Psychonauts is what you would call a cult classic. Quirky, laugh-out-loud funny and featuring rock-solid platforming gameplay, Double Fine's debut title instantly became a critical darling when it released in 2005.
Unfortunately, between 2005 and 2010, the game only sold 479,312 units. Though the game ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, teasing more adventures to come, those adventures were nowhere to be seen.
Then, a couple of amazing things happened. First was Broken Age. After so much trouble going through publishers to have their always-entertaining but never commercially-successful games created, Double Fine cut out the middle-man and went straight to players. It dreamed of making an old-school 2D adventure game like those of decades past, and it went to Kickstarter in 2012 to ask fans for the money to make it.
Fans answered: Broken Age broke records. In a month, the game raised more than $3 million, ushering in an age of video game crowdfunding that is still going on today.
Second was Psychonauts started to sell. Thanks to digital game stores like Steam and GoG, and promotions like Humble Bundle, more and more players began to discover what Psychonauts was all about. From 2010 to 2015, Psychonauts sold almost triple the amount of copies it did in its first five years of existence, a feat almost unheard of in the world of video games, where sales for a title almost always come in its first few months available before trickling off into oblivion. The dream for Psychonauts was still alive.
That brings us to today. Double Fine has launched a new crowdfunding campaign for Psychonauts 2, using all the knowledge and expertise it's gained from its previous funding campaigns to help create an all-new, game specific crowdfunding site called Fig. The site was formed by former Double Fine COO Justin Bailey back in August, and it differs from other crowdfunding sites in that people can actually invest in projects as well as donate, with which we are all familiar.
Long story short: if Psychonauts 2 becomes a success, Double Fine and the investors who made it happen get paid. The Fig advisory council is a who's-who of independent gaming superstars who have each found success through crowdfunding. There's Brian Fargo from inXile Entertainment (Wasteland 2), Feargus Urquhart of Obsidian (Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity) and of course, Tim Schafer, president and CEO of Double Fine.
Together, there is no group of developers that understands crowdfunding more. With Fig, Psychonauts 2 just might be everything fans have dreamed it could be. Many of the original's creators are returning for the sequel, and so far, the story sounds perfect. Raz will finally get to live his dream of being a Psychonaut after the events of the first game, but upon arriving at Psychonauts HQ, discovers that the Psychonauts may need him more than they think in order to sort out all their emotional baggage.
The game is seeking $3.3 million in funding, with $1 million raised in less than 24 hours of being live. That's a promising start to the campaign, but Fig is just one aspect of the game's fundraising goals. Double Fine is estimating the full game to cost at least around $10 to $13 million, which is why Double Fine will be fitting much of the development costs in addition to the Fig campaign. An "external partner" will make the third pillar of money coming into the project for what Double Fine hopes will be the sequel fans have been pestering him on Twitter about for years.
With any luck, maybe Brutal Legend 2 will get the Fig crowdfunding treatment next.
