Double Fine founder Tim Schafer has explained to fans why there are few PC versions of the studios games, which include Brutal Legend, pinning the blame firmly on risk-averse publishers.
The comments come in a new FAQ on Double Fine's official site, where Schafer lays out why the developer doesn't have control of target platforms for the games it makes.
'As a developer we do not have final say in the SKU plan for our games,' wrote Scahfer. 'That is the decision of the person investing the money, i.e. the publisher.'
'We have much of the technology in place to produce PC versions of all these games, but there is still some more work required to make them shippable and that costs money. So far, our publishers have not elected to fund that work. Not because they hate PC gamers, but because they don't see enough financial reward.'
Schafer pledged that, if Double Fine ever got 'super stinking rich' then it would go back and release old games on other platforms. He also singled out the Nintendo Wii as a platform he would like to work on, but hasn't had a chance to.
'Double Fine would love to make something for Nintendo's fine machine, but it's not up to us. I personally would have loved to make Psychonauts for the Game Cube. Well, not literally me personally. I would have loved to tell someone else to make it, and I would have loved to watch them do it, and I would have loved yelling, "Faster! Faster!" as they worked.'
Elsewhere in the FAQ, Schafer also talks about the likelihood of ever working on sequels for Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle or Full Throttle. Ultimately, it comes down to licensing concerns, with Schafer hinting that it's unlikely he'd ever end up working on those games. There are currently still no plans for sequels to Brutal Legend or Psychonauts, either.
Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
The comments come in a new FAQ on Double Fine's official site, where Schafer lays out why the developer doesn't have control of target platforms for the games it makes.
'As a developer we do not have final say in the SKU plan for our games,' wrote Scahfer. 'That is the decision of the person investing the money, i.e. the publisher.'
'We have much of the technology in place to produce PC versions of all these games, but there is still some more work required to make them shippable and that costs money. So far, our publishers have not elected to fund that work. Not because they hate PC gamers, but because they don't see enough financial reward.'
Schafer pledged that, if Double Fine ever got 'super stinking rich' then it would go back and release old games on other platforms. He also singled out the Nintendo Wii as a platform he would like to work on, but hasn't had a chance to.
'Double Fine would love to make something for Nintendo's fine machine, but it's not up to us. I personally would have loved to make Psychonauts for the Game Cube. Well, not literally me personally. I would have loved to tell someone else to make it, and I would have loved to watch them do it, and I would have loved yelling, "Faster! Faster!" as they worked.'
Elsewhere in the FAQ, Schafer also talks about the likelihood of ever working on sequels for Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle or Full Throttle. Ultimately, it comes down to licensing concerns, with Schafer hinting that it's unlikely he'd ever end up working on those games. There are currently still no plans for sequels to Brutal Legend or Psychonauts, either.
Let us know your thoughts in the forums.
RELATED ARTICLES
MSI MPG Velox 100R Chassis Review
October 14 2021 | 15:04
Want to comment? Please log in.