Now that Brütal Legend is safe in a new publisher's hands and set for release by the end of this year, we're in an emotional position to digest the details of how close it was to being obliterated without all of the nerve wracking. Indeed, as some new magazine scans posted by our most Brutal! of hosted sites reveal, the game's publishing agreement with EA came mere weeks before Double Fine would had to have shut production down.
The Activision/Vivendi merger saw numerous game casualties, among them Ghostbusters and Brütal Legend. With no publisher but an increasingly polished game already in hand, Double Fine opted to buckle down and continue building the game even as operating funds became increasingly scarce.Yikes! Also included in the Game Informer preview is at least one new screenshot, so get yourself over there.
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Regardless of the setbacks the game encountered throughout 2008, Double Fine avoided shutting down production, though Schafer admits the potential was looming in the final weeks before the deal was struck.