Psychonauts Developers Unveil Their Strategy for Life After Xbox

Following its rocky exit from Microsoft, Double Fine, the studio behind Psychonauts, has shared its next venture. The team has launched a Kickstarter campaign for the latest installment of its ongoing game jam series, Amnesia Fortnight. CEO Tim Schafer announced the news during a recent podcast.

The “Amnesia Fortnight 2026 – Indie Reboot: A Double Fine Productions Game Jam, Documentary and Kickstarter Campaign” kicks off on August 31 and will continue through September. Backers of the game jam will have the opportunity to select which game concepts are developed into four new prototypes, after which they can vote on which prototypes will be turned into a “real (small) game.” The event will be documented by 2 Player Productions, known for their work on the acclaimed Psychodyssey documentary.

Double Fine first streamed one of its two-week game jams in 2012, with subsequent events in 2014, 2017, and 2019. Historically, the studio has made prototypes from these jams available on Humble. Notable titles like Costume Quest, Spacebase DK-9, and Headlander emerged from these sessions, while others have influenced segments of games, such as the Compton’s Cookout level in Psychonauts 2.

Recently, Double Fine was affected by a significant round of layoffs and restructuring at Xbox, leading to its independence from Microsoft. Shortly thereafter, the studio had to let go of 23 of its roughly 90 employees. Schafer expressed that such a painful decision was only made to ensure the studio’s survival.

Since its inception in 2000, Double Fine has created a wide array of beloved games, including both Psychonauts titles, Brutal Legend, Iron Brigade, and more. Before being acquired by Xbox Game Studios in 2019, the team played a pivotal role in popularizing crowdfunding in gaming through successful Kickstarter campaigns for Broken Age and Psychonauts 2.