The story-driven 3D platformer could get a most excellent sequel, as Double Fine has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Fig to secure the funds needed to revisit one of their most beloved franchises. Back on the team is most of the old gang, including composer Peter McConnell, writer Erik Wolpaw, and the voices of Raz and Lili, Richard Horvitz and Nicki Rapp.
As a big fan of Psychonauts and a volunteer community moderator on the Double Fine forums, I have been excited about the prospect of a crowdfunded sequel ever since Fig opened the doors for both backers and accredited investors with the Outer Wilds campaign in August. Since then, Fig's lawyers have been busy cutting through red tape to make sure that anyone can invest in this game (via Polygon).
The campaign has been live for less than a day, but is already closing in on the first million of its $3.3 million goal. Where the previous two Fig campaigns experienced more modest interest from regular backers, the opposite is true for this campaign, and is likely what Fig needed to get their platform off the ground. In addition to the money raised from the campaign, a portion of the estimated $10 million plus budget will come from Double Fine and an external, undisclosed partner.
Like with Broken Age and MASSIVE CHALICE, 2 Player Production will be documenting the development of Psychonauts 2, and the resulting videos will be made freely available on YouTube for anyone to watch. Backers will also be able to pledge for rewards like the game on GOG or Steam, physical copies (including a Linux version), an art book, a functional replica of Raz' backpack from the game and more.
For more information about the campaign, see Psychonauts 2 on Fig. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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As a big fan of Psychonauts and a volunteer community moderator on the Double Fine forums, I have been excited about the prospect of a crowdfunded sequel ever since Fig opened the doors for both backers and accredited investors with the Outer Wilds campaign in August. Since then, Fig's lawyers have been busy cutting through red tape to make sure that anyone can invest in this game (via Polygon).
The campaign has been live for less than a day, but is already closing in on the first million of its $3.3 million goal. Where the previous two Fig campaigns experienced more modest interest from regular backers, the opposite is true for this campaign, and is likely what Fig needed to get their platform off the ground. In addition to the money raised from the campaign, a portion of the estimated $10 million plus budget will come from Double Fine and an external, undisclosed partner.
Like with Broken Age and MASSIVE CHALICE, 2 Player Production will be documenting the development of Psychonauts 2, and the resulting videos will be made freely available on YouTube for anyone to watch. Backers will also be able to pledge for rewards like the game on GOG or Steam, physical copies (including a Linux version), an art book, a functional replica of Raz' backpack from the game and more.
For more information about the campaign, see Psychonauts 2 on Fig. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Here's a game they totally won't go over the budget with and they won't ship it in multiple bits and most definitely won't go through Early Access and leave it in incomplete state for eternity.
3 Likes, Who?
Yeah ... after Broken Age and Spacebase, they absolutely won't be getting my money upfront.
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They wouldn't dare do that to Psychonauts, would they? :'(
No backing from me (as if they need it), but I'm sure it'll end up in my library at some point. The first one is an excellent game, no two ways about it.
No backing from me (as if they need it), but I'm sure it'll end up in my library at some point. The first one is an excellent game, no two ways about it.
3 Likes, Who?
I can understand people being disappointed about Spacebase, but I don't understand why so many people are still sore about Broken Age. Yes, it went over the initial budget, but so do 90% of every game that's being developed on a set budget. I've backed 100+ games on Kickstarter now, have been following the development of a bunch more, and delays happen all the time. You usually just don't know about it, since most games are in development for years before you even hear about them.
By the way, it's funny how people conveniently forget about Massive Chalice, when it was ON time and ON budget.
By the way, it's funny how people conveniently forget about Massive Chalice, when it was ON time and ON budget.
5 Likes, Who?
Given the Broken Age and Spacebase DF-9 fiascoes (it wasn't just that Broken Age was super late and overbudget, it was also bitterly disappointing), I wouldn't give Tim Schafer any money up front even if he put a gun to my head. I'll be interested in the final product, provided it turns out well, however, since I loved Psychonauts.
Last edited by Keyrock on 4 December 2015 at 4:18 pm UTC
Last edited by Keyrock on 4 December 2015 at 4:18 pm UTC
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Mountain Man Dec 4, 2015
Nice to see people finally wising up to the Kickstarter and "early access" scam.
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Too many risks here.
* DF9 was a complete and total disaster. Any other company would have been murdered by it.
* I've not played Broken Age, but taking into account the budgeting issues (No, when your asking for money you PLAN IT WELL). And I've heard the much awaited Act 2 was a shadow of Act 1, so yeah. Not a positive.
* Personally, I've not enjoyed a double fine game since their first and even if it is Psychonauts, the risks are too great.
At this point, they should seek out a publisher because they need the support so they DON'T go overbudget again.
* DF9 was a complete and total disaster. Any other company would have been murdered by it.
* I've not played Broken Age, but taking into account the budgeting issues (No, when your asking for money you PLAN IT WELL). And I've heard the much awaited Act 2 was a shadow of Act 1, so yeah. Not a positive.
* Personally, I've not enjoyed a double fine game since their first and even if it is Psychonauts, the risks are too great.
At this point, they should seek out a publisher because they need the support so they DON'T go overbudget again.
2 Likes, Who?
No, when your asking for money you PLAN IT WELL
They did. They planned a tiny game, and a documentary around it. Then suddenly, they got tenfold the money they asked for, and the plan went POUF. There's only so much polishing you can do to that tiny planned game, and the backers clearly expected more at that point.
If you have seen the documentary they produced, the planning and budgeting of the $3.3m project then was relatively well done.
they should seek out a publisher because they need the support so they DON'T go overbudget again.
If you look at their crowdfunding now, you will see that they have done exactly that. The $3.3m million they ask for is only a part. Another part will come from their own company, a part from outside investors. And a part from the Fig investors, i.e. people who pledge more than $
The completele budget for Psychonauts 2 is $13.5m.
Last edited by DrMcCoy on 4 December 2015 at 4:41 pm UTC
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No, when your asking for money you PLAN IT WELL
They did. They planned a tiny game, and a documentary around it. Then suddenly, they got tenfold the money they asked for, and the plan went POUF. There's only so much polishing you can do to that tiny planned game, and the backers clearly expected more at that point.
If you have seen the documentary they produced, the planning and budgeting of the $3.3m project then was relatively well done.
That's not the fault of the backers though. Stick to the plan. If you get tenfold of the money, don't then do something crazy which you have no plan for. If the difference was really that great, they needed to completely scrap the original project and rethink a new plan. Clearly this new plan wasn't as well thought out.
they should seek out a publisher because they need the support so they DON'T go overbudget again.
If you look at their crowdfunding now, you will see that they have done exactly that. The $3.3m million they ask for is only a part. Another part will come from their own company, a part from outside investors. And a part from the Fig investors, i.e. people who pledge more than $1000, who will then get a part of the profit as a return on their investment. This last part, that's where Fig is different from Kickstarter.
The complete budget for Psychonauts 2 is $13.5m.
And it confuses me. Why do they need $3.3m from backers if they managed to get the huge bulk from publishers. I'm presuming it's so that they can still claim to be independent but I can only see this getting conflicted. It's not clear how much involvement the majority holders of the game will have.
It also still doesn't solve the issue that Double Fine need an independent entity to stop them from spending because I (and I am not alone on this) still don't trust them yet to do that properly.
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I can understand people being disappointed about Spacebase, but I don't understand why so many people are still sore about Broken Age. Yes, it went over the initial budget, but so do 90% of every game that's being developed on a set budget. I've backed 100+ games on Kickstarter now, have been following the development of a bunch more, and delays happen all the time. You usually just don't know about it, since most games are in development for years before you even hear about them.
By the way, it's funny how people conveniently forget about Massive Chalice, when it was ON time and ON budget.
What's to be sore about with Broken Age? Let's see, they received 8X the funding they were looking for, and with all that extra money, managed to release the end of the game only 30 months late.
I'm not forgetting Massive Chalice. I'm remembering that Double Fine is 1 for 3 when it comes to kickstarter / early access games.
I don't like them odds.
1 Likes, Who?
Some interesting articles about Fig:
http://techcrunch.com/2015/08/18/fig-games/
http://www.polygon.com/2015/8/18/9169697/fig-kickstarter-equity-investment-games-outer-wilds-masi-oka
http://techcrunch.com/2015/08/18/fig-games/
http://www.polygon.com/2015/8/18/9169697/fig-kickstarter-equity-investment-games-outer-wilds-masi-oka
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Let's see, they received 8X the funding they were looking for, and with all that extra money, managed to release the end of the game only 30 months late.
...You say that as if an increased budget, and with it an increased scope, means faster developement. That's not how it works.
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Backers will also be able to pledge for rewards like the game on GOG or Steam, physical copies (including a Linux version)
Did they actually confirm that backers will be able to get rewards through GOG? So far they said that they'll distribute through GOG too, which can mean just ability to buy the game there.
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Double Fine is making games that I really like : I finished psychonauts at least twice, same for broken age. I enjoyed every minute of stacking and found costume quest kinda cool even though too simple. I still need to finish broken age but so far i've liked what I have seen. Even massive chalice that I thought wasn't my kind of game is finally pretty cool.
More than that, Double Fine started porting their games to linux in 2012 I think, with humble bundle, and now most of their catalog is on Steam OS and it was never a question for the game that followed until them, I don't remember of any stretch goal for that. How many editors can say that ?
They have done 2 kickstarters, the first one had problems with going over budget and delays, but all went good at the end, they delivered a good game (at least for me). They learned from their mistakes and the second one went smoothly, they communicated a lot and everyone was happy.
I can't say much for spacebase, but at least they didn't leave the player with something unplayable, just not as finished as they expected. And I think they won't do early access again any time soon.
For those 3 projects the risks were clear to me and the risks are also clear for this new project : there is a small chance that they won't deliver at all, a big chance that there will be hiccups in the process, a good chance that the result will be at least not bad considering their experience, and only a tiny chance that it will be outstanding. And a big chance that the project won't happen if there is no support from the community.
I am willing to take the risks, I understand that others won't. I don't think it's a bad thing to try new ways to fund games with more freedom, but like everything when you try new things it's difficult to do it good at first time.
More than that, Double Fine started porting their games to linux in 2012 I think, with humble bundle, and now most of their catalog is on Steam OS and it was never a question for the game that followed until them, I don't remember of any stretch goal for that. How many editors can say that ?
They have done 2 kickstarters, the first one had problems with going over budget and delays, but all went good at the end, they delivered a good game (at least for me). They learned from their mistakes and the second one went smoothly, they communicated a lot and everyone was happy.
I can't say much for spacebase, but at least they didn't leave the player with something unplayable, just not as finished as they expected. And I think they won't do early access again any time soon.
For those 3 projects the risks were clear to me and the risks are also clear for this new project : there is a small chance that they won't deliver at all, a big chance that there will be hiccups in the process, a good chance that the result will be at least not bad considering their experience, and only a tiny chance that it will be outstanding. And a big chance that the project won't happen if there is no support from the community.
I am willing to take the risks, I understand that others won't. I don't think it's a bad thing to try new ways to fund games with more freedom, but like everything when you try new things it's difficult to do it good at first time.
4 Likes, Who?
rustybroomhandle Dec 4, 2015
My only regret with Broken Age is that they finished it and released it. I could have watched many more episodes of that 2PP doccie. It was a great insight into studio dev.
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I just want to point out, despite some of the blunders, they have always released the Linux version as promised. Also, a lot of people have been asking for Psychonauts 2 for a long long time. This is not me defending DF9 and the likes, but just an inquiry on the project.
Having said that, I'm a bit confused on how the investor thing works and how people will be able to monitor it as a legitimate thing (guess that's what the lawyer's of Fig are fighting for). I'm actually going to commend Double Fine on this push to Fig. People have been slamming Kickstarter as of late, for being an investor without benefits platform, and now those people can put their money where their mouth is.
The question is, will it work out as a viable option? Would be very interesting to find out. Seems more transparent than Kickstarter anyway.
Having said that, I'm a bit confused on how the investor thing works and how people will be able to monitor it as a legitimate thing (guess that's what the lawyer's of Fig are fighting for). I'm actually going to commend Double Fine on this push to Fig. People have been slamming Kickstarter as of late, for being an investor without benefits platform, and now those people can put their money where their mouth is.
The question is, will it work out as a viable option? Would be very interesting to find out. Seems more transparent than Kickstarter anyway.
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mulletdeath Dec 4, 2015
Must they have this campaign so close to Christmas? No way I can justify backing this right now.
1 Likes, Who?
i loved double fine but they burnt me with spacebase.....i will not buy
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Let's see, they received 8X the funding they were looking for, and with all that extra money, managed to release the end of the game only 30 months late.
...You say that as if an increased budget, and with it an increased scope, means faster developement. That's not how it works.
Nope, I'm saying their project management skills are awful. In my world, if I'm only 50% complete, 14 months late, and I've already burned through 8X my initial funding request, I'm fired.
1 Likes, Who?
GOG release for backers is confirmed (can't link to exact comment there like in Kickstarter):
Anthony B.: I'm just curious if there might/could be a simultaneous release on GoG. I like humble, but I would prefer a GoG code instead (I know the final determination is easily 18 months out, just planting the idea now (is inception possible via crowdfunding comments? (should I keep nesting parentheses? (have I go- oh no, I've gone cross-eyed)))).https://www.fig.co/campaigns/psychonauts-2#forum
GregRice: @Anthony B. we’re aiming for Steam ,Humble and GoG :)
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