Tim Schafer and his company Double Fine are once again asking for your money to make a sequel to the cult favorite Psychonauts. For those who’ve never played Psychonauts (which is most people), it was a platformer in which you literally explored the mind of various strange characters at a psychic summer camp. Like most Tim Schafer games, it was charming and memorable, but it was also approachable, playable and well-designed. It might be Schafer’s best game, and hardcore Double Fine fans have been clamoring for a sequel for years. Psychonauts 2 was revealed via a short teaser trailer at The Game Awards last night:
Schafer and Double Fine are looking for $3.3 million from fans for Psychonauts 2, and, interestingly, the guy who made video game Kickstarters a thing has jumped ship to Fig, a new crowdfunding platform Schafer has a personal stake in. Fig is specifically focused on funding video games and, if you’re qualified, lets you actually invest in games, getting a cut of their profits when they’re released.
Of course, some folks may be a bit skeptical about supporting another Double Fine crowdfunding campaign after their clumsy handling of Broken Age. As you may recall, despite receiving a then-record-breaking $3.3 million from fans, Double Fine ran out of money partway through the development of the games and was forced to split the title and fund the second half of the game with sales from the first half. It wasn’t an ideal situation and cast a chill on video game crowdfunding.
This time around, it seems Double Fine has a better idea of where their money is coming from. The $3.3 million they’re asking from gamers is just part of the puzzle; they’re also going to be kicking in a lot of their own cash, and receiving funding from an unnamed silent investor. Altogether, the budget for Pyschonauts 2 will likely be similar to that of the original game, which cost around $13 million to make.
So yeah, I’m sure some folks will sit this campaign out, and that’s understandable, but come on – it’s more Psychonauts! That trumps a lot of concerns in my book. If you’d like to chip in, you can do that right here.
via Destructoid