Double Fine, the studio behind games like Psychonauts and Brütal Legend, was among the studios released from Xbox Games Studios in July 2026 following a significant restructuring of Microsoft's gaming division. Tim Schafer, head of Double Fine, initiated the return of Amnesia Fortnight, the studio's annual game jam event, in late August 2026. This initiative aimed to produce a new game and a documentary, with the studio turning to crowdfunding to finance the project.
The Kickstarter campaign, which has been a tradition for Double Fine, allowed fans to vote from 12 game ideas, with four selected to become prototypes. Backers would then vote again to determine which prototype would be developed into a small game. The campaign quickly achieved its funding goal within three days and surpassed its $550,000 stretch goal by day 19. A subsequent stretch goal revealed the inclusion of voice actor Erika Ishii in the winning game.
Erika Ishii, known for roles in Ghost of Yõtei, Apex Legends, and X-Men '97, became a point of contention for a segment of the player base due to their public stances on social and political issues. This controversy led to a decline in the Amnesia Fortnight campaign's funding, which fell to just under $485,000. In response, Double Fine reportedly disabled comments on X and began moderating discussions on Instagram.
Initially, Double Fine stated that Ishii was contributing their time to support the campaign and the studio's independence, implying they would not seek payment. However, this comment has since become unavailable and is only visible through screenshots. Double Fine has not provided further statements on the matter.
The controversy has cast a shadow over a funding campaign that could have led to the development of new indie titles. The four prototype concepts selected by backers were Architactics, a tactical city builder; Bard Crawl, an online co-op dungeon-crawling adventure; Plot Armor, a turn-based RPG combined with a visual novel; and Uprise, a high-speed platformer focused on kite flying.
Double Fine also added a $100 million stretch goal to the campaign, intended for a potential sequel to Brütal Legend, a long-requested title by fans.