Tim Schafer Says Asha Sharma’s Arrival Changed Double Fine’s Game Pass Relationship

Tim Schafer’s latest great game failed to draw more than 200 players at launch on Steam.

Double Fine Productions founder Tim Schafer has spoken out critically about Xbox’s current direction, stating that the studio’s relationship with Microsoft changed after Phil Spencer left and Asha Sharma arrived. According to the developer, he felt at one point that Xbox leadership was no longer interested in their previous collaboration format.

Schafer shared that Double Fine and Xbox enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship for a long time, with the studio creating games while Microsoft secured fantastic projects for Game Pass. However, following the leadership change, Double Fine’s founder stated that "their mission changed."

The developer admitted that he gradually began to experience a bad feeling. Double Fine stopped receiving clear answers to their questions, and some Microsoft representatives with whom the studio used to communicate regularly stopped responding altogether.

Schafer was particularly sharp in his remarks toward Asha Sharma, comparing his studio to a dog that the head of Xbox wanted to shoot.

Ultimately, Microsoft severed ties with Double Fine. The studio underwent 23 layoffs and lost a portion of its corporate funding.

At the same time, Schafer does not view the return to independence purely as a defeat. On the contrary, he described the events as a sort of "creative awakening" for Double Fine. The studio can now independently determine its future, choose projects, and direct its development once again—though alongside creative freedom, it will also have to take on all associated financial risks.