What was the Tim Schaffer GDC 2026 Interview About?
The lords were live at the Game Developers Conference 2026. During the event, our very own Lord Cognito had a chance to sit down (well, standing actually) and talk with the legendary developer of Double Fine, Tim Schaffer. During the interview, they talked about Kiln and everything about Day of the Devs.
What is Day of the Devs?
Double Fine founded the non-profit Day of the Devs back in 2012. The purpose of the event is to move away from traditional corporate marketing. By using a volunteer curation committee to hand-pick 70 “hidden gems” from thousands of Steam submissions, the festival ensures that high-quality independent projects get the spotlight they deserve in a crowded market. Essentially, it’s a developer-led curated Steam Nextfest.
Everything About Kiln
Pottery-Based Character Creation
Schaffer clarified that in Kiln, the character creator is the core of the experience. Instead of selecting stats from a menu, the physical dimensions of the pot you throw—whether it’s a tall urn, a flat dish, or a stout bowl—automatically determine your health, weight, and special move sets. This “form-based” progression allows for endless unique warrior classes.
Choosing Your Pottery Class
Kiln balances various pottery archetypes to create a deep tactical meta. For example, teacups are “mean and fast,” able to strike and retreat before being noticed, while bowls might feature unique “ice cream-based” area-of-effect attacks. This creates a layer where team composition relies entirely on the physical shapes players create at the wheel.
Quench Mode Explained
The debut game mode, Quench, moves beyond simple brawling into objective-based strategy. Teams must coordinate to find water sources, fill their vessels, and transport the liquid across the map to “douse the flame” of the opposing team’s kiln. This mode supports both 4v4 human matches and AI bots to ensure consistent, full-lobby action.
A Shift to Player-Led Creativity
Tim Schafer noted that while Double Fine is usually praised for its own quirky imagination, Kiln is designed to see what the fans can do. Early testers have already moved beyond simple pots to create shapes resembling pumpkins and favorite pop-culture characters, signaling a high ceiling for player expression and community content.
Kiln is scheduled to release in Spring 2026 across Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC (Steam and Windows) platforms. The game will also release day one on Game Pass.
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