The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) today announced the creator of popular videogame titles Psychonauts and Brütal Legend is Australia-bound this June for the opening of the centre’s Game Masters exhibition as part of Melbourne Winter Masterpieces.
Tim Schafer, acclaimed videogame designer and founder of Double Fine Productions, is the second international guest to be announced for the opening week of the exhibition. Schafer will appear alongside Peter Molyneux OBE (Populous, Black & White, Dungeon Keeper and Fable series’) and will take part in public programs, including education and industry programs.
To coincide with the announcement of Schafer’s visit, ACMI today released an extract from a newly commissioned video interview with the game designer which will be shown within the exhibition.
Schafer’s career began at LucasArts working on adventure games, directing classics such as Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge (1991), Maniac Mansion: Day of the Tentacle (1993), Full Throttle (1995) and Grim Fandango (1998). He left in 2000 and founded his own studio, Double Fine Productions. Double Fine’s first release was the cult classic Psychonauts (2005). In 2009, Schafer revisited his passion for cars and rock music when working with actor-comedian Jack Black on the heavy metal themed action adventure Brütal Legend (2009). In recent years, Double Fine has shifted development to smaller, downloadable titles, releasing critically acclaimed games including Costume Quest (2010), Stacking (2011) and Iron Brigade (2011). Schafer most recently made the playful Double Fine Happy Action Theatre (2012) for Kinect, and his open-source funding approach to a new game that’s about to start development gained an unprecedented degree of attention and donations through the kickstarter.com website.
Game Masters will showcase the work of leading local and international videogame designers with over 125 playable games from the arcade era through to the latest console and mobile game technology. Schafer will feature alongside leading contemporary designers, including the creators of Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario Brothers, The Sims, Rock Band and The Legend of Zelda. Schafer’s own exhibit will include playable versions of his games, concept art and the newly commissioned video interview.
ACMI will provide opportunities for fans to hear from Schafer. Event details will be announced in the coming months.
Curated by ACMI, Game Masters is the first entirely home-grown exhibition for the Melbourne Winter Masterpieces initiative and will open at ACMI on 28 June and run through to 28 October 2012. For more in