Tim Schafer 'unafraid of being open' with projects after Kickstarter experience

After his experience using Kickstarter to fund Double Fine Adventure, Double Fine Productions' Tim Schafer says he is "unafraid of being open" in regards to sharing information on video game projects with his audience, according to a recent interview with VentureBeat.

"The Kickstarter thing and the documentary that we're doing with the Kickstarter has just taught me that there's nothing to be afraid of," he explained. "You release your stuff out. You show a piece of concept art that may or may not be in the game. It doesn't matter. People are just like, 'Oh, that's cool!'

"People get on your side more, not get on your side less," he added. "The fear is that if it's not perfect, you can't show it to people because they'll freak out. The fact is, they just feel more bought in. They feel like they're part of the development team."

Schafer said that releasing bits of work-in-progress is more constructive than just sharing a list of intended features; some of those features may not make it into the final game; whereas things like concept art are a benign part of the development process.

The designer also shared that Double Fine's Kickstarter project, codenamed "Reds," is "coming along great," and that the documentary has been a good outlet to share the project's development.