Microsoft acquires Double Fine Productions

Microsoft has acquired Double Fine Productions, the company announced during the Microsoft E3 2019 press conference.

Here is a message from Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty on the acquisition:

In the past year, we welcomed seven new game development studios to Xbox. It’s great to see some of them already sharing new projects on our E3 stage this year. I have the privilege of working with some of the best creators in the world, and for me successful studios all come down to great people, teams and ideas. We’re always looking for people who share our vision for the future of gaming, teams who have built games over years through both success and adversity, and ideas that become beloved games.

That’s why I’m honored today to announce our intent to acquire legendary game development studio Double Fine Productions.

Under the leadership of industry veteran Tim Schafer, Double Fine has been a beacon of creativity and spirit in game development for almost 20 years with classic games like Pyschonauts, Brutal Legend, and Broken Age. At the root of every game is an emphasis on creating crazy worlds with originality, story and fun. That commitment to creating a unique, player-centric experience is what drew us to the studio, and I’m looking forward to seeing what we create together.

With the addition of Double Fine, there will be a total of 15 unique, standalone studios that comprise Xbox Game Studios, including our newly-created Age of Empires studio headed by Shannon Loftis and our Publishing group headed by Peter Wyse. We are committing more resources and dedicated leadership to the Age of Empires franchise to ensure that its legacy on PC continues in service of the passionate community of faithful fans.

I’m proud of the 14 games we showcased from Xbox Game Studios today – the most we’ve ever had in our E3 briefing. We have the full depth and breadth of talent in our studios focused on creating new games for Xbox players, and we’re committed to making them great.

Watch a video from Double Fine Productions on the acquisition below.