14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer Double Fine is announcing that it is currently working on Psychonauts 2, the long-awaited sequel to one of the most beloved adventure and platforming titles of all times. Moreover, it wants fans to get involved in the development process by offering some of the needed resources while at the same time securing potential rewards.
Tim Schafer, the leader of the company, took the stage at the 2015 Game Awards to announce that the game is being created by a team at the studio and to explain that the crowdfunding process is taking place not on Kickstarter but Fig.
The new platform makes those who back a project investors who can secure a stake of the revenue it creates. So far, the project is pretty successful, with more than 600,000 dollars (480,000 Euro) offered by close to 5,500 backers.
There are 34 more days during which fans of the original can decide to back the development of Psychonauts 2.
Limited details about the game have been unveiled so far, but it will be offered on the PC as well as on home consoles, and Double Fine says that the scope is much bigger than that of the original, with only a portion of the budget secured via crowdfunding.
Gamers will be able to experience a story that takes place after the set of characters from the original manages to rescue Truman Zanotto and then has to deal with new challenges.
Psychonauts 2 will feature the same cast of characters
Tim Schafer says that he has been exploring ideas for the new title for the past ten years and that the development process has ramped up since Double Fine managed to secure the rights to the universe from Majesco earlier in the year.
The game maker is not saying what launch window he is targeting for Psychonauts 2.
Main character Raz will get access to some new powers that will allow him to solve a range of new puzzles and to face capable new enemies, and more details about improved game mechanics will be offered in the coming months.
Erik Wolpaw, who handled the original script and now works with Valve, is back to write the sequel, and Psychonauts 2 will also feature the work of Scott Campbell, the art director of the first game, and Peter McConnell, the composer.
Voice actors are also returning to reprise their roles, but Tim Schafer makes it clear that nostalgia will not be the main driving force behind the title.
Fig is an innovative choice for the crowdfunding campaign, and VG247 quotes Tim Schafer as saying, "I think crowdfunding and Fig’s take on it is the future, and we’d like to use this platform for all our future games. Some will be looked at on a case by case basis as we still have publishing partners sometimes, so it would have to make sense."
Double Fine also plans to work with another company, which will not yet be revealed, to get all the resources it needs to successfully create Psychonauts 2.
