The designer behind beloved games like Day of the Tentacle and Grim Fandango, Double Fine Productions founder Tim Schafer is being inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame at a ceremony set to take place in Las Vegas later this month. Schafer has had a prolific career in the video game industry, with his most recent outing, the psychedelic platformer Psychonauts 2, receiving rave reviews from fans and critics when it was released in 2021.
Tim Schafer has worked in the gaming industry for over three decades at this point, leaving his mark on countless titles that have gone on to become classics of the medium. Schafer began his work in games at legendary developer Lucasfilm Games, assisting in the development of the Secret of Monkey Island franchise. During his time at Lucasfilm Games, Schafer would go on to direct some of the most iconic point-and-click adventure games of the era, including the critically acclaimed film noir adventure game Grim Fandango.
When he is inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame, Schafer will be joining other icons of the gaming industry such as Mortal Kombat creator Ed Boon and Bethesda Game Studio’s Todd Howard. Tim Schaefer’s induction into the AIAS Hall of Fame will take place as part of the Design Innovate Communicate Entertain, or DICE, awards which are held annually in Las Vegas. When announcing Schafer’s induction, the AIAS credited his long career in the industry and his work on creative, unique titles both at LucasArts and at his game studio Double Fine Productions, with AIAS president Meggan Scavio stating that “Tim’s creative impact on the industry cannot be understated.”
Gamers who were a bit too young to experience Schafer’s work in the heyday of point-and-click games are probably most familiar with the prolific designer’s work from 2021’s Psychonauts 2 and the poignant and beautiful 2018 adventure game Broken Age. Though primarily known for his work on adventure games, Schafer also headed up development on the Xbox 360 Kinect-based party game Double Fine Happy Action Theater and 2009’s Brutal Legend, which drew complaints from some players for its RTS gameplay after pre-release marketing positioned it as a more traditional action title.
With three decades worth of iconic, industry-influencing titles under his belt, there are few game designers who are more deserving of a place in the spotlight than Tim Schafer. Fans of the legendary developer will undoubtedly be celebrating when he takes his place in the AIAS Hall of Fame later this month, and will surely be wondering what’s next from Double Fine Productions and its prolific founder.
