Double Fine Productions is Microsoft’s latest Xbox acquisition

Enlarge / Tim Schafer introduces himself as part of Microsoft for the first time.

LOS ANGELES—”For the last 19 years, we’ve been independent. Then Microsoft came to us and said, ‘What if we gave you a bunch of money.’ And I said ‘OK, yeah,'”

That was the half-kidding way Double Fine Productions (Psychonauts, Brutal Legend, Broken Age) Founder and President Tim Schafer introduced the company’s newly announced acquisition by Microsoft Game Studios. Schafer appeared on stage at Microsoft’s pre-show conference, ready to joke about the new partnership with Head of Microsoft Studios Matt Booty.

“I am a team player,” Schafer said on stage. “Whatever you need from Double Fine we’ll make for you. Halo stuff, Forza stuff, Excel stuff. Whatever you want, we are there.”