Microsoft has acquired Double Fine Productions, with the storied game studio joining Xbox Studios and celebrating with a new Psychonauts 2 trailer. The news was confirmed at Microsoft’s big Xbox E3 2019 press conference, with Double Fine founder Tim Schafer coming on-stage to unveil the newest game preview.
Double Fine are known for titles such as Psychonauts, Brutal Legend, and Broken Age, so it’s certainly an excellent acquisition for the company. The studio’s founder Tim Schafer took to the stage to confirm their new bosses, along with debuting new footage from Psychonauts 2.
The first game from the startup was Psychonauts, released on Xbox back in 2005. It met with hugely positive feedback, and set the stage for a series of popular adventure games. Double Fine Productions went on to create Grim Fandango, Costume Quest, and Broken Age among others.
Now, the company is joining Xbox Studios:
“We’re always looking for people who share our vision for the future of gaming, teams who have built games over years through both success and adversity, and ideas that become beloved games,” Matt Booty, Head of Xbox Game Studios said today. “That’s why I’m honored today to announce our intent to acquire legendary game development studio Double Fine Productions.”
Acquiring a host of small indie game studios seems to be Microsoft’s recent strategy in building out its content on Xbox Game Pass, bringing the service its own constant stream of original content.