The beloved Psychonauts is getting a sequel thanks to 24,109 backers who chipped into funding the game via the relatively new crowdfunding site Fig. Double Fine Productions and Tim Schafer, the creator of the original Psychonauts and one a Fig founder, launched the campaign last year with a hefty funding goal of $3,300,300. Unlike the popular Kickstarter and IndieGoGo crowdfunding platforms, Fig operates a For-Profit model that rewards some backers with a stake in the game’s success.
While those chipping in lower amounts of money can earn traditional rewards from Double Fine, such as a digital download of Psychonauts 2 upon release, select investors can chip-in as well. In this case, Double Fine received one-third of their investment from an outside source, and the rest from additional Fig investors and those seeking backing rewards. This is good news for Fig and its supporters. There was doubt over the viability of Fig when its second campaigns, Anchors in the Drift, fell short of its goal by a hefty margin. With the rousing success of Psychonauts 2, the investment-based competitor seems here to stay.
To support the final days of the campaign, Tim Schafer held a Reddit AMA where he revealed some information about the plot of the upcoming game:
In Psychonauts 2, Raz will finally get to go to Psychonauts headquarters–his lifelong dream. There he can see Sasha and Milla in their natural environment–international espionage. But he finds several things strange about the organization. While Truman Zanotto was missing, several changes to the direction of the organization were made by his second in command. Funding was cut from traditional psychic research and peacekeeping, and redirected to unorthodox, fringe endeavors, including the discredited practice of necromancy. Raz soon uncovers sinister things at work in the shadows of Psychonauts headquarters, including double agents and evils of the past. Raz’s own family history plays a pivotal part in the story, and Raz must confront the roots of the curse placed on his family once and for all. And also deal with this whole “girlfriend” term and what it really means.
Fans of Psychonauts have cause to celebrate, but they’ll have to wait quite awhile to play the game itself. According to the Fig campaign, Psychonauts 2 is expected to release sometime in Fall 2018.