Far from sounding the death knell for publishing, then, Double Fine Adventure has instead brought a ringing endorsement of the unique relationship the videogame industry shares with consumers. At the time of writing over 12,000 fans have, in the space of 12 hours, helped fund a game in a long-forgotten genre without so much as a screenshot. Without prospect of reward beyond a monthly documentary by, and open dialogue with, its creators, invites to a private forum and a beta test, and a copy of the finished article. The videogame industry hasn’t changed overnight, then, but it’s shown that there’s no such thing as a dead genre; and that, despite what publishers’ focus groups tell them, there’s still interest in, and money to be made from, the humble graphic adventure.

Short answer: not in the least. They proved that with enough great names behind a project, a group with a proven track record can leapfrog the traditional distribution system.

Much like my favorite band.

Didn’t The Classical do this already?