Xbox's Double Fine Productions Twitter deleted due to 'backend mishap' (update)

News
By
last updated

Microsoft's Double Fine Productions lost its Twitter account over the holiday period.

Psychonauts 2
Psychonauts 2 (Image credit: Microsoft)

What you need to know

  • The official Twitter account for Double Fine Productions, Microsoft's newly-acquired development studio, disappeared over the holiday period.
  • Double Fine senior communications manager, James Spafford, framed the incident as a "backend mishap," with plans to be "back up again soon."

Updated December 31, 2019: The official Double Fine Productions Twitter account has now resurfaced online, following a brief disappearance over the holiday period.

The holiday season has surfaced an unexpected hiccup for Double Fine Productions, with the mysterious disappearance of the brand Twitter account. The San Francisco-based developer joined Microsoft's in-house Xbox Game Studios family in mid-2019, following titles including Psychonauts, Broken Age, and Brütal Legend. However, despite otherwise smooth operations, Double Fine has low one major pillar of its online presence as of publication.

The official Double Fine Twitter account, formerly located "@DoubleFine," was seemingly initially removed on December 26, 2019. However, Twitter policy retains all user data for at least 30 days, leaving accounts in a "deactivated" state open for restoration. It allows any Twitter account to return during this grace period if deactivated in error.

Double Fine senior communications manager, James Spafford, has since attributed the removal due to a "backend mishap," assuring one fan the account will be "back up again soon." It's unclear how such an oversight occurs, although potentially alludes to the account being compromised, or pure user error. Windows Central has reached out to Microsoft on the matter, although it did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Double Fine has an eventful year ahead, with the upcoming release of Psychonauts 2 scheduled for 2020, while the studio also teases an unannounced project on the horizon. It also serves as its first full year under Redmond, as it plans to launch its next-generation efforts with Xbox Series X.

Xbox Series X/S

Main

Matt Brown
Matt Brown

Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.