Double Fine Announces Thank You Bus Driver Release Date

Double Fine's "Crazy Taxi Meets Papers, Please!" Game Gets Official Release Date Published Sep 27, 2026, 10:49 AM EDT James Lucas is an Executive Editor at TheGamer who has worked in professional journalism since 2018. A Newcastle University graduate with a degree in Journalism, Media, and Culture, they have written hundreds of guides, news stories, and original reports, with bylines in IGN, NME, GaymingMag, and VG247, sourcing interviews with studio heads, legendary industry figures, prominent actors, and more. An expert on FPS games, Soulslikes, RPGs, and survival horror, James has intimate knowledge of a wide variety of titles, providing in-depth coverage and exclusive profiles. Some of the games they have extensively covered include: Half-Life 3, Counter-Strike, Elden Ring, and Fallout. They pride themselves on their consistently thorough research, leveraging nearly a decade of industry experience. You can reach them at James.t@thegamer.com Sign in to your TheGamer account Double Fine's first game since spinning out from Xbox in July now has a release date. Described by the team as "Crazy Taxi meets Papers, Please!", Thank You Bus Driver launches on October 14. "Say welcome to Thank You Bus Driver, a chaotic bus driving game where you take on the role of a town's bus driver just trying to get through the day with minimal rule breaking and maximum gratitude," Double Fine announced. "This particular game came from the brain of Double Fine's very own Will Koehler, and created with a small team of incredibly talented Double Fine folks in a matter of weeks. We consider this an amazing example of what might come out of the polished Amnesia Fortnight project, and we can't wait for you to see more of it!" Thank You Bus Driver Wants You To Slap Passengers Who Cut Their Toenails In short, you're the bus driver, and it's your job to slap anyone who breaks the rules displayed on your map and announced over the intercom. If you're told "no toenail clipping" and "no phone calls," for example, you'll need to spot passengers breaking those rules and reach over to smack them like Mr. Fantastic. All while driving the bus along your designated route and causing all kinds of carnage on the way. It's a simple premise, but quintessential Double Fine. Amnesia Fortnight 2026, meanwhile, is a Kickstarter-backed Double Fine game jam, where developers on the team are offering a "whole pile of fresh ideas" that backers can vote on. The four most popular games will then be chosen "for further development." The campaign has already raised $592,000 of its original $400,000 goal, hitting a few impressive stretch goals in the process. Backers have helped to recruit Peter McConnell to the winning game, added an "I Voted to Forget" pin to tiers with physical rewards, and been offered a bonus vote for their support. The next stretch goal will see the award-winning and talented Erika Ishii lend their voice to the winning game, too. And with three days to go, Double Fine is absolutely on track to hit the $600,000 required. Though I'm less convinced it'll reach the $100 million stretch goal to make Brutal Legend 2. Ah, well. Maybe one day. If you want to support Double Fine now that it's an independent studio again, you can pledge to the Kickstarter here, or wishlist Thank You Bus Driver here. No price has been announced yet, but with the game out in just over two weeks, we're sure to hear more details soon.