In an interview with the BBC about the studio becoming independent again after leaving Xbox, Schafer was asked whether the economic conditions of game development had changed in recent years. He said that difficult periods in the industry used to be followed by waves of rehiring, but that he had not seen such a recovery for a long time.
“To be honest, I no longer understand the economics of making games. There used to be layoffs, and then executives would realize they needed people to make games and hire again. I thought this cycle of ups and downs would continue. But things have been bad for about four years, and I don’t know why. People are playing games, companies are making money. So why are so many people losing their jobs? I assume someone somewhere is being greedy. I hope this is also a temporary phase and that things will get better.”
According to Schafer, those working on AAA games face harsher working conditions: sometimes team members are laid off as soon as a game is completed. Studios making indie games face a different risk. After a game is released, they may not have enough money to fund their next project. Nevertheless, he disagrees with the idea that creativity is exclusive to indie games and says that strong creative work is also being done on AAA projects.
He says that many people working in the game industry did not choose the field for job stability or a comfortable lifestyle. They accept the risks because they want to make games. Schafer said he wants to see an industry where creative people can work without worrying about losing their jobs or how they will support their families.
The interview also touched on the possibility of Double Fine shutting down. Schafer said he initially did not realize they had options to save the studio, but later decided to fight for it.
“At first, I thought they were going to shut down our studio. Then I realized there were other options. We asked ourselves: ‘Do we want to disappear?’ No, we wanted to survive. It has always been difficult to destroy Double Fine.”
Schafer considers Double Fine’s ability to make both small indie games such as Thank You Bus Driver and larger projects such as Psychonauts 2 to be one of its distinguishing features. He says it is worth fighting to preserve Double Fine’s creative values. The studio’s return to being an independent company was officially announced in July 2026.
