Indie developers are uniquely challenged because they don’t have access to the same resources that AAA developers have, and that leads to games that sometimes lose large pieces or fall apart altogether. The upcoming Psychonauts 2 was never in such a dire situation, but it was being affected by Double Fine's lack of accessibility to some resources. However, Microsoft's acquisition of Double Fine gave the developer the time it needed to make the proper Psychonauts 2 worthy of the fans and the monumental shoes it has to fill.
That doesn't mean that Double Fine was looking to be picked up by anyone, Tim Schafer made clear in a recent interview with Game Rant. Before he agreed to it, he wanted to make sure that Double Fine would be able to keep its trademark feel and humor intact. Schafer wasn't initially convinced until he discussed the process with other companies who'd been acquired by Microsoft and came to the decision that they hadn't been negatively affected. Since Double Fines games' ever-present personality is part of the appeal, Microsoft taking a hands-off approach to the development makes sense.
Psychonauts 2: Saved from the Cutting Room
"What it allowed us to do was finish the game properly. They asked us, “What would you do if you had a few more resources than you did as an indie studio?” where you’re scrambling to finish the game and chopping off levels, boss fights, and stuff like that."
The way that it sounds, Psychonauts 2 was having to cut off entire brain levels or boss fights, and this was negatively impacting the quality of the game. With a big tech company like Microsoft acquiring the studio, Double Fine was given the opportunity to finish its game like it was always intended, even if that came with a need for a little more time. What Game Rant was able to preview of the game ahead of the interview looks to be a proper successor to the original Psychonauts that captured so many fans' hearts (and minds) back in 2005. If this game turns out to be a hit with the hungry fanbase, it seems they will have to thank Microsoft in some part.
Access to Mental Health Resources
As a game that focuses so heavily on the mind, there's a lot of conversation about mental illness at Double Fine and how to properly display that to players. While the first game took an empathetic approach to the issues people feel, the sequel is looking to be much more intentional about the way that it does that. Schafer discussed the opportunity to focus on the relationships of the characters and how that affects who they are in their own minds. Everyone has parts of their brain that get out of control sometimes, and Psychonauts 2 is about helping people get that under control.
"... once we became a part of Xbox, we had access to all the resources of Microsoft Testing Groups where they have actual clinical psychologists who can look at our game and talk to us about what’s in it."
Double Fine's acquisition by Microsoft gave it a unique opportunity to be able to get its game in front of clinical psychologists that know the mind better than anyone else. They were able to take a look and offered a few corrections that were easy to implement while enhancing the game that much further. Microsoft was also able to get Double Fine in touch with TakeThis.org, an organization that works to destigmatize mental health, to craft a PSA ahead of the game to make sure that it is accessible to all audiences.
The original Psychonauts was a phenomenal game that gained a cult following as a comedy that wasn't afraid to get dark at the right moments. That type of edgy comedy tinged with darkness is what Double Fine does best, so the fact that Double Fine is still able to keep its trademark humor and style bodes well for Psychonauts 2 and all of its upcoming projects.