Double Fine leaves Microsoft and crowdfunds game jam

Double Fine, which recently left Microsoft to become independent again, is running an already successful Kickstarter campaign for a game jam. Backers will vote on 26 pitches; four will become playable prototypes, and after another vote one will become a full, small-scale game. 2 Player Productions will film the process, and Double Fine is streaming the project on Twitch. A stretch goal promises Brütal Legend 2 if $100 million is raised. The studio has also brought its previous Xbox exclusive Keeper to PS5 and dropped the price of its latest game, Kiln, to $8.

Aggro Crab, using much of the money it brought in from its game Peak, is funding and publishing other developers' games, following Innersloth's example. It wants to help bring "intense, stylized games with an attitude" to market without genre restrictions. Developers using generative AI "slop" need not apply, it said, adding: "I'm serious. We'll get your ass." Aggro Crab, which is signing a couple of games per year to keep its publishing label sustainable, will not require developers to repay the full investment before earning revenue. "We see a lot of publishers that insist on making their money back before the developers start seeing a cent, and that just doesn't make sense to us," it said. "Revenue needs to be flowing back towards the developers so they can continue to support themselves and the games after launch." One title it has signed is Rebounder, a precision platformer from ThirtyThree with hand-crafted comic-book art. Aggro Crab is also the publisher of Subway Midnight.

Eric Barrone, whose commitments include the much-anticipated Stardew Valley 1.7 patch, offered an update on Haunted Chocolatier without revealing a release date. He said the game is still progressing and is the project he is "most eager and driven" to work on. "I don't stress too much about how long it's taking because, well, that's just how it is, given my pace and all of my other commitments," Barrone said. "I won't compromise on the quality of the game by rushing it or releasing it too early. Then all my time would be wasted, anyway."

Among the new games in the roundup is Worming From Home, developed by Zach Northrop and Mason Sabharwal. The remote-work simulator casts the player as a worm who must type messages, complete spreadsheet tasks, answer phone calls and join video calls with a boss while climbing the corporate ladder as a financial analyst. According to the roundup, dialing 911 in the game leads to something interesting. The game also includes life-sim elements such as working out, shopping for hats and flirting with co-workers. Worming From Home is on Steam for Windows and Mac, with Steam Deck verification, for usually $10, or $7.50 with a 25 percent discount through Sept. 18.

Marsupilami 2: Salsa Palombia, developed by Ocellus Studio and published by Microids, is a mascot platformer in the lineage of Donkey Kong Country and Crash Bandicoot. It is available on Steam, the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch for $30, with a demo available.