A few screenshots for Psychonauts 2 have surfaced online, each one showing off the eagerly-anticipated title’s gameplay and hub world. Over a decade after the original’s spring 2005 release, Double Fine Productions announced Psychonauts 2 during the 2015 Game Awards ceremony. The project has endured various states of limbo in the years since then.
Initially, unveiled alongside a Fig crowdfunding campaign, quite a few hands have dipped in and out of the proverbial Psychonauts 2 cookie jar. Early 2017 saw Payday publisher Starbreeze Studios get involved, for example, investing $8 million towards the long-awaited sequel’s digital distribution. The crowdfunding campaign’s Fig investors and Starbreeze Studios were compensated following Microsoft’s acquisition of Double Fine in 2019. Unsurprisingly, the buyout has benefited the developer splendidly, with studio founder Tim Schafer confirming that ideas previously cut due to limited funds were making their way back into the project.
Though Double Fine recently announced that Psychonauts 2 remains on track for a 2021 launch, not much has been shown of the platform title in quite some time. Interestingly, Twitter user NilOggier (via DSOGaming) obtained a handful of leaked screenshots, each showcasing a closer look at gameplay and the Psychonauts HQ hub world. While neither of the four images are of a high quality, they provide a glimpse at what the Double Fine crew aims to achieve. The screenshots appear in the Twitter post below:
The incredibly low-quality of the above images suggests they’re not at all indicative of the final product. Longtime fans of the franchise are likely still eager to get a good luck, however. This especially holds true given Double Fine’s prolonged silence in terms of sharing new footage.
Despite Microsoft’s ownership of Double Fine, Psychonauts 2 is still slated to launch across PlayStation hardware, giving all fans a chance to experience the next chapter in the Psychonauts saga. The new tale will take place following the events of the VR adventure, Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin, which abandoned the franchise’s 3D platforming roots in favor of a first-person puzzle outing. Fans need not worry, of course – Psychonauts 2 will serve as a 3D platformer, as evidenced by the above screenshots. But there’s no telling what else Double Fine may have up its sleeve for this particular spy-themed adventure.
Psychonauts 2 will launch on an unspecified date this year for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms.
