Double Fine's Tim Schafer Interview

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Tim Schafer has an impressive CV, having worked on games such as Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango and more recently, Psychonauts. In other words, he's a bit of a big deal.

His latest project, Brutal Legend, was met with much anticipation when the curtains were swept back last October. It's an action adventure based in a fantasy world of heavy metal where players become a roadie called Eddie Riggs. Jack Black will provide the voice for the unlikely hero

When Brutal Legend, originally to be published by Sierra, was dropped as part of the Activision merger, we were worried. But as announced today, fellow super-publisher EA has swooped in to pick up the game for the EA Partners label - the same one responsible for Valve's recent works.

Brutal Legend will now be released on Xbox 360 and PS3 next autumn. We had a chat with Schafer to find out more.

Eurogamer: Hello, Tim Schafer! Can you tell our readers who you are and why you're so famous?

Tim Schafer: Why am I so famous? [Laughs] I worked for 10 years at LucasArts and I did a lot of the old-time graphic adventure games there, like Full Throttle and Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango. I left to start my own company, Double Fine Productions, in 2000, and we made the game Psychonauts. Now we're working on Brutal Legend.

Eurogamer: Brutal Legend has been in limbo for a while now, following the Activision-Vivendi merger. How did that affect Double Fine? Has development suffered? Was there sulking?

Tim Schafer: No. The team really knuckled down and worked on through it. It was a rollercoaster of a year, but it was a productive one, and now we're really excited to be working with EA Partners. I would say there was not even a single day where work stopped because of the confusion.

Star power my arse.

Eurogamer: And what's so good about EA? Don't they just make sports games?

Tim Schafer: No! Actually a lot of the really interesting stuff going on right now is happening with EA Partners. If you look at other developers working with them like Grasshopper Manufacture and Valve, there's a lot of really creative stuff that's happening. They're the perfect place to launch a new IP and to do something that is pushing the boundaries of gaming.

Eurogamer: Is Brutal Legend a bit different, then? Is it a change from what a big publisher would normally push out?

Tim Schafer: Well it's a unique take on... Not straight-up fantasy, and it's not a straight-up music game. It's something that uses the imagery of something like heavy metal to create a unique fantasy world. As long as you're willing to do something that hasn't been done before, I think it can really be rewarding.

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