Can streaming and subscription models do for games what they've done for TV?

The struggle for Double Fine Presents to get the first "Psychonauts" released has become the stuff of modern game lore.

The game, a wacky exploration into various emotional mindsets, is now a cult classic with a sequel due in 2020. Yet the initial 2005 game was famously dropped by Microsoft, cut ostensibly because it was believed to be too weird for the Xbox game market, which was then and still is a place where big-budget action franchises such as "Halo" thrive.

"Humor," read a critical Microsoft marketing document made for the first "Psychonauts," "should be incorporated into the game as a secondary or supporting characteristic." Double Fine founder Tim Schafer read the critiques