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Keeper at Gamescom

James Spafford Spaff

We just got back from Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, and boy are we tired!

We were there to show Keeper to as many folks from the press as possible, and we sure did that. It's been a little while since we were in Press Mode, four years since Psychonauts 2 was released (oh hey almost exactly, Happy Birthday!) It's been even longer since we were at Gamescom at all. Tim was there in 2009 to show Brütal Legend... and then we never went again.

As a result, a slightly out of practice Tim lost his voice after two days, and could barely even whisper requests for Schnitzlel and Kölsch. But it was for good reason, he talked about Keeper endlessly to anyone who would listen, and lucky for us, some of it was caught on film.

To kick things off though Lee, heads down on finishing the game and unable to travel, appeared in a pre-recorded interview as part of Opening Night Live.

And live from the show floor itself Tim appeared on Xbox's broadcast to chat all things Keeper, and for a bonus he answered some This or That questions the hosts dreamed up for him This was before his voice ran out luckily, perhaps even why it did? Is the blame on them? Well it was worth it!

Most of our show was spent in a little box inside the Business center, where we showed Keeper to folks Behind Closed Doors. It was quite pleasant in there, if samey, but we had infinite coffee, which was good. We needed it. We met with 111 journalist type folks in small groups to show them a little peak of gameplay, all taken from the start of the game, so as not to spoiler the fun things we have in store for folks (ohhh just you wait!)

Lee Petty Games

Tim Shafer points at a large TV screen, showing a photo of Lee Petty, alongside a list of games he has worked on, including Brütal Legend and Broken Age, plus games he has led including Stacking, Headlander and Rad.

Tim in our little "Behind Closed Doors" room, deflecting the blame for this game onto its true creator, Lee Petty.

We generated a good amount of PRESS about the game, which was good, because that was the entire purpose! Hopefully you saw some - like perhaps this excellent Xbox Wire piece in which they spoke the true hero of this game, and our times, mister Lee Petty. in it he said this:

“A key tenet of this game is the unexpected,” Creative Director Lee Petty tells me. “We wanted players to be able to relax a bit, chill out a bit, and embrace the unexpected"
Lee Petty, Xbox Wire

Or maybe you saw this Game Informer piece, which had some nice things to say, and was entitled Keeper Is A Salvador Dali-Inspired Surrealist Adventure With No Dialogue, No Combat, And A Walking Lighthouse

This might just be a me thing as someone who lives a couple hours away from Disney World and has a fondness for the technology of animatronics, but Keeper most reminds me of a Disney dark ride. If you're unfamiliar with that term, dark rides include Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion. It's less about thrills and more about experiencing the things around you, watching animatronics move to tell a story, and soaking in the vibes. That's Keeper.

The puzzles I see seem simple and quick, but I can't help keeping an eye on the things outside the primary focus of these gameplay videos. I see sunflowers dance as light grazes over them, carrots come to life and dive bomb into the soil below, and more. It really feels like a Double Fine dark ride in the most complimentary way
Wesley LeBlanc, Game Informer

Three straight days of press, and its affects on our heroes.

GamesRadar + said "If Tim Schafer is the face of Double Fine Productions, then you could think of Lee Petty as its spirit" If they mean spirits that come in at around 100 proof after a few years resting in a new oak barrel, then they are spot on.

Eurogamer get straight to the point with their headline I never expected to become emotionally invested in a lighthouse, but Keeper's surreal artistic direction and dedication to accessibility has done just that." They also came in with the winning subheadline "Glow with the Flow" which rivals the one from their announcement coverage, where they went with "Bring home the beacon." Top marks Eurogamer, top marks indeed.

Engadget noted that "Double Fine’s Keeper may have the most endearing video game double act since Banjo and Kazooie" essentially confirming what many rumors had suggested we were working on this whole time.

Alyssa Mercante from Endless Mode really got into the emotion of it all, as you very may well do too, soon...

the budding friendship between this semi-surreal bird and this crumbling lighthouse is apparent, so much so that a brief moment where the lighthouse almost falls off the edge of a cliff and the bird struggles valiantly to pull it up nearly made me cry,
Alyssa Mercante, Endless Mode

It wasn't all writing, no! Some people put their articles into a newfangled talky-watchy format, which we must admit is rather easily digestible. Hello Gamespot and IGN!

At the end of the week, we were presented with an award from RoundTwo, a Best in Show. The award is one of the cutest we've ever seen, and now adorns our cabinets at the studio - thank you RoundTwo, this really means a lot to us, it was so great to show our game to people who got it the way you did.

A cute cat, waving and holding a Golden medal that says "Round Two - Best in Show - Gamescom 2025".

If you're going to win an award, then it surely needs to have a cute cat, waving at you.

That's a whole lotta press, and not anywhere near all of it either. It was a whirlwind of a week in a wunderbar city, with lots of wunderbar people all around us. Danke schön Gamescom and danke schön Köln!

Before you go, please enjoy this excellent gallery of screenshots we took for the occasion.

Keeper is out on October 17th, and that is really really soon. We've been holding back on so many things that make this game special, to preserve its mystery, and we can't wait for people to get their hands on it!

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