In this wacky comedy simulation, you take the wheel as a reckless driver—it’s the first project from the newly independent studio.
Double Fine’s first game in the new post-Xbox era is called Thank You Bus Driver.
The game is described as a comedy simulation and is currently listed on Steam as “coming soon.” In it, you take on the role of a completely reckless bus driver. Your mission: Drive fast, strike even faster, and toss all rule-breakers off the bus in a high arc. All of this serves a single true goal: to experience genuine appreciation.
You can see the chaos for yourself here:
Off through the cornfield: Traffic rules are purely optional in this simulation
“In Thank You Bus Driver, step into the shoes of a small-town bus driver who’s obsessed with the rules (and completely reckless)!” teases theSteam description.
“Reaching the next stop is all that matters. That might mean checking the map right in the middle of a turn, or quickly taking a shortcut through the cornfield. Dodging pedestrians, oncoming traffic, or the fence right in front of you is entirely optional.”
Thank You Bus Driver is now available for pre-order
Back to Independence: Double Fine’s Fresh Start After the Xbox Era
Double Fine, of course, has only recently emerged from the restructuring at Xbox. The far-reaching reorganization of the entire Xbox division was announced in July by CEO Asha Sharma. It affected approximately 3,200 jobs. As part of this, the company released several studios—including Double Fine—back into independence. However, the teams were allowed to retain their IPs and existing game catalogs. Compulsion Games, the studio behind We Happy Few and South of Midnight, also parted ways with Xbox during the same restructuring. The team has already confirmed that it retains full rights to its IPs.
Double Fine itself laid off about a quarter of its 90-person team during this transition. The studio explained at the time that these cuts were absolutely necessary to “reach a size that we can sustain in the long term.”
