Fans of the cult-favorite Psychonauts rejoice - the sequel is pushing through!
Psychonauts 2 is confirmed to be coming in 2018 following a successful agreement with Starbreeze Studios, which will market and distribute the game.
Pyschonauts 2 will come out on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.
Agreement With Starbreeze Studios
In an official statement released on its website, Starbreeze Studios confirmed to have signed a publishing agreement with Double Fine Productions. Starbreeze will pour $8 million into the project to "bring the game to PC and other console platforms through digital distribution." The studio will be the major investor together with Double Fine.
Starbreeze will get a revenue share of 85 percent after distribution and platform fees until it is able to "recoup 100 percent of its full investment including marketing costs." Then the studio share will become 60 percent after its initial investment has been returned. The intellectual property however will still be retained by Double Fine Productions.
"Many of us gamers who've grown up during '70s and '80s have at some point come across the great games from Double Fine and Tim Schafer. Games like Grim Fandango, Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, and Brutal Legend are all in the list of personal all-time favorites for many of us," said Bo Andersson-Klint, Starbreeze CEO.
Klint added that his company is looking forward to working with Double Fine Productions "in bringing the new and exciting game Psychonauts 2 to young and old gamers worldwide."
Critical Success, Commercial Failure
Psychonauts is a third-person action-adventure platforming game that was released in 2005. Critics hailed its gameplay and story, but the game tanked commercially. It gained a cult following though, and was considered to be one of the best games that need sequels.
The commercial failure of the first game hindered any attempt to create a sequel. Double Fine Productions sought financial backing through crowdfunding site Fig in 2015. By January 2016, Double Fine was able to raise $3.8 million, surpassing the target of $3.3 million.
Psychonauts 2 will pick up where the first game finished. The new hero will be Razputin Aquato, or Raz, a fresh grad Psychonaut with powerful psychic powers. He will be able to perform acts like levitation, pyrokinesis and telekinesis. He is also adept physically, thus he will be able to navigate through the minds of the many characters. The story will begin with Raz arriving at the Psychonaut HQ to become an official Psychonaut. But conflicts between his ideals and Pyschonaut Laws will soon test his convictions.
