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Publishers 'scared' of new IP - Schafer

Double Fine Productions founder explains what drove his studio from frontline retail games like Brutal Legend to downloadable fare like Double Fine Happy Action Theater.

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Originality is generally considered a positive trait for a game to have, but it's one that makes publishers nervous, according to Double Fine Productions founder Tim Schafer.

This Double Fine Happy Action Theater pic might just be the best screenshot ever.
This Double Fine Happy Action Theater pic might just be the best screenshot ever.

Speaking with Digital Spy, Schafer explained the reasoning behind his studio's move away from making big-budget retail games based on original intellectual properties.

"Publishers often don't want to release anything new, I mean they're scared of new IP, and Double Fine specializes in new IP," Schafer said. "That's always been our challenge, is getting a publisher to invest millions of dollars in something brand new like Brutal Legend."

After the release of 2009's Brutal Legend, the developer switched gears to producing smaller-scale downloadable games with greater frequency. Since the change in approach, Double Fine has released Costume Quest, Stacking, Iron Brigade, the Kinect retail game Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster, and last week's downloadable Kinect minigame compilation Double Fine Happy Action Theater.

For more on the studio's latest, check out GameSpot's review of Double Fine Happy Action Theater.

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