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[Draugoth]

Double Fine Is Unionizing

The Psychonauts developer is the latest Microsoft studio to unionize

aftermath.site

ouble Fine, the Microsoft-owned studio behind Psychonauts and, more recently, experimental fare like Keeper and Kiln, is set to unionize, per a petition filed to the National Labor Relations Board.

The petition, filed May 7, says that like other Microsoft games division studios that have unionized to date, Double Fine workers are making their unionization push in conjunction with Communications Workers of America (CWA). The union will include all "regular part-time and full-time employees"—a total of 42.

"On May 7, the workers at Microsoft studio Double Fine Productions announced their decision to form a union with CWA to preserve and extend the studio's commitments to creative excellence, diversity and inclusion, and worker quality of life," CWA said in a statement to Aftermath. "In tandem with requesting voluntary recognition from the company, workers have also filed an election petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to secure union representation. We appreciate that Microsoft has taken a neutral approach and agreed not to interfere in any way with worker's rights to organize unions."

 

[YCoCg]

Someone's getting shut down

 

[jshackles]

This isn't going to end well for them.

 

[Idleyes]

Union leaders right now

 

[ReBurn]

Unionizing to protect DEI in 2026 is a bold move.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

If they want to protect their jobs, they should probably make games that have an audience.

 

[AutumnLeaves]

Can't wait for gaf to tell me how this is a bad thing...

 

[Wilhelm_85]

I'm excited to see what Tim Schafer's next studio will be.

 

[MacReady13]

Fucking idiots.

 

[Buggy Loop]

If they want to protect their jobs, they should probably make games that have an audience.

The audience not showing up for double fine games is an audience problem, not the devs. Doublefine has been stable in what they are and make since their inception. Microsoft knew what they were buying into, they're a kickstarter / indie weird studio, always been

This is not some fucking culture war shit you want to stir all the time

 

[Germuso]

Do your job or fuck of, that's how it works.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

They noticed Asha isnt afraid to bring in new blood with her AI buddies. Which means any laggards protected under Phil and Sarah are ripe for being gutted. Got to hurry up for some unionized job protection to keep the grift going. Anything to protect their own asses for bad jobs.

I would had got rid of them long time ago. In fact, I wouldnt had even bought them in the first place. Total waste of resources. Kiln and Keeper as their latest arthouse junk. MS could had funneled all the money spent on this studio since they bought them in 2019 to something better.

They rank so low on charts, in order to see them in the big master charts you have to sign in to see the full charts. If you dont they dont even show up because their CCU is so low.

 

[Hollowpoint5557]

Alright, now their 47 unionized members can collectively bargain for the right to demand more time and money to make their next unplayable art house flop.

 

[Durin]

Ah, I was wondering when the first signs of them going under would start.

 

[Dirk Benedict]

Unionizing to protect DEI in 2026 is a bold move.

Hah. This reminds me of the employees at Starbucks were protesting and trying to unionize. Starbucks actually has experience as they got in trouble for retaliatory firing.
What did they do the next time? Shut the whole fucking store down. Easier to skirt wrongful firings.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Alright, now their 47 unionized members can collectively bargain for the right to demand more time and money to make their next unplayable art house flop.

Grifters will do anything for a buck. Typically, these people are scammers trying to get money from regular people selling them junk.

In this case, it's against their own employer.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

The audience not showing up for double fine games is an audience problem, not the devs. Doublefine has been stable in what they are and make since their inception. Microsoft knew what they were buying into, they're a kickstarter / indie weird studio, always been

This is not some fucking culture war shit you want to stir all the time

I didn't say anything about culture wars. Their last 2 games bombed big time with less than 200 peak players on Steam. They're not exactly in a position to start making demands of their parent company. And I don't think "don't blame us, blame the audience" will help their case much either.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Grifters will do anything for a buck. Typically, these people are scammers trying to get money from regular people selling them junk.

In this case, it's against their own employer.

DoubleFine « junk »? Are you out of your fucking mind?

Not everything has to be Doom and space marine. DoubleFine being themselves and weird is perfectly fine.

 

[kpopSuperstar]

The audience not showing up for double fine games is an audience problem, not the devs. Doublefine has been stable in what they are and make since their inception.

It's an audience problem?

It's fine to make quirky things, but it's still a product, if people don't buy it, the studio can't keep existing, it's not charity.

 

[Magic Carpet]

I'm sad to say I've not even downloaded Kiln from PC Game Pass.
I used to like Double Fine. I was really pulling for them.
Keeper and Kiln are not what I was wanting from that studio.
I wanted sharp dialog and fun characters.

though Keeper was a trip of colors. So many colors. It has no dialog.

 

[epicurius-seven]

Considering they basically make whatever the hell they want instead of CoD Soccer 2039 on SF wages… working conditions must be truly intolerable.

 

[Buggy Loop]

It's an audience problem?

It's fine to make quirky things, but it's still a product, if people don't buy it, the studio can't keep existing, it's not charity.

They survived on kickstarters for almost all their existence without any massive hits, no massive CCUs. They'll be fine. Their games are not big budget.

 

[demigod]

The audience not showing up for double fine games is an audience problem, not the devs. Doublefine has been stable in what they are and make since their inception. Microsoft knew what they were buying into, they're a kickstarter / indie weird studio, always been

This is not some fucking culture war shit you want to stir all the time

Making shitty games that bomb is now an "audience" problem? The fuck did I just read?

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I didn't say anything about culture wars. Their last 2 games bombed big time with less than 200 peak players on Steam. They're not exactly in a position to start making demands of their parent company. And I don't think "don't blame us, blame the audience" will help their case much either.

As crazy as it seems even Concord's peak CCU of about 700 is almost double Keeper and Kiln combined.

Double Fine games have such low appeal (and many of them dont even get good reviews either), that I had to sign into Steamdb to see games ranked at 200 peak CCU. If I dont it caps the list at a low 1,344.

Signed in, here's a section of games about 190-200 peak CCU. These are the kinds of games Kiln/Keeper contend with. But youll notice they still arent there despite being signed in. That's because if a game has CCU that is too low, Steamdb cant even track it. That's why you see the green CCU column around 50+ count games only.

 

[Tobimacoss]

It's an audience problem?

It's fine to make quirky things, but it's still a product, if people don't buy it, the studio can't keep existing, it's not charity.

I don't think MS cares if DF games sell well, they are a Gamepass studio. As long as they keep making games that cost less than $5-$10 million, they are good for 5-6 more games.

 

[AmuroChan]

They survived on kickstarters for almost all their existence without any massive hits, no massive CCUs. They'll be fine. Their games are not big budget.

You're right. They'll be fine. If MS shuts them down, DF can just go back to Kickstarter.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Why? It's not like MS would just shut them down on a whim... But I wonder if Asha would have more balls than Phill.

 

[RPS37]

Can't wait for gaf to tell me how this is a bad thing...

Look up.

 

[Meicyn]

Hope they get what they're after... but good luck to them, they're going to need it. Union success is often a matter of leverage, and I... don't see how Double Fine has leverage over Microsoft. They aren't exactly raking in the dollars, or commanding headlines with their games for that matter, certainly not since Psychonauts 2 anyways.

I mean, this is the company that fired the folks who made Hifi Rush.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Unions only work when the labor in question is in demand. Double Fine makes games no one plays, so their labor clearly isn't in demand....

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Hope they get what they're after... but good luck to them, they're going to need it. Union success is often a matter of leverage, and I... don't see how Double Fine has leverage over Microsoft. They aren't exactly raking in the dollars, or commanding headlines with their games for that matter, certainly not since Psychonauts 2 anyways.

I mean, this is the company that fired the folks who made Hifi Rush.

Yeah. But Asha is here.

 

[bender]

If they want to protect their jobs, they should probably make games that have an audience.

Ma'am, this is Wendy's Double Fine.

 

[Bonfires Down]

I hope for their own sake that they have Psychonauts 3 or another bigger project in the works.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

Anything but making a game somebody might want.

 

[Hugare]

They shouldnt have been bought by Microsoft in the first place

Psychonauts 2 was their best game and it wasn't even funded by Microsoft, ffs

 

[MayauMiao]

Unionizing?

 

[Bernardougf]

Making shitty games that bomb is now an "audience" problem? The fuck did I just read?

Just consume product and be happy about next product...

Somehow this became the general idea around consumption of western entertainment media in the last 10 or so years. And strangely it didn't work. Go figure.

 

[TheLikou]

Good for them. People here have an shitty life and will think this is bad for some reason.

 

[Deft Beck]

Honestly, Microsoft should do a reverse Rare and just sell the studio to Nintendo. They would be way better off under their wing.

 

[Hero of Spielberg]

I had a go of their latest game Kiln and just thought wtf is this?

 

[damidu]

good for them, but yeah there is no saving this, these are not just bad numbers, they are catastrophic.
you can probably ai-slop something in a weekend on your own and reach similar numbers.
hopefully they have an actual game project going on in parallel.

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

With their string of hits, they need the protection. I do hope they can eek it out.

 

[March Climber]

If they want to protect their jobs, they should probably make games that have an audience.

Double Fine games have such low appeal (and many of them dont even get good reviews either), that I had to sign into Steamdb to see games ranked at 200 peak CCU. If I dont it caps the list at a low 1,344.

Anything but making a game somebody might want.

I had a go of their latest game Kiln and just thought wtf is this?

They noticed Asha isnt afraid to bring in new blood with her AI buddies. Which means any laggards protected under Phil and Sarah are ripe for being gutted. Got to hurry up for some unionized job protection to keep the grift going. Anything to protect their own asses for bad jobs.

I would had got rid of them long time ago. In fact, I wouldnt had even bought them in the first place. Total waste of resources. Kiln and Keeper as their latest arthouse junk. MS could had funneled all the money spent on this studio since they bought them in 2019 to something better.

They rank so low on charts, in order to see them in the big master charts you have to sign in to see the full charts. If you dont they dont even show up because their CCU is so low.

And opinions like this, that 100% work both ways, are why we will never see games like Jumping Flash, Locoroco, The Last Guy, or Tokyo Jungle ever return again on a Sony platform.

"Portfolio-builder" 1st party studios that make weird, quirky, and artsy games are becoming a thing of the past for anyone that's not named Nintendo, and publishers and audiences alike all collectively put them in the past, together.

 

[Jinzo Prime]

Honestly, Microsoft should do a reverse Rare and just sell the studio to Nintendo. They would be way better off under their wing.

Nintendo wouldn't tolerate the shit numbers Double Fine games bring in, and Tim Schafer wouldn't tolerate Japanese businessman micromanaging his studio.

That's a match made in Hell.

 

[UniformDeliverance]

Wow. They made two terrible games and now they are unionizing. Let's see how that plays out.

 

[diablos991]

The death rattle of a game dev

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

And opinions like this, that 100% work both ways, are why we will never see games like Jumping Flash, Locoroco, The Last Guy, or Tokyo Jungle ever return again on a Sony platform.

"Portfolio-builder" 1st party studios that make weird, quirky, and artsy games are becoming a thing of the past for anyone that's not named Nintendo, and publishers and audiences alike all collectively put them in the past, together.

You can look at a game like Jumping Flash or Locoroco or Puppeteer and come away thinking they just look fun. You look at games like Kiln and Keeper, and you walk away thinking "what the fuck was that?" Big difference. Double Fine does not know how to entice an audience. I love unique and weird games, and I actively buy them and play them. Double Fine's output is just shit. I have never liked what they produce, and they've somehow managed to narrow the appeal every single time into something that has an audience of... apparently, a couple hundred people in the entire world.

This is not people complaining about unique, artsy games.

 

[The_hunter]

They're going to need it..

 

[Buggy Loop]

Making shitty games that bomb is now an "audience" problem? The fuck did I just read?

Oh the laughing emoji thread stalker.

Shitty games is just like your opinion man. Keeper at 91% all reviews very positive is shitty? lol

Outside psychonauts, they were also making games that didn't have meaningful CCUs before MS acquisition and nobody cared or "worried" about them. They were on kickstarters with $400k goals on much bigger adventure game scopes than the recent projects. These are low risk projects. Playing the CCU game on DoubleFine now is just some warring low-level shit posting. It's only because of microsoft acquisition and the warriors, like you, out in full force trying to convince the world a studio that made no waves before is somehow in danger now. On top of being on fucking gamepass? Hard fucking choice to pay $30 for a weird short adventure or play 10 of them in a month on gamepass for the lower price.

Yes it's an audience problem with mainly shit tastes for the TRIPUHL AAYYY or the latest Twitch phenomenon that mainly dominate, or the ones that get >$100M dropped just in marketing, more budget in marketing than some studio's entire existence in spending, just like there's thousands under 1000 reviews gem games out there on Steam that are vastly ignored, just like I'll never forgive gamers for being shitheads and letting down the immersive sim genre time and time again. There's no glorifying of "gamers/audience" in my book. For an hardcore gaming forum, some of you guys sure don't give me the impression you're really that hardcore gamers. If there's no massive success, it sucks right? Fucking pathetic mentality. Next Marvel shit, wowowow that is something now!

 

[Puscifer]

Union leaders right now

I'm against unions for the simple fact the two times I was in them it was a fucking racket. No help when I needed them, bothered me for not paying dues and in one case I said I'd rather skip paying dues and opt for the cash option for healthcare and buy on the open market using that subsidize (Kaiser Platinum or Gold 90 > everything else) Suddenly I'm written up 2 days in a row for basically nothing and told I'm welcome to debate them during our yearly collective bargaining - which ironically I couldn't participate in because I opted out.