Psychonauts 2 Team Releases New Footage
By Derek Nichols 07 February 2017
Double Fine reveals details regarding a new publisher joining on for Psychonauts 2, while showing off brand new gameplay for the upcoming fan funded platforming game.
The small development studio known as Double Fine has been on a roll lately, releasing the quirky Metroidvania style game Headlander to positive reviews following another well received title with the remastered version of Day of the Tentacle. The studio is now turning its attention back to the fan favorite franchise, Psychonauts, as a VR title is due out in a few weeks on February 21. After going silent for quite a while, the long awaited sequel, Psychonauts 2 is finally back in the news and has new footage to show off.
It’s been a while since fans have received an update on the crowd funded sequel, but all that is likely to change now as Starbreeze Studios has confirmed it will be publishing Psychonauts 2 and adding $8 million to the project as well. According to the deal, once the money has been recuperated, the publisher stands to make 60% of the ongoing profits. Video Games fans may recognize Starbreeze from the Chronicles of Riddick games, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, and most recently, the cooperative shooter Payday 2.
Double Fine head honcho, Tim Schaefer, also confirmed the news in a recently released update trailer for the upcoming game. The trailer also features a development update on the game which revealed actual in-engine gamplay. Known as a Quarry Art test, the video reveals the headquarters for the Psychonauts crew, located in a dense forest similar to what a person would see in the Pacific Northwest area of the United States. Considering it’s simply a test, lead designer Zak McClendon confirms this exact demo won’t be in the final game, only serving as an art test for the various models.
Though it’s not expected to see the light of day for quite a while, Psychonauts 2 has no shortage of fan excitement. The popular series managed to whip up a lot of excitement when it was originally revealed through the crowdfunding website Fig. The title managed to secure $3.8 million in crowd funding, after shooting out of the gates by hitting $1 million in less than 24 hours time.
With such a cult following behind the original game, fan expectations are understandably running high. Double Fine is well aware of this fact and has previously detailed how it plans to not only improve the experience through added polish, but be an excellent platforming game in its own right. As such, fans should expect to see improved controls, cameras, and other mechanics that didn’t fare so well in the original.
What do you think of the new footage? Are you excited to see this franchise finally getting a sequel? Sound off below in the comments.
Psychonauts 2 is scheduled for release sometime in 2018 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
