Double Fine Are All In On Making Brutal Legend 2, If You're Willing To Give Them $100 Million In Their Game Jam Kickstarter, Anyway

Following its departure from Microsoft's ownership, the newly independent studio Double Fine is returning to its roots with a crowdfunding campaign for its signature game jam, Amnesia Fortnight. The initiative features a highly ambitious, tongue-in-cheek stretch goal of $100 million to fund the development of a sequel to their cult classic action-adventure game, Brutal Legend. While the target is widely understood to be an unreachable joke, it highlights the developer's regained creative freedom as an independent entity.

The $100 million milestone is far beyond any historical crowdfunding achievement, as the current record-holder for a Kickstarter campaign stands at just under $47 million for a 3D printer. Despite the impossibility of reaching this tier, the core campaign offers a legitimate and interactive experience for supporters. The primary purpose of the funding is to allow backers to participate directly in the studio's internal prototyping process.

Amnesia Fortnight is a tradition Double Fine established in 2007, during which the development team spends two weeks rapidly building game prototypes. Historically, this process has birthed several successful projects that eventually became full releases, including Costume Quest and the Compton's Cook-off segment featured in Psychonauts 2. By contributing to the current Kickstarter, backers secure voting rights to help decide which new ideas will be developed during the event.

Supporters who fund the project will have the opportunity to vote on a diverse selection of pitches created by the Double Fine staff. The selection process will narrow the field down to four primary prototypes, which will then face off in a final round of voting. The concept that secures the top spot will be greenlit for development into a complete, though relatively small-scale, video game.

To help backers make informed decisions, the studio has released a playlist of 30-second video pitches outlining the various concepts up for consideration. Among the ideas presented are Emergency Foley Artist, a Jackbox-style party game focused on creating humorous sound effects for on-screen scenes, and Uprise, a unique kart-racing game where players fly kites to combat an alien invasion.

In keeping with the studio's history of transparency, the entire Amnesia Fortnight process will be captured in a companion documentary. This behind-the-scenes look is expected to generate significant interest, particularly as it represents the studio's first major public initiative since regaining its independence from Microsoft and navigating subsequent staff layoffs.