Despite releasing a delightfully psychedelic trailer as part of Microsoft's Xbox Series X Games Showcase earlier today, fans and backers of Double Fine's upcoming Psychonauts 2 were disappointed to learn today that the title has once again been delayed.
The mind-jumping 3D platformer was slated to be released later this year after it was previously delayed in June 2019 after Double Fine Productions was acquired by Xbox Games Studios, and while many were anticipating the game's release some time in 2020, Double Fine's deafening silence in regards to the project caused both fans and backers of the original Fig campaign to lose hope in the title releasing this year.
Psychonauts 2 was originally announced during The Game Awards 2015 as a campaign on video game crowdfunding platform Fig, in which fans can not only back projects in return for physical and digital rewards similar to Kickstarter, but they also have the opportunity to share revenue for projects as investors.
While the initial target was $3.3 million dollars, which would cover one-third of the game's overall development costs, The campaign ended up exceeding its goal, raising over $3.8 million with an initial release target of Q4 2018. Meanwhile, in February 2017 Double Fine teamed up with Sony to release Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin, a PlayStation VR title acting as a narrative bridge from the original Psychonauts to Psychonauts 2.
That same month, Starbreeze Studios, the publisher behind titles such as Dead by Daylight, announced that it would invest $8 million to digitally publish Psychonauts 2 and, after revealing its first gameplay trailer in late 2017, Double Fine announced that Psychonauts 2 would be delayed from Q4 2018 to Q4 2019.
During 2018, the game's publisher, Starbreeze Studios, began to undergo major financial restructuring and during Microsoft's E3 2019 showcase, the publisher announced that it had acquired Double Fine Productions and publishing rights to Psychonauts 2 on all major platforms. It was then that the game was once again delayed to 2020.
Double Fine Productions founder and Psychonauts 2 director Tim Schafer recently claimed that Microsoft's acquisition of the studio helped save Psychonauts 2 from going over-budget, as the studio was at a point where major boss fights were being removed from the game due to budgetary constraints.
Microsoft's acquisition is also allowing Double Fine Productions to provide higher returns to the game's Fig investors, so while yet another delay for the long-anticipated sequel to one of the most beloved 3D platformers of all time is frustrating to many fans and Fig supporters, Double Fine Productions does seem to be using the delay as a means to fully polish Psychonauts 2 and deliver the best game it can with the budgetary increase that Microsoft has provided. The game will also now be supporting the Xbox Series X's Smart Delivery function, which means the team is also at work on a next-generation version of the game.
Psychonauts 2 will launch on Linux, macOS, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X in 2021.