Amnesia Fortnight 2017

Lore & Background

Amnesia Fortnight 2017 featured four prototypes chosen from employee concepts: the top two from public voting, one chosen by Tim Schafer, and one chosen by the Double Fine team. The team's choice, Kiln, has not been announced as a full game release as of 2023. Tim Schafer's choice, I Have No Idea What I'm Doing, was a single-player VR game about exploring a surreal house, led by Zak McClendon. The fan-developed prototypes included Pongball, Amnesia Adventure, and a prototype from The Lost Dev Team, which was actually an employee concept developed as a prototype, not a fan project.

Reader's Guide

Amnesia Fortnight 2017 is significant as an example of open, community-driven game development, blending public voting with internal team control. The inclusion of fan projects expanded the event's scope, allowing external creators to contribute prototypes. The documentary filmed by 2 Player Productions, released on YouTube, provides a behind-the-scenes look at the prototyping process. The event's legacy includes the eventual full release of Kiln in 2026, demonstrating how prototypes from such sessions can evolve into commercial products.

Did You Know?

• Tim Schafer chose the prototype I Have No Idea What I'm Doing, a single-player VR game about exploring a surreal house.
• The fan-developed prototype Pongball was conceptualized by Kjell 'lightsoda' Iwarson and led by Josh 'Cheeseness' Bush.
• The Lost Dev Team is a single-player puzzle platformer featuring a programmer, musician, and artist using unique skills; it was an employee concept, not a fan project.
• 2 Player Productions filmed a documentary about the making of the prototypes, released on YouTube.

The Collaborative Voting Framework

Amnesia Fortnight 2017 operated on a democratic yet curated model that set it apart from typical game bundles. Double Fine Productions partnered with Humble Bundle to host a two-week public prototyping session, inviting anyone who contributed at least one dollar to take part in selecting which concepts would be built. Employees submitted twenty-five distinct game ideas, and the paying community voted to narrow the field. However, the studio deliberately reserved two slots for internal selection: Tim Schafer personally picked one prototype, and the broader Double Fine team chose another. This hybrid approach ensured that the final lineup of four games balanced popular fan demand with the studio's own creative instincts, preventing the entire output from being dictated solely by online polls. Once development wrapped, all four prototypes were delivered to bundle purchasers.

The Studio's Four Prototypes

The four internally developed games showcased a wide range of genres and leadership. Tim Schafer selected I Have No Idea What I'm Doing, a multiplayer virtual reality party game led by Zak McClendon, in which one participant wore a headset while the others played via a standard screen. The team's own pick was Kiln, guided by Darek Brand. The top fan-voted concept became The Gods Must Be Hungry, helmed by Asif Siddiky, while the second fan choice was Darwin's Dinner, led by Devin Kelly-Sneed. Each prototype represented a distinct creative vision from its respective lead, demonstrating that even within a compressed two-week window, Double Fine could produce varied and ambitious experimental builds. The fact that Kiln would later be announced as a full commercial release in 2026 underscored how these short prototyping sprints could seed genuinely viable projects rather than remaining mere curiosities.

The Fan-Developed Prototypes

Beyond the studio's own output, 2017 marked a notable expansion into community-built content. Three fan pitches were presented in a video, and the same paying audience that voted on Double Fine's concepts also chose among these external submissions. The winner, Pongball, reimagined the classic Pong formula with pinball-style playfields for multiplayer sessions; it was conceptualized by Kjell "lightsoda" Iwarson and led by Josh "Cheeseness" Bush. The second fan prototype, The Lost Dev Team, was a single-player puzzle platformer in the spirit of The Lost Vikings or The Cave, following a programmer, a musician, and an artist as they combined their unique abilities to solve challenges. It was conceptualized by Anemone and led by Jennifer "Jenni" McMurray. The third, Amnesia Adventure, offered an adventure experience with varied scene styles, centering on an amnesiac hero who relives past exploits through fragmented memories. It was conceptualized by Ben "TimeGentlemen" Ward of Size Five Games and led by McMurray alongside Eivind "flesk" Nilsbakken.

Documentation, Open Source, and Lasting Impact

The 2017 edition left a trail of supplementary material that extended well beyond the playable builds themselves. 2 Player Productions filmed a documentary chronicling the creation of the prototypes, which was made available on YouTube as part of a dedicated playlist. Additionally, the source code for all three fan-developed games—Pongball, The Lost Dev Team, and Amnesia Adventure—was published on GitHub, inviting further community experimentation and study. This open approach contrasted with the closed nature of most commercial bundles and reinforced the collaborative ethos of the event. Perhaps the most significant long-term outcome was the 2026 announcement by Double Fine that Kiln would receive a full commercial release, transforming a two-week prototype into a planned standalone title. Together, these elements—documentary footage, open repositories, and a prototype that grew into a full game—illustrate how a single fortnight of focused development could ripple outward into lasting creative and community value.