14 DAY TRIAL // Tim Schafer is one of the most influential game designers in the whole industry. He pioneered storytelling and out of the box thinking, producing some of the most acclaimed titles in the industry. But even though games like Grim Fandango or Psychonauts were well received by critics and reviewers, in terms of retail sales, they didn't fair very well.
He has recently talked with MTV Multiplayer, revealing that gamers don't need to worry about such things, because if a title is critically well received, companies will surely want to collaborate with the development studio. The reputed game designer admitted that Psychonauts could've sold better, but it didn't ruin his reputation, neither that of the studio, Double Fine.
“Fans worry too much about sales, to tell you the truth,” Schafer revealed. “As long as you make a cool game, publishers want to talk to you… They say, ‘We liked ‘Psychonauts. And we think we could have sold it better.”
He also said that Brutal Legend would most certainly have a different fate than Psychonauts, as the development team created something completely new, targeted at a broader audience. The hard rock theme and the heavy metal elements will be very different from the adventures of a kid in summer camp that goes through the psyches of various people, and, in Schafer's words, “[Brutal Legend] is a game that naturally has more commercial hooks, like hot babes and Jack Black.”
Hopefully, things will be alright for Brutal Legend, and we will all enjoy a great game that not only gains critical but also commercial acclaim when it is available. Look forward to it this fall, as it hasn't received a concrete release date just yet, on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.