Starbreeze, the independent developer turned publisher, has struck a deal with Double Fine Productions to publish and distribute the upcoming Psychonauts 2 in 2018.
The publisher will invest $8 million into this deal and will receive 85% of the revenue (from what’s left after the Fig crowdfunding and investors’ share) until it recoups its investment. The good news is that Double Fine will retain full control over the Psychonauts IP.
For those of you who haven’t been waiting for a Psychonaut sequel for the last 12 years, Starbreeze has included a short description of Psychonauts 2 in their announcement:
“Psychonauts 2 is a third-person action/adventure platformer where players control Razputin Aquato – a newly graduated Psychonaut with powerful psychic abilities – as he delves into the minds of others. The player will use Raz’s PSI powers, such as telekinesis, pyrokinesis, and levitation, in combination with Raz’s acrobatic platforming skills, to explore the mental worlds of the game’s eccentric characters.”
We already know the game will follow the events of the original Psychonauts and the Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin VR adventure, though apparently, you will not have had to play these games to understand the sequel’s plot. Personally, I recommend you do so anyway since Psychonauts is one of my all-time favorite games.
Tim Schafer, head of Double Fine, has taken to YouTube to confirm the announcement, but also to show us some more prototype footage. We see Project Lead Zak McClendon guide Raz through a wooded area and a quarry that will be part of the final game, but not as it appears in this video.
We also learn that the game’s main area, the Psychonauts HQ, is a “cool 60’s spy office environment” that located inside an abandoned Psitanium quarry. The area around the HQ will be reminiscent of the summer camp of the original Psychonauts, in the sense that it brings the same “child-like” exploration of a natural environment.
You can watch the gameplay footage in the video above, and hear more of what McClendon has to say. Psychonauts 2 will be released in 2018 on PC and other console platforms through digital distribution.
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