Five Years Later, Double Fine Showed a Better Path for Big-Budget Games — and Xbox Walked Away

Psychonauts 2 turns five years old this month, and its story remains closely tied to Xbox: Microsoft funding helped Double Fine complete the game, but the studio ultimately paid the price for years of brand mismanagement under Xbox leadership. Double Fine is now independent again after being one of the studios cut loose. The decision is short-sighted, the article argues, because Double Fine and Psychonauts 2 represent a more inventive and joyful vision for blockbuster games that Xbox and PlayStation continue to overlook.