E3 2019: Microsoft Acquires Psychonauts Dev Double Fine Productions

One of the biggest announcements to come out of Microsoft’s E3 2019 conference was Matt Booty, the Corporate VP of Xbox Game Studios, revealing that Microsoft has acquired Psychonauts and Broken Age developer Double Fine Productions. The sequel Psychonauts 2 was also showcased during the conference.

The head of Double Fine Productions, Tim Schafer, was more than enthusiastic about the recent acquisition, joking that he was ready to do anything like “excel stuff” and some “Forza stuff.”

Microsoft has been making serious moves lately in terms of acquiring developers for Xbox Game Studios, who are devoted to creating exclusive titles for the Xbox. One of the more recent acquisitions was Obsidian Entertainment; and at last year’s E3 conference, Xbox head Phil Spencer shocked everyone when he announced that Microsoft had created its own studio and acquired four others, including Ninja Theory, Compulsion Games, and iconic Forza developer Playground Games.

When speaking to the quality of Double Fine Productions and what it brings to Xbox Game Studios, Booty said that Double Fine “has been a beacon of creativity and spirit in game development for almost twenty years.”

Though Double Fine Productions was bought by Microsoft, the game will still be available on all promised platforms when it releases, including the PS4. You can check out the first gameplay trailer below.