The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) is pleased to announce that Tim Schafer, founder and studio head of Double Fine Productions, will be officially inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame. Schafer, best known as the design lead behind critically acclaimed hits such as Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle, Broken Age, Psychonauts 2 and more, will be honored at the 26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Ceremony at Resorts World Las Vegas. The award ceremony will be livestreamed by IGN, with Greg Rice, Head of PlayStation Creators, presenting Schafer his 2023 Hall of Fame award live at the event.
Chandana Ekanayake (Outerloop Games) will also interview Schafer in a fireside chat on February 22 during the 2023 D.I.C.E. Summit.
"Tim's creative impact on the industry cannot be understated," said Meggan Scavio, president of the AIAS. "For over 30 years, he has heralded imaginative games that have inspired countless others with his humor and originality. We are thrilled for Tim to be inducted into our Hall of Fame."
“Tim has been a beacon of creativity and innovation in the games industry for decades,” said Greg Rice. “Since the early days of LucasArts he’s been setting the benchmark for storytelling in games, and with the formation of Double Fine he created a place that not only allowed him to continue to deliver incredible games, but also inspire and support others doing the same. He truly is a legend.”
Schafer - a former computer-science major from UC Berkeley - started his career in the electronic entertainment industry at Lucasfilm Games, where he worked as an assistant designer to Ron Gilbert on the Secret of Monkey Island franchise.
Later, alongside fellow game designer Dave Grossman, Schafer would go on to co-direct the sequel to Gilbert’s critically acclaimed Maniac Mansion game, entitled Day of the Tentacle. This classic, point-and-click, time travel adventure game marked the start of Schafer’s illustrious career as a game director, with other notable and award-winning titles such as Grim Fandango and Full Throttle coming from under his direction during his tenure at Lucasfilm Games.
Best known for memorable, comedic storytelling with heart, Schafer has gone on to direct and produce several other critically acclaimed games including Psychonauts, Brutal Legend, and Broken Age under the umbrella of his own games company - Double Fine Productions.
Prior to becoming an AIAS Hall of Fame inductee, Schafer was bestowed with both a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Game Developers Choice Awards, the Andrew Yoon Legend Award from the New York Video Game Critics Circle, as well as a BAFTA Fellowship stemming from his many contributions to the electronic entertainment industry.
The AIAS Hall of Fame honor is bestowed on game creators who have been instrumental in the development of highly influential games and moving a particular genre forward. These individuals demonstrate the highest level of creativity and innovation, resulting in significant product influence on a scale that expands the scope of the industry. Past AIAS Hall of Fame recipients include Ed Boon (2021), Connie Booth (2020), Bonnie Ross (2019), Todd Howard (2017), Hideo Kojima (2016), Leslie Benzies (2014), Dan and Sam Houser (2014), and Tim Sweeney (2012). Additional Hall of Fame honorees can be found here.