build their own community and empower them with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed on their own.”
Sounds like Double Fine is helping indies out here pretty good. Let’s just hope they don’t become the corporate machinery they are trying to circumvent.