Tim Schafer's company Double Fine have only made two games, Psychonauts and Brutal Legend, but they've had four publishers. Both were cancelled once before finding a new home. At Schafer's Develop conference keynote, he explained how his company turned their turbulent game development process into a new beginning for the company.
It began with the “amnesia fortnight project”. Whenever Double Fine are left facing an uncertain future because of a publisher decision, the company use the time to experiment. For two weeks, Double Fine split into four teams and made experimental games. “Four groups," Tim says, "each team made a game. Three groups had heads, one team didn't. Like an indie game festival in the company.”
After Brutal Legend 2 was cancelled (“When they said it's a done deal," says Tim, "they meant there's no deal and we're done.”) the team returned to those little projects. “We had these eight game prototypes, took four on a little roadshow to the publishers”
All four games were picked up, turning Double Fine into a multi-project studio. Tim's analogy is that instead of Double Fine being a cockroach to be squished, they're like a flatworm, being sliced into little pieces, but surviving.
As grim an image as that is, it's helped Double Fine survive and flourish. The team saved their own jobs by making games.
