Any guess on what Doublefine will make next?

[sjack]

Since this is from 2003, it means Tim wanted DF's next games to small before Psychonauts was released and flopped.

 

So has Psychonaut's flopped? I haven't heard much about the success or lack thereof of the game...

[Remi]

It might be too early to call it a flop, but it hasn't sold well. There's always the chance that it will be a sleeper, like Grim Fandango, though that won't be enough to save a publicly traded company like Majesco's face. Apparently they're being sued by some stock holders over Psychonauts and Advent Rising's lack of success.

[Udvarnoky]

Even if it has long-term success like Grim, it's already a flop in the eyes of Majesco and certainly its shareholders. Early figures are really the only ones that matter, and they were horrid. I mean, it's already secured itself in history as a significant reason for Majesco's financial downfall. There is still the good possibility of it being a consistent seller, and I'm still praying for the success of its international release (which I hope Majesco won't minimize the launch of), but I'd say from a corporate standpoint it's a flop even if it does turn a profit somewhere down the road. Unfair and a damned shame, but yeah.

[Thrik]

I'm surprised there isn't more anger expressed over the fairly terrible job Majesco did of actually launching it. Maybe I'm being unfair in saying that, maybe it was just down to the retailers not putting a huge effort in on their end due to Psychonauts being a fairly small title. But, my perception is that Majesco launched the game in an extremely clumsy fashion, they didn't market the game well at all (millions of dollars is nothing if it's not used well), and generally failed to make a dent in the wall of people's awareness. Does anyone really disagree with me in saying that they could have gone around this a whole lot better?

[Udvarnoky]

Definitely. They ****ed up, no two ways about it. And yet, I feel really bad for them because they took a big gamble on a great game, and this happens. The company that put a lot behind a really creative game they picked up has ultimately taken a huge beating and given publishers yet another reason not to fund original titles.

 

But yes, I feel even worse for Double Fine and the fact that a truly amazing game has been screwed. No one bought it. I think much of the blame can be aimed on Majesco's less than stellar advertising campaign, the apparent idiocy of most game retailers when it comes to distribution, and the overall stupidity of the general gaming public.

[Smon]

They just need to get the word out, I've seen maybe two ads on TV. They need better advertising. Then again Katamari Damaci had practically no ads but it sold well, so maybe PsychoNauts will sell well outside America, well enough to pull DF outta trouble.

[Gruducuuz]

Going back to the subject of multiplayer.

 

The only way I see it happening is with some kind of Co-op.

 

Althoug a Psychonauts MMORPG sounds fun...

[sjack]

That's really unfortunate. Does anyone have a clue about what Double Fine is planning now? They must be in a difficult situation. I really hope somehow Shafer is able to keep making games that are true to his vision. I'm going to look on the bright side and hope he returns to his roots with a true graphic adventure.

[Remi]

While I don't know what he's up to, I doubt it'll be anything like a classic graphic adventure at least.

[VSTM]

I think Advent Rising did much worse than Psychonauts. I think a lot of the problem was that Majesco spent ridiculous amounts of money on those "win a million dollars" advertising. I mean, people buy carbonated beverages because they want a chance to win a million dollars. They don't buy games for that reason. More importantly, that million dollars didn't really go to getting the word out about that game. I mean, maybe some people told some other people about it, but it's not like a top commercial spot.

They should have had their ads in more gaming magazines and used the more traditional advertising that other game companies use. Sales might have even suffered from not being on the gamecube(as far fetched as that seems), because the zelda crowd might have enjoyed it more than say..the halo crowd.

 

Didn't the ceo get fired or something because of the lackluster sales of advent rising and psychonauts?

 

Anyway, I think Majesco will live because they sell tons of those crappy kids GBA videos. I think Double Fine will live because...well, they're hiring people, which is a good sign, I think. Also, I think they went through worse before. Maybe I'm just too hopeful and I don't see the dreary reality, but I think everything will be ok.

 

Back to the subject:

Doublefine.com has had some interesting posts lately. i've been wondering if any of them are coded messages. Like the panda and the sea monkeys...What's up with that?

[Remi]

I think he's just talking about the pandas that were recently born at the San Diego and DC zoo. ¬

[Smon]

Yeah. screw those pandas! He had seamonkies! But there may be SOME secret thing in the double fine website... I've benn suspicious since finding this with google: http://www.psychonauts.com/milkman.htm

[Purple Squid]

Cologne. Tim scented cologne. =<

[VSTM]

Sea Monkeys are actually Brine Shrimp. You can feed them to baby fish.

 

Still...Monkey Island...Sea Monkeys...just seems kind of suspcious. I mean, I'm not saying that I think for a second that schafe is doing MI5. I'm just saying it's a little odd.

 

Hey maybe LA is getting ready to sell of all their original licenses for low-low prices and we're all about to have fairy dusted good game orgy extravaganzas rain(or maybe reign...) down up us. HAHAHAHAHA...oh, that's not funny. I'm sorry.

 

*grumble*grumble*

[AgentArcana]

wow, that milk pic is kinda creepy.

[Rubacava]

I think the milk picture is awesome. *saves*

[meheeners]

I would really like to see a Psychonauts prequel, maybe a game that follows Ford Cruller's life or something of the sort. You can't have enough Agent Cruller after all. I was really sad that I couldn't go into his mind.

[Smon]

Yeah his mind would be like a long disjointed hallway, and each door leads to one of his outher personalities, and you had to find the keys to seal off each one except the PsychoNauts one. THAT would be interesting...

 

Edit:I just read that Tim has a town in Animal Crossing called PinkyToe!!!! FREAKIN' AWESOME!

[Purple Squid]

Yup. And he drinks rice milk. Me too. Good stuff... cheerioios aren't so yummy, though.

[VSTM]

I'm bringing this thread back because of recent Doublefine news posts.

 

Specifically this one: http://www.doublefine.com/news.htm#26May2006

 

I downloaded the image and it's pretty low-res low-quality. I used my mediocre(and pretty pathetic really) photoshop skills to try to clean the image up, but it didn't really help. I couldn't make out any of the text on the screen or anywhere else except on the book. I tried to look for any hidden objects around the screen, but couldn't really find any. Some of the papers look like kind of like bank statements.

The kitten sure is cute.

 

I gave up on trying to clean it up with photoshop or decipher anything, and instead rotated the image 180 degrees so I could read the title of the book.

 

After looking on Amazon for "Curiosities" which is the only whole word that can be seen on the book, I found it. It's the "Cabinet of Natural Curiosities". The Amazon book description is as follows:

 

Albertus Seba’s Cabinet of Natural Curiosities is one of the 18th century’s greatest natural history achievements and remains one of the most prized natural history books of all time.Though it was common for men of his profession to collect natural specimens for research purposes, Amsterdambased pharmacist Albertus Seba (1665–1736) had a passion that led him far beyond the call of duty. His amazing, unprecedented collection of animals, plants and insects from all around the world gained international fame during his lifetime. In 1731, after decades of collecting, Seba commissioned illustrations of each and every specimen and arranged the publication of a four-volume catalog detailing his entire collection—from strange and exotic plants to snakes, frogs, crocodiles, shellfish, corals, insects, butterflies and more, as well as fantastic beasts, such as a hydra and a dragon. Seba’s scenic illustrations, often mixing plants and animals in a single plate, were unusual even for the time. Many of the stranger and more peculiar creatures from Seba’s collection, some of which are now extinct, were as curious to those in Seba’s day as they are to us now.

 

This reproduction is taken from a rare, hand-colored original. The introduction offers background information about the fascinating tradition of the cabinet of curiosities to which Seba’s curiosities belonged.

 

This isn't really a book that lies around on anyone's computer desks. I couldn't find it in my local libraries.

 

I don't know if that was the secret, but it's definately interesting. I'm not sure what that would tell us either. Maybe the game will have weird animals? I read in an interview once that he thought about making a strategy game once, and I read in another interview where he said this next game will be like nothing he made before, so maybe it will be a strategy game with weird animals?

 

Then again, maybe the book was a present or some light reading(though I think it's more a collection of pictures).

 

Well, if that's the clue, then I'm guessing it has animals in it, or characters that are modelled after animals.

[Smon]

...I'd like to bring my talking cow game idea back to the table.

[DarthAve]

This is probaby the dumbest thing you've ever heard. But I tried to bring up the pic on MS Paint and use that close up thing(It's slipped my mind right now) to read the typed stuff on his computer.

 

I know, stupid Darth. It'll come out all pixely which it did.

[KingCheez]

...I'd like to bring my talking cow game idea back to the table.

 

I'd like to wipe it RIGHT OFF THE TABLE, and bring my schizophrenic ostrich idea back.

[Psychochaos3]

It's unlikely that doublefine will make anyhting else after the undeserved poor sales of Psychonauts. Psychonauts was an awesome game but for some reason it got poor sales and its major publisher majesco was led to a horrible stock market demise.

 

Psychonauts, an awesome game, but for some reason nearly nobody got it.

[VSTM]

It's unlikely that doublefine will make anyhting else after the undeserved poor sales of Psychonauts. Psychonauts was an awesome game but for some reason it got poor sales and its major publisher majesco was led to a horrible stock market demise.

 

Psychonauts, an awesome game, but for some reason nearly nobody got it.

 

I think you are confused. They're already making another game. There is no doubt about that. Besides, as far as I know, the game has been selling well in Europe.