Tim Schafer explains Double Fine's lack of sequels

Tim Schafer and Double Fine doesn't really do sequels and Schafer has a good reason for that -- there are just too many good ideas to work with.

Ozzie Mejia

September 17, 2013 5:00 PM

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Tim Schafer and the folks at Double Fine don't really dabble in sequels, as evidenced by the studio's library of 15 original titles. It's not so much because Schafer has a particular distaste for them, but it's mostly because he often gets so caught up in new ideas that he just can't wait to make them reality.

"Honestly, currently the only reason we haven't done a sequel is we always have some other idea that we want to do," Schafer told Kotaku. He cites the studio's 'Amnesia Fortnight' game jams as an example. "If you look at the last Amnesia Fortnight, most of the games pitched were not genres we'd done before. There's something about our company where we like to try new things."

Schafer's received requests for sequels to many of his games, including Psychonauts and Brutal Legend. While he's flattered by the requests, he doesn't take them as a sign that a sequel is the best course of action. "If someone wants you to make a sequel, that means you did your job, that they want more. But it doesn't necessarily mean that's the thing they really want. They really maybe want a new game."

Schafer, however, doesn't rule out making sequels to any of his previous games. In fact, he'd relish the opportunity. "I would like to have a chance [to make a sequel] someday," he added. "Every one of our games is like, 'Oh, now I see how to make that game correctly. Oh, I have a lot of ideas of how to make those mechanics better,' or whatever. So I'd love to get that chance to do that."

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?