'Brutal Legend' is all part of Tim Schafer's rock 'n' roll fantasy

ByABC News
April 4, 2009, 5:21 PM

— -- During his early years at LucasArts, Tim Schafer helped the fledgling game publishing company create new adventures beyond those starring Indiana Jones and Luke Skywalker. Among the highly acclaimed games he helped design were The Secret of Monkey Island, Full Throttle and Grim Fandango.

In 2000, he left to found his own studio, Double Fine Productions in San Francisco. Its first game, 2005's Psychonauts (originally for Xbox, then for PS2 and PC; now available for download on Xbox Live), was critically praised as well. His next project, Brütal Legend, is scheduled for release this fall for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Last week, Schafer talked with USA TODAY before unveiling the game to journalists covering the Game Developers Conference.

Q: Some details of the game have been announced, but can you fill us in on the story?A: Brütal Legend is about a roadie for a heavy metal band who gets pulled back in time to a barbaric world where demons are enslaving humanity, and it's actually his roadie skills that he has to use to save the day. He meets a band of humans who are trying to put together a rebellion against the demons. They are really good leaders. They are very charismatic. They are really inspiring. But they can't get the practical details together of making the swords and doing all the things they need to do to have an army. And Eddie says, "You guys are like rock stars. You need someone to actually figure out the practical details, build you a tour bus and take it on a tour of destruction across the land."

Q: Where does an idea for a game like this come from?A: I always think the recipe for success for a game or any sort of a fantasy experience is to think of a character that hasn't really been explored before, who is unique and has special abilities that not everybody has, and plop them into whatever is the most interesting situation to plop them into. Roadies are these really interesting characters, I think, because they live a rock 'n' roll lifestyle (but) from the grunt's point of view. They are the guy who has to haul the amp on stage and haul it off. Plug it in, clean it all off, and they don't get any of the credit, really.