Much has been said about the benefits Double Fine has been enjoying since they began pursuing multiple types of investment sources for their projects. Their non-exclusionary approach has resulted in smaller games funded by traditional publisher relationships (The Amensia Fortnight titles, Happy Action Theater, The Cave), crowdsourcing ("Reds") and the good fortune of an angel investor like Dracogen, a "fan with money" whose support led to the studio being able to self-publish their Psychonauts upgrade and Amnesia Fortnight PC ports on Steam.
In fact, it may not be long before Double Fine, in a downright Telltaleean twist, will be selling games directly through its web site. We already knew that there's been a big shift underway in the company's business strategy since Brutal Legend came out, and according to this article published last week on Venturebeat, the studio isn't turning back.
“We’re making a switch from console work-for-hire and going to direct to consumer and free-to-play projects,” said Justin Bailey, the vice president of business development at Double Fine. “That process has taken place over the last 18 months.”
[...]“It is complicated to keep straight, but we have crowdfunding, self-publishing, the mobile studio, and some legacy business,” said Bailey. “We are now majority-funded by crowdfunding or outside investment. By next year, hopefully that transition will be complete,” with almost no traditional publishers or work-for-hire deals funding the games.
Source: Venturebeat