Editing Grim Fandango (section)

== Development ==
===Background and project inception===
[[File:Tim Schafer Art Futura 2009.jpg|right|thumb|upright|[[Tim Schafer]] was the project lead for ''Grim Fandango''.|alt=A middle aged Caucasian man with dark hair speaks from a lectern.]]

''Grim Fandango''{{'s}} development was led by project leader [[Tim Schafer]], co-designer of ''[[Day of the Tentacle]]'' and creator of ''[[Full Throttle (1995 video game)|Full Throttle]]'' and the more recent ''[[Psychonauts]]'' and ''[[Brütal Legend]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6691/happy_action_happy_developer_tim_.php?print=1 |title=Happy Action, Happy Developer: Tim Schafer on Reimagining Double Fine |website=[[Gamasutra]] |first=Frank |last=Cifaldi |date=February 3, 2012 |access-date=February 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231001114/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/6691/happy_action_happy_developer_tim_.php?print=1 |archive-date=December 31, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Sunday Herald 2012"/> Schafer had conceived a [[Day of the Dead]]-themed adventure before production of ''Full Throttle'' began,<ref name="designer diaries" /> and he submitted both concepts to LucasArts for approval at the same time. ''Full Throttle'' was accepted instead because of its greater mainstream appeal; it became a hit and opened the way for Schafer to create ''Grim Fandango''.<ref name=pcgamesprev>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991008052840/http://www.games.net/pcgames/articles/0,1034,1870,00.html |url=http://www.games.net:80/pcgames/articles/0,1034,1870,00.html |title=Preview: ''Grim Fandango'' |date=April 10, 1998 |author=Knibbe, Willem |work=[[GamePro#PC Games|PC Games]] |archive-date=October 8, 1999 |url-status=dead |access-date=August 5, 2018}}</ref> ''[[Rogue Leaders: The Story of LucasArts]]'' noted that the pitching process for ''Grim Fandango'' was "a breeze" because of Schafer's earlier success, despite the new project's unusual theme.<ref name=rogue>{{cite book |author=Smith, Rob |title=Rogue Leaders: The Story of LucasArts |date=November 26, 2008 |publisher=[[Chronicle Books]] |page=116 |isbn=978-0-8118-6184-7 |title-link=Rogue Leaders: The Story of LucasArts}}</ref>

Development began soon after the completion of ''Full Throttle'' in June 1995.<ref name="designer diaries">{{cite web |url=http://www.grimfandango.net/?page=diaries |title=Inside the Mind – Designer Diaries – Page 1 |publisher=Grim Fandango Network |access-date=February 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130720023353/http://www.grimfandango.net/?page=diaries |archive-date=July 20, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Grim Fandango'' was an attempt by LucasArts to rejuvenate the graphic adventure genre, in decline by 1998.<ref name="gamasutra lifecycle">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-circle-of-life-an-analysis-of-the-game-product-lifecycle |title=The Circle of Life: An Analysis of the Game Product Lifecycle |first=Daniel |last=Cook |date=May 7, 2007 |access-date=March 3, 2008 |website=[[Gamasutra]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513044550/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/129880/the_circle_of_life_an_analysis_of_.php?print=1 |archive-date=May 13, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000816182438/http://www.salon.com/21st/feature/1998/10/21feature.html |url=http://www.salon.com/21st/feature/1998/10/21feature.html |title=The adventure continues |first=Greg |last=Costikyan |date=October 21, 1998 |archive-date=August 16, 2000 |access-date=May 3, 2012 |work=[[Salon (website)|Salon]]}}</ref> In response to complaints that ''Full Throttle'' was too short, Schafer set the goal of having twice as many puzzles as ''Full Throttle'', which demanded a more lengthy and ambitious story to accommodate them.<ref name=NGen36>{{cite magazine |title=Grim Fandango |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |issue=36 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=December 1997|pages=100–103}}</ref> According to Schafer, the game was developed on a $3 million budget.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-10-double-fine-adventure-passes-day-of-the-tentacle-budget |title=Double Fine Adventure passes Day of the Tentacle budget |first=Fred |last=Dutton |date=February 10, 2012 |access-date=February 10, 2012 |website=[[Eurogamer]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314075902/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-10-double-fine-adventure-passes-day-of-the-tentacle-budget |archive-date=March 14, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> It was the first LucasArts adventure since ''[[Labyrinth: The Computer Game|Labyrinth]]'' not to use the [[SCUMM]] engine, instead using the Sith engine, pioneered by ''[[Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II]]'', as the basis of the new GrimE engine.<ref>{{cite web |first=Bret |last=Mogilefsky |url=http://www.grimfandango.net/?page=articles&pagenumber=2 |title=Lua in Grim Fandango |publisher=Grim Fandango Network |access-date=March 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218045500/http://www.grimfandango.net/?page=articles&pagenumber=2 |archive-date=February 18, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3368/postmortem_lucaslearnings_star_.php |title=Postmortem: LucasLearning's Star Wars DroidWorks |date=August 13, 1999 |author1=Blossom, Jon |author2=Michaud, Collette |website=[[Gamasutra]] |access-date=March 17, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130405085752/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3368/postmortem_lucaslearnings_star_.php |archive-date=April 5, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The GrimE engine was built using the scripting language [[Lua (programming language)|Lua]]. This design decision was due to LucasArts programmer Bret Mogilefsky's interest in the language, and is considered one of the first uses of Lua in gaming applications. The game's success led to the language's use in many other games and applications, including ''[[Escape from Monkey Island]]'' and ''[[Baldur's Gate (video game)|Baldur's Gate]]''.<ref>{{cite conference |first=Roberto |last=Ierusalimschy |author2=de Figueiredo, Luiz Henrique |author3=Celes, Waldemar |title=The Evolution of an Extension Language: A History of Lua |work=Proceedings of V Brazilian Symposium on Programming Languages |year=2001 |pages=B–14–B–28 |url=http://www.lua.org/history.html |access-date=March 17, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103184646/http://www.lua.org///history.html |archive-date=January 3, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Imageframe|width=200|content=[[Image:Office-concept2.jpg|200px|alt=An image of an office drawn in pencil; the office has two windows, a desk, an oval-shaped computer monitor, and additional furniture. The walls and decorations of the furniture have art-deco stylings to them.]]
[[Image:Office wire.jpg|200px|alt=An image of an office created in a 3D wireframe mesh (white on blue); the office has two windows, a desk, an oval-shaped computer monitor, and additional furniture. The walls and decorations of the furniture have art-deco stylings to them.]]
[[Image:Office-final.jpg|200px|alt=An image of an office rendered by a computer; the office has two windows, a desk, an oval-shaped computer monitor, and additional furniture. The walls and decorations of the furniture have art-deco stylings to them. A skeletal figure sits in one of the chairs looking to the viewer.]]|caption=Manny's office, from [[Peter Chan (artist)|Peter Chan's]] original concept art (top) to wireframe mesh (middle) to in-game representation (bottom)|align=left}}

===3D design===
''Grim Fandango'' mixed static [[pre-rendering|pre-rendered]] background images with 3D characters and objects. Part of this decision was based on how the ''[[calaca]]'' figures would appear in three dimensions.<ref name="pcgamer preview">{{cite news |title=The Everlasting Adventure |work=[[PC Gamer]] |date=May 1998 |author=Buxton, Chris |pages=48–52}}</ref> There were more than 90 sets and 50 characters in the game to be created and rendered; Manny's character alone comprised 250 [[polygon (computer graphics)|polygons]].<ref name="pcgamer preview"/> The development team found that by utilizing three-dimensional models to pre-render the backgrounds, they could alter the camera shot to achieve more effective or dramatic angles for certain scenes simply by re-rendering the background, instead of having to have an artist redraw the background for a traditional 2D adventure game.<ref name="pcgamer preview"/> The team adapted the engine to allow Manny's head to move separately from his body to make the player aware of important objects nearby.<ref name="pcgamer preview"/> The 3D engine also aided in the choreography between the spoken dialog and body and arm movements of the characters.<ref name="pcgamer preview"/><ref name=NGen36/> Additionally, [[full motion video]] [[cutscene]]s were incorporated to advance the plot, using the same in-game style for the characters and backgrounds to make them nearly indistinguishable from the actual game.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gamasutra.com/features/20000103/fmv_01.htm |title=Video in Games: The State of the Industry |date=January 3, 2000 |access-date=March 13, 2008 |author1=Waggoner, Ben |author2=York, Halstead |website=[[Gamasutra]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080326172610/http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20000103/fmv_01.htm |archive-date=March 26, 2008}}</ref>

===Themes and influences===
The game combines several [[Aztec]] beliefs of the [[Mictlan|afterlife and underworld]] with 1930s [[Art Deco]] design motifs and a dark plot reminiscent of the [[film noir]] genre.<ref name="Schaferinterview">{{cite journal |first=Celia |last=Pearce |date=March 7, 2003 |title=Game Noir&nbsp;– A Conversation with Tim Schafer |url=http://www.gamestudies.org/0301/pearce/ |journal=International Journal of Computer Game Research |access-date=March 6, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914232305/http://www.gamestudies.org/0301/pearce/ |archive-date=September 14, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Aztec motifs of the game were influenced by Schafer's decade-long fascination with [[folklore]], stemming from an anthropology class he took at [[University of California Berkeley]], and talks with folklorist [[Alan Dundes]], with Schafer recognizing that the four-year journey of the soul in the afterlife would set the stage for an adventure game.<ref name="sfgate review"/><ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2015/01/26/grim-fandango-tim-schafer-interview/ |title='Grim Fandango' creator Tim Schafer talks his magnum opus -- a classic game lost for 16 years |first=Joshua |last=Rivera |date=January 26, 2015 |access-date=January 26, 2015 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128230503/http://popwatch.ew.com/2015/01/26/grim-fandango-tim-schafer-interview/ |archive-date=January 28, 2015}}</ref><ref name="TechRaptor Grosso 2015"/> Schafer stated that once he had set on the Afterlife setting: "Then I thought, what role would a person want to play in a Day of the Dead scenario? You'd want to be the grim reaper himself. That's how Manny got his job. Then I imagined him picking up people in the land of the living and bringing them to the land of the dead, like he's really just a glorified limo or taxi driver. So the idea came of Manny having this really mundane job that looks glamorous because he has the robe and the scythe, but really, he's just punching the clock".<ref name="sfgate review"/> Schafer recounted a Mexican folklore about how the dead were buried with two bags of gold to be used in the afterlife, one on their chest and one hidden in their coffin, such that if the spirits in the afterlife stole the one on the chest, they would still have the hidden bag of gold; this idea of a criminal element in the afterlife led to the idea of a crime-ridden, film noir style to the world.<ref name="psblog remake"/><ref name="TechRaptor Grosso 2015"/> The division of the game into four years was a way of breaking the game's overall puzzle into four discrete sections.<ref name="sfgate review"/><ref name="pcgamer preview"/><ref name="TechRaptor Grosso 2015"/> Each year was divided into several non-linear branches of puzzles that all had to be solved before the player could progress to the next year.<ref name="TechRaptor Grosso 2015"/><ref name="eurogamer puzzle doc"/>

[[Image:Grim-fandango-puzzle-layout.png|right|upright|thumb|The team created a puzzle design document in the planning of the game, laying out branching non-linear puzzle paths for the player to solve within the context of each year of the game.<ref name="Eurogamer 2008">{{cite web |title=Grim Fandango design doc now on net |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/grim-fandango-design-doc-now-on-net |first=Robert |last=Purchese |publisher=[[Eurogamer]] |date=November 6, 2008 |access-date=October 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429222917/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/grim-fandango-design-doc-now-on-net |archive-date=April 29, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Canard PC 2008">{{cite web |url=http://www.canardpc.com/news-30466-grim_fandango___tim_schafer_exhume_un_tresor.html |title=Grim Fandango: Tim Schafer exhume un trésor |trans-title=Grim Fandango: Tim Schafer exhumes a treasure |language=fr |date=November 6, 2008 |publisher=[[Canard PC]] |location=France |access-date=October 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821164011/http://canardpc.com/news-30466-Grim_Fandango___Tim_Schafer_exhume_un_tresor.html |archive-date=August 21, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Kotaku 2008">{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/5077780/tim-schafer-publishes-original-grim-fandango-design-doc |title=Tim Schafer Publishes Original Grim Fandango Design Doc |first=Michael |last=McWhertor |date=November 5, 2008 |publisher=Kotaku |access-date=October 12, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701131656/http://kotaku.com/5077780/tim-schafer-publishes-original-grim-fandango-design-doc |archive-date=July 1, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="TechRaptor Grosso 2015"/> |alt=A flow diagram consisting of text boxes connected by arrows; the contents of each box list out the summary of a puzzle that is to be completed before following puzzles can be completed.]]

Schafer opted to give the conversation-heavy game the flavor of film noir set in the 1930s and 1940s, stating that "there's something that I feel is really honest about the way people talked that's different than modern movies".<ref name="eg remastered retrospective"/> He was partially inspired by novels written by [[Raymond Chandler]] and [[Dashiell Hammett]].<ref name="eg remastered retrospective"/> Several film noir movies were also inspiration for much of the game's plot and characters. Tim Schafer stated that the true inspiration was drawn from films like ''[[Double Indemnity]]'', in which a weak and undistinguished insurance salesman finds himself entangled in a murder plot.<ref name="Schaferinterview"/> The design and early plot are fashioned after films such as ''[[Chinatown (1974 film)|Chinatown]]'' and ''[[Glengarry Glen Ross (film)|Glengarry Glen Ross]]''.<ref name="sfgate review"/><ref name="TechRaptor Grosso 2015"/><ref name="Schafer design diary">{{cite web |first=Tim |last=Schafer |year=1997 |title=Grim Fandango Design Diaries |url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/fandango_dd/110597/110597_3.html |website=[[GameSpot]] |access-date=September 25, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014202209/http://www.gamespot.com/features/fandango_dd/110597/110597_3.html <!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date=October 14, 2007}}</ref> Several scenes in ''Grim Fandango'' are directly inspired by the genre's films such as ''[[The Maltese Falcon (1941 film)|The Maltese Falcon]]'', ''[[The Third Man]]'', ''[[Key Largo (film)|Key Largo]]'', and most notably ''Casablanca'': two characters in the game's second act are directly modeled after the roles played by [[Peter Lorre]] and [[Claude Rains]] in the film.<ref name="bwire080997">{{cite web |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/LucasArts'+Grim+Fandango+Presents+a+Surreal+Tale+of+Crime,+Corruption...-a019726667 |title=LucasArts' Grim Fandango Presents a Surreal Tale of Crime, Corruption and Greed in the Land of the Dead; Dramatic New Graphic Adventure from the Creator of Award-Winning Full Throttle Expected to Release in First Half 1998 |publisher=Business Wire |date=September 8, 1997 |access-date=December 2, 2007 |archive-date=February 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202113513/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/LucasArts%27+Grim+Fandango+Presents+a+Surreal+Tale+of+Crime%2C+Corruption...-a019726667 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Schaferinterview"/> The main villain, Hector LeMans, was designed to resemble [[Sydney Greenstreet]]'s character of Signor Ferrari from ''Casablanca''.<ref name="sfgate review"/> His voice was also modeled after Greenstreet, complete with his trademark chuckle.

Visually, the game drew inspiration from various sources: the skeletal character designs were based largely on the ''calaca'' figures used in Mexican Day of the Dead festivities, while the architecture ranged from Art Deco skyscrapers to an Aztec temple.<ref name="Schaferinterview"/> The team turned to LucasArts artist [[Peter Chan (artist)|Peter Chan]] to create the ''calaca'' figures. The art of [[Ed Roth|Ed "Big Daddy" Roth]] was used as inspiration for the designs of the [[hot rod]]s and the demon characters like Glottis.<ref name="sfgate review">{{cite news |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |date=October 27, 1998 |first=Laura |last=Evenson |title=Fleshing Out an Idea |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/1998/10/27/DD89817.DTL |access-date=March 15, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714224854/http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Fleshing-Out-an-Idea-Day-of-the-Dead-inspires-2982510.php |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Originally, Schafer had come up with the name "Deeds of the Dead" for the game's title, as he had originally planned Manny to be a real estate agent in the Land of the Dead. Other potential titles included "The Long Siesta" and "Dirt Nap", before he came up with the title ''Grim Fandango''.<ref name="eg remastered retrospective"/>

===Voice cast===
[[File:Tony_Plana,_actor.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Tony Plana]] (pictured in 2013) provides the voice for Manny.]]
The game featured a large cast for voice acting in the game's dialog and cutscenes, employing many [[Latinos|Latino]] actors to help with the Spanish slang.<ref name="sfgate review"/> Voice actors included [[Tony Plana]] as Manny, [[Maria Canals-Barrera]] as Meche, [[Alan Blumenfeld]] as Glottis, and [[Jim Ward (voice actor)|Jim Ward]] as Hector. Schafer credits Plana for helping to deepen the character of Manny, as the voice actor was a native Spanish speaker and suggested alternate dialog for the game that was more natural for casual Spanish conversations.<ref name="eg remastered retrospective"/> Schafer planned from the beginning for the voice cast to consist entirely of Latino performers.<ref name=NGen36/>

===Original release===
Originally, the game was to be shipped in the first half of 1998 but was delayed;<ref name="pcgamer preview"/> as a result, the game was shipped on October 28, 1998,<ref name=realrelease>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000226201849/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_10/28_grim/index.html |url=http://headline.gamespot.com:80/news/98_10/28_grim/index.html |title=''Grim Fandango'' Releases |author=Mullen, Micheal |date=October 28, 1998 |archive-date=February 26, 2000 |work=[[GameSpot]] |url-status=dead}}</ref> for release on October 30, the Friday before November 2, the actual date of the Day of the Dead celebration.<ref name="sfgate review"/> Even with the delay, the team had to drop several of the puzzles and characters from the game, including a climactic five-step puzzle against Hector LeMans at the conclusion of the game; Schafer later noted that they would have needed one to two more years to implement their original designs.<ref name="eurogamer puzzle doc">{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/grim-fandango-design-doc-now-on-net |title=Grim Fandango design doc now on net |first=Rob |last=Purchase |date=November 6, 2008 |access-date=November 6, 2008 |website=[[Eurogamer]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140429222917/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/grim-fandango-design-doc-now-on-net |archive-date=April 29, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Remastered version===
====Acquisition of rights and announcement====
A remastered version of ''Grim Fandango'' was released for [[Linux]], [[OS X]], [[PlayStation 4]], [[PlayStation Vita]], and Windows platforms on January 27, 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vg247.com/2014/06/10/grim-fandango-remastered-e32014-ps4-vita/ |title=Grim Fandango remastered coming to PlayStation |first=Stephany |last=Nunnely |date=June 9, 2014 |access-date=June 9, 2014 |website=[[VG247]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140614002635/http://www.vg247.com/2014/06/10/grim-fandango-remastered-e32014-ps4-vita/ |archive-date=June 14, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.polygon.com/e3-2014/2014/6/9/5795458/grim-fandango-ps4-ps-vita |title=Grim Fandango is coming to PS4 and PS Vita (update) |first=Emily |last=Gera |date=June 9, 2014 |access-date=June 10, 2014 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140613090553/http://www.polygon.com/e3-2014/2014/6/9/5795458/grim-fandango-ps4-ps-vita |archive-date=June 13, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/DoubleFine/status/486918031533035520 |title=Grim Fandango platforms |date=July 9, 2014 |access-date=July 9, 2014 |publisher=[[Double Fine Productions]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714185749/https://twitter.com/DoubleFine/status/486918031533035520 |archive-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://doublefine.tumblr.com/post/91266961053/double-fine-is-pleased-to-announce-that-along |title=Double Fine is Pleased to Announce... |publisher=[[Double Fine Productions]] |date=July 9, 2014 |access-date=July 9, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714144114/http://doublefine.tumblr.com/post/91266961053/double-fine-is-pleased-to-announce-that-along |archive-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref>  The PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita versions feature [[cross-buy]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Playstation Store: Grim Fandango Remastered|url=https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP2154-CUSA01319_00-GRIMFANDANGOPS04/ |access-date=August 25, 2021}}</ref> and cross-save.<ref>{{cite web |title=Playstation Trophies: Cross-Save Solution |date=February 2, 2015 |url=https://www.playstationtrophies.org/forum/topic/241504-cross-save-solution/ |access-date=August 25, 2021}}</ref> It was later released for [[Android (operating system)|Android]] and [[iOS]] on May 5.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-05-05-grim-fandango-remastered-is-out-today-on-ios |title=Grim Fandango Remastered is out today on iOS and Android |first=Jeffrey |last=Matuleft |date=May 5, 2015 |access-date=May 6, 2015 |website=[[Eurogamer]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507064219/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-05-05-grim-fandango-remastered-is-out-today-on-ios |archive-date=May 7, 2015}}</ref> The remastered version was released as a [[PlayStation Plus]] title for the month of January 2016.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sarkar |first1=Samit |title=PlayStation Plus brings you Grim Fandango Remastered and more in January 2016 |url=https://www.polygon.com/2015/12/30/10689714/playstation-plus-free-games-january-2016 |website=Polygon |access-date=August 25, 2021 |date=December 30, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Osborn |first1=Alex |title=Grim Fandango Remastered Headlines PlayStation Plus' Free Games for January |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/12/30/grim-fandango-remastered-headlines-playstation-plus-free-games-for-january |website=IGN |access-date=August 25, 2021 |date=December 30, 2015}}</ref>

The remastered version was predicated on the transition of LucasArts from a developer and publisher into a licensor and publisher in 2013 shortly after its acquisition by [[Disney]]. Under new management, LucasArts licensed several of its [[intellectual property|intellectual properties]] (IP), including ''Grim Fandango'', to outside developers. Schafer was able to acquire the rights to the game with financial assistance from Sony, and started the process of building out the remaster within Double Fine Productions.<ref name="psblog remake"/> Schafer said that the sale of LucasArts to Disney had reminded them of the past efforts of former LucasArts president Darrell Rodriguez to release the older LucasArts titles as Legacy Properties, such as the 2009 rerelease of ''[[The Secret of Monkey Island#Special_edition|The Secret of Monkey Island]]''.<ref name="eg remastered retrospective"/> Schafer also noted that they had tried to acquire the property from LucasArts in the years prior, but the frequent change in management stalled progress.<ref name="polygon remastered"/> When they began to inquire about the rights with Disney and LucasArts following its acquisition, they found that Sony, through their vice president of publisher and [[platform evangelism|developer relations]] [[Adam Boyes (entrepreneur)|Adam Boyes]], was also looking to acquire the rights. Boyes stated that Sony had been interested in working with a wide array of developers for the PlayStation 4, and was also inspired to seek ''Grim Fandango''{{'s}} after seeing developers like [[Capcom]] and [[Midway Games]] revive older properties. Boyes' determination was supported by John Vignocchi, VP of Production for [[Disney Interactive]], who also shared memories of the game, and was able to bring in contacts to track down the game's assets.<ref name="polygon remastered"/> After discovering they were vying for the same property, Schafer and Boyes agreed to work together to acquire the IP and subsequent funding, planning to make the re-release a remastered version.<ref name="eg remastered retrospective">{{cite web |url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-01-24-bringing-out-the-dead-tim-schafer-reflects-back-on-grim-fandango |title=Bringing out the Dead: Tim Schafer reflects back on Grim Fandango |website=[[Eurogamer]] |date=January 26, 2015 |access-date=January 26, 2015 |first=Jeffrey |last=Matulef |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128094744/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-01-24-bringing-out-the-dead-tim-schafer-reflects-back-on-grim-fandango |archive-date=January 28, 2015}}</ref><ref name="polygon remastered">{{cite web |url=http://www.polygon.com/2015/1/27/7921837/grim-fandango-remastered-interview-double-fine-disney-lucasfilm-sony |title=Digital Archeology: How Double Fine, Disney, Lucasarts and Sony Resurrected Grim Fandango |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |date=January 27, 2015 |access-date=January 27, 2015 |first=Dave |last=Tach |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128123552/http://www.polygon.com/2015/1/27/7921837/grim-fandango-remastered-interview-double-fine-disney-lucasfilm-sony |archive-date=January 28, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Sony did not ask for any of IP rights for the game, instead only asking Double Fine to give the PlayStation platforms console exclusivity in exchange for funding support, similar to their Pub Fund scheme they use to support independent developers.<ref name="polygon remastered"/>

====Challenges====
[[File:Grim fandango remastered comparison.png|thumb|right|A comparison of ''Grim Fandango'' from its original release (top) and the remastered version. Double Fine increased texture resolution and improved lighting models to improve the looks of the characters.]]

A major complication in remastering the original work was having many of the critical game files go missing or on archaic formats. A large number of backup files were made on [[Digital Linear Tape]] (DLT) which Disney/LucasArts had been able to recover for Double Fine, but the company had no drives to read the tapes. Former LucasArts sound engineer [[Jory Prum]] had managed to save a DLT drive and was able to extract all of the game's audio development data from the tapes.<ref name="polygon remastered"/>

Schafer noted at the time of ''Grim Fandango''{{'s}} original development, retention of code was not as rigorous as present-day standards, and in some cases, Schafer believes the only copies of some files were unintentionally taken by employees when they had left LucasArts. As such, Schafer and his team have been going back through past employee records to try to trace down any of them and ask for any files they may have saved.<ref name="kotaku remastered"/> In other cases, they have had difficulty in identifying elements on the low-resolution artwork of the original game, such as an emblem on one character's hat, and have had to go looking for original concept art to figure out the design.<ref name="kotaku remastered"/>

Once original assets were identified, as to be used to present the "classic" look of the game in the Remastered edition, Double Fine worked to improve the overall look for modern computers. The textures and lighting models for the characters were improved, in particular for Manny.<ref name="polygon remastered"/> Schafer has likened the remastering approach to [[The Criterion Collection]] film releases in providing a high-fidelity version of the game without changing the story or the characters.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Diver |first1=Mike |title=Tim Schafer Discusses the Classic Video Games 'Grim Fandango' and 'Monkey Island' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/tim-schafer-discusses-grim-fandango-and-monkey-island-990/ |website=VICE |access-date=February 2, 2015 |date=January 27, 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130043109/http://www.vice.com/read/tim-schafer-discusses-grim-fandango-and-monkey-island-990 |archive-date=January 30, 2015}}</ref>

In addition to his own developers, Schafer reached out to players who had created [[unofficial patch]]es and graphical improvements on the original game, and modifications needed to keep it running in [[ResidualVM]], and gained their help to improve the game's assets for the remastered version.<ref name="psblog remake">{{cite web |url=http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/06/10/a-closer-look-at-grim-fandangos-surprise-revival |title=A Closer Look at Grim Fandango's Surprise Revival |first=Asif |last=Siddiky |publisher=[[PlayStation Blog]] |date=June 10, 2014 |access-date=June 10, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813064108/http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/06/10/a-closer-look-at-grim-fandangos-surprise-revival/ |archive-date=August 13, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-remastered-grim-fandango-heading-to-ps4-vita/1100-6420283/ |title=E3 2014: Remastered Grim Fandango heading to PS4, Vita - Tim Schafer's classic adventure game headed to current-gen Sony consoles. |last1=Ramsay |first1=Randolph |date=June 9, 2014 |website=GameSpot |access-date=October 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141002172725/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2014-remastered-grim-fandango-heading-to-ps4-vita/1100-6420283/ |archive-date=October 2, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=5 things from E3 Sony PS event |first=Brett |last=Molina |newspaper=USA Today |date=June 11, 2014 |page=5B – Money Section}}</ref> One such feature was a modified control scheme that converted the game's movement controls from the [[tank controls]] to a [[point and click]]-style interface. Schafer said the team used tank controls as it was popular with other games like ''[[Resident Evil]]'' at the time, but recognized it did not work well within the adventure game genre.<ref name="eg remastered retrospective"/> Schafer contacted Tobias Pfaff who created the point-and-click modification to obtain access to his code to incorporate into the remastered version.<ref name="kotaku remastered">{{cite web |url=http://kotaku.com/the-crazy-journey-to-save-grim-fandango-1655133550 |title=The Crazy Journey To Save Grim Fandango |publisher=Kotaku |first=Nathan |last=Grayson |date=November 5, 2014 |access-date=November 6, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106190215/http://kotaku.com/the-crazy-journey-to-save-grim-fandango-1655133550 |archive-date=November 6, 2014}}</ref>

====Later development and new features====
Double Fine demonstrated an in-progress version of the remastered game at [[IndieCade]] event in October 2014; new features included higher-resolution textures and improved resolution for the character models as well as having real-time lighting models, and the ability to switch back and forth between this presentation and the original graphics at the touch of a control. The remastered game runs in 4:3 aspect ratio but has an option to stretch this to a 16:9 ratio rather than render in a native 4:3 ratio. The remaster includes improvements to the control scheme developed by Pfaff's patch and other alternate control schemes in addition to the original tank like controls, including analogue controls for console versions and point-and-click controls for computer versions. The game's soundtrack was fully orchestrated through performances of the [[Melbourne Symphony Orchestra]] (who also performed the soundtrack for Double Fine's ''[[Broken Age]]''). The remastered version also includes developer commentary, which can be activated via the options menu and listened to at various points in the game. The PlayStation version also features cloud saving between the PS4 and Vita versions.<ref name="McWhertor 2014">{{cite web |url=http://www.polygon.com/2014/10/10/6960243/grim-fandango-remastered-ps4-pc |title=Grim Fandango returns with updated graphics, orchestral score and fan-made controls |first=Michael |last=McWhertor |date=October 10, 2014 |access-date=October 10, 2014 |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141011200000/http://www.polygon.com/2014/10/10/6960243/grim-fandango-remastered-ps4-pc |archive-date=October 11, 2014}}</ref> A [[Nintendo Switch]] port<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/double-fines-grim-fandango-and-broken-age-head-to-nintendo-switch |title=Double Fine's Grim Fandango and Broken Age Head to Nintendo Switch |first=Jake |last=Green |date=June 13, 2018 |access-date=June 13, 2018 |work=[[USGamer]] |archive-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124122916/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/double-fines-grim-fandango-and-broken-age-head-to-nintendo-switch |url-status=dead }}</ref> was released on November 1, 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.destructoid.com/surprise-grim-fandango-remastered-launches-today-on-switch-529283.phtml |title=Surprise! Grim Fandango Remastered launches today on Switch |first=Chris |last=Carter |date=November 1, 2018 |access-date=November 1, 2018 |work=[[Destructoid]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220912043922/https://www.destructoid.com/surprise-grim-fandango-remastered-launches-today-on-switch/ |archive-date=September 12, 2022}}</ref> Double Fine was acquired by [[Xbox Game Studios]] in 2019, and ''Grim Fandango'' for the [[Xbox One]] arrived in 2020.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.destructoid.com/grim-fandango-full-throttle-and-day-of-the-tentacle-finally-break-ps4-console-exclusivity-this-year-590841.phtml | title = Grim Fandango, Full Throttle, and Day of the Tentacle finally break PS4 console exclusivity this year | first = Brett | last = Makedonski | date = May 13, 2020 | access-date = May 13, 2020 | work = [[Destructoid]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210806103817/https://www.destructoid.com/grim-fandango-full-throttle-and-day-of-the-tentacle-finally-break-ps4-console-exclusivity-this-year/ | archive-date = August 6, 2021}}</ref>