DOUBLE FINE getting into indie games publishing; starting with ‘ESCAPE GOAT 2.’

Double Fine ain’t just going to hang around as a gaming industry darling, Kickstarting games to radical levels of funding. They ain’t just going to pubish those games to applause, Internet hand jobs, et cetera. The company is also going to go GOOD GUY PUBLISHER MODE and begin helping to get indie games out. Starting with Escape Goat 2.

Double Fine may be known for creating games like Psychonauts, Brutal Legend and Broken Age, but it’s expanding its efforts to add indie game publishing to its repertoire. Its first act as an indie publisher is to provide “promotional assistance and distribution” for MagicalTimeBean’s Escape Goat 2, COO Justin Bailey told Game Informer.

“Our goal is to help indies build their own community and empower them with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed on their own,” Bailey said, adding that multiple indie developers have approached Double Fine to ask for publishing assistance. “They all had a unique request and that’s where we started to see there was a real need for the knowledge we’ve gained over the last 14 years on how to prototype, fund, develop and publish our own games.”

Double Fine’s publishing ambitions boil down to the efforts of two individuals: Bailey and senior publishing manager Greg Rice, who will offer advice for crowdfunding hopefuls as well as development feedback, platform porting advice and promotional assistance. “We’re open to working with each developer and figuring out how we can help make them successful,” Bailey added. [Joystiq]