Double Fine’s latest game project secures $500,000 amid controversy.

Double Fine, the studio behind Psychonauts and Brütal Legend, found itself among those released from Xbox Games Studios in July 2026 due to a significant restructuring within Microsoft’s gaming division. However, studio head Tim Schafer appeared undeterred, welcoming the opportunity to return to the indie scene. By late August 2026, Schafer announced the revival of Amnesia Fortnight, the studio’s beloved game jam, which would kick off the development of a new game alongside a documentary.

To fund this project, Double Fine turned to crowdfunding, a familiar route for the studio that had previously set the bar with successful multi-million-dollar campaigns for Broken Age and Psychonauts 2. The new Kickstarter campaign invites fans to select from a list of 12 game concepts, with four of those ideas being developed into prototypes. Backers will then have the chance to vote on which prototype will evolve into a full-fledged (albeit small) game. The campaign quickly gained traction, reaching its funding goal in just three days and hitting the $550,000 stretch goal by day 19, which unlocked the addition of voice actor Erika Ishii to the winning project.

Ishii, known for roles such as Atsu in Ghost of Yōtei, Valkyrie in Apex Legends, and Lady Deathstrike in X-Men ’97, has sparked controversy among some fans due to their outspoken views on gender, sexuality, and politics. This backlash has impacted the Amnesia Fortnight campaign, with funding dipping to just under $485,000 at the time of writing. In response, Double Fine has disabled comments on X and reportedly begun moderating comments on Instagram as well.

At one point, Double Fine mentioned that Ishii was “donating their time to support the campaign and the studio’s independence,” implying that they would not be compensated, but this statement has since been removed and is only accessible through screenshots. The studio has not provided any further updates.

It’s a shame that this controversy is overshadowing a funding campaign that could pave the way for an exciting indie game. The four finalists chosen by backers for Amnesia Fortnight are: Architactics, a tactical city builder where structures can move and transform for combat; Bard Crawl, an online co-op dungeon-crawling adventure; Plot Armor, a turn-based RPG with visual novel elements; and Uprise, a high-speed platformer featuring kite-flying mechanics. Each of these concepts brings original ideas or clever spins on familiar genres, promising a lot of fun.

Interestingly, Double Fine also introduced a far-fetched stretch goal of $100 million, which would greenlight a long-desired sequel to Brütal Legend. It seems that dream may remain just that—a dream.