Double Fine Presents, the indie publishing wing of Tim Schafer's Double Fine studio, is "winding down", according to a blog post by Gang Beasts developer Boneloaf. The indie wing was originally implemented by Double Fine back in 2014.
The Boneloaf blog post begins with the studio thanking Double Fine's publishing arm for all its collaborative work over the years. Boneloaf says that the publisher is winding down thanks to Double Fine's acquisition by Xbox Game Studios last year. The publishing wing's fate has been somewhat unclear ever since that acquisition, and now it looks like that fate is clear: we won't be getting any more Double Fine Presents titles anytime soon. According to Boneloaf, it'll be publishing and working on Gang Beasts by itself from now on.
Has Double Fine Presents been fated to end for a while?
Since Double Fine was acquired by Xbox Game Studios, Double Fine Presents titles have been making moves to distance themselves from the studio. Ooblets, once a Presents game, went independent following the acquisition announcement. Other games published by the studio, like Everything, GNOG, and Knights and Bikes, have remained under its label and haven't made announcements regarding self-publishing arrangements as of yet. Tim Schafer said back in 2019 that Double Fine's publishing element would likely cease (thanks, Destructoid), so this has been a while in the making.
It's worth remembering that this news likely won't have any impact on Double Fine itself, which continues to make games. The upcoming Psychonauts 2 - which will launch for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC - is unaffected by the winding down of the studio's publishing wing. If you want to console yourself over the demise of Double Fine Presents, you can look forward to playing Psychonauts 2 sometime this year. It's a multi-platform release because it was already under development at the time of the Xbox Game Studios acquisition. We'll bring you more on Double Fine Presents' demise as we get it.
Are you said that Double Fine Presents is winding down? What's your favorite Double Fine Presents game? Let us know in the comments below!
