Game development is not easy work, and it’s much harder when your working against fan expectations for beloved franchises. Such is the case for Psychonauts 2. The sequel to the action platformer and puzzle-solving title that graced a generation of gamers from the eccentric mind of Tim Schafer has now been delayed.
The game has gone through some growing pains and a lot of rumors over the years since the 2005 release of the original. The franchise quickly gained a cult following thanks to an absurd and lovable style of gameplay and overall aesthetic that endeared it to the hearts of many gamers. The sequel was originally funded four years ago via a Fig crowdfunding effort on behalf of developer Double Fine. That campaign raised more than $3 million in funding and development kicked off, to a very rocky start.
This is actually second time the game has been pushed back, with another major hiccup being a publisher switch. Almost as soon as the Fig wrapped, Swedish company Starbreeze invested $8 million into the project and vesting themselves as publishers. But Starbreeze has found itself in very uncertain waters these last few months with the massive failure of multiple investments and projects, most notably Overkill’s The Walking Dead. Because of this tumultuous situation, another company was brought in to handle publishing duties on Psychonauts 2 in 2018, that company was Microsoft.
And now, the game has been delayed again. In a post that’s appeared on the Psychonauts 2 Fig campaign blog, the studio announced that the game was delayed till 2020. Here’s the relevant bit in full:
There really shouldn’t be too many other noticeable changes for you at all, at least not for a while…with one notable exception: We’re now targeting next year for release. We know it’s always disappointing when you have to wait a bit longer, but we also know that you are an amazing, supportive bunch, who – just like us – want the game to be as good as possible. So we’re hopeful you’ll understand! <3
Opinion is very split on the whole thing, with some being happy that more time is being taken to polish and refine the game. Others are of course less forgiving, being understandably perturbed about the prospects of the title given the long wait and multiple problems. It really sucks when things like this happen, but all we can really do now is wait. It’s been so long since the funding drive ended that Fig is extremely unlikely to issue refunds.
Psychonauts 2 will release on GOG, Steam, Humble, Linux, Mac, Xbox and PS4 in 2020, although no firm release date has been given.