Don’t get psyched just yet — Double Fine delays ‘Psychonauts 2’ past 2018

By Gabe Gurwin December 22, 2017

Psychonauts 2 // The Aquato Family

It’s a miracle that Psychonauts 2, the sequel to the 2005 cult hit Psychonauts, is even being made. After years of working on other projects like Brütal Legend and Broken Age, developer Double Fine Productions has returned to the psychic world of Raz, but fans will have to wait at least another year before they’ll be able to play it.

In an update note on the crowdfunding platform Fig, Double Fine revealed it had entered “full production” on Psychonauts 2, with multiple teams working on level design as well as puzzles and combat. However, the studio now realizes the project won’t be able to hit its original 2018 release window.

“Now [that] we are in full swing, we know a lot more about the size and scope of the game we are going to make, how long it will take us to make it, and the amount of time we need to make it great,” the studio said.

There isn’t a firm release window now, with project lead Zak McClendon saying in a developer diary video that the studio doesn’t want to commit to a new date until it knows exactly when the game will be ready.

The video also shows off designs for Raz Aquato’s family, who were seen in the original Psychonauts inside memory vaults. Based on the early sketches from the vaults, they were given color and eventually turned into in-game models, with all the bright and zany quirks you’d expect from a Psychonauts family. Their final design resembles something out of of the stop-motion film The Boxtrolls, which fits perfectly with the tone of the series.

For those who backed the game during its crowdfunding period, your rewards will be coming shortly. T-shirts, posters, a black velvet painting, and a Raz mini-figure are all nearing production, so you won’t be waiting until the game actually releases in order to receive them.

If you’re itching to get your hands on a new Psychonauts game right now, check out the PlayStation VR game Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Rain. It takes place between the original game and the sequel, and features many psychic powers for solving puzzles.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…

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