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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Just because no one named it here, yet: Brutal Legend, fantastic game.
I feel really deep sympathy for DF, they were the first bigger player to really support linux.
Without them, icculus and humble, linux gaming would have been in a much poorer state when valve started to think about a linux client and who knows if they would have taken this endevour then.
I feel really deep sympathy for DF, they were the first bigger player to really support linux.
Without them, icculus and humble, linux gaming would have been in a much poorer state when valve started to think about a linux client and who knows if they would have taken this endevour then.
4 Likes, Who?
Segata Sanshiro Dec 4, 2015
As much as it pains me to say it, there's no chance DF are getting my money unless it's for a finished product which is actually good. They're addicted to crowd funding money to the point where this supposedly "small indie studio" manages to keep multiple crowdfunded projects going at once while at the same time maintaining this sort of "we're your cool quirky buddies" demeanour... I feel it's kind of stomach churning at times.
That said, I don't think they have bad intentions, just that they don't know how to manage money and are too caught up in this "blue sky thinking "brainstorm synergies" "business is a philosophy and a way of life" BS. If they do more stuff like the remastered Grim Fandango, I'll still pay for it.
That said, I don't think they have bad intentions, just that they don't know how to manage money and are too caught up in this "blue sky thinking "brainstorm synergies" "business is a philosophy and a way of life" BS. If they do more stuff like the remastered Grim Fandango, I'll still pay for it.
2 Likes, Who?
Personally, I would totally throw moar money at them but sadly, as soon as I thought that, my sock-puppet took away my credit card, looking at me like I'm some retard who can't be trusted with money.
5 Likes, Who?
Storminator16 Dec 4, 2015
LOL. No. Double Fine is not to be trusted. I'll buy once it's released.
Last edited by Storminator16 on 5 December 2015 at 1:19 am UTC
Last edited by Storminator16 on 5 December 2015 at 1:19 am UTC
1 Likes, Who?
ElectricPrism Dec 4, 2015
Wrong Thread
Last edited by ElectricPrism on 4 December 2015 at 11:40 pm UTC
Last edited by ElectricPrism on 4 December 2015 at 11:40 pm UTC
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Segata Sanshiro Dec 5, 2015
By the way, it's funny how people conveniently forget about Massive Chalice, when it was ON time and ON budget.
Sure, but that game really sucked :P. No offence to them, but in my eyes to make a game which on paper is EXCATLY the kind of game I pay good money for, but still manage to make it mind numbingly dull is just a massive achievement. Only other game I've had that with in the last couple of years is Grand Ages: Medieval.
Anyway, I don't know why I bother commenting on them anymore. They'll get their money regardless of what people say and I do hope this one turns out to be a good game.
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PublicNuisance Dec 5, 2015
$33 for the early bird price of the game ? I don't go over $20 for a crowdfunder. Not a chance unless your name is Star Citizen.
1 Likes, Who?
Cheeseness Dec 5, 2015
In most contexts, you'd already have been through some hard meetings and negotiated expanding the budget and scope. The documentary shows some stuff along these lines, admittedly done without a lot of community consultation, but the general attitude among backers at the time seemed to be, "Take your time, the game will be better for it."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.
Anyway, I don't know why I bother commenting on them anymore. They'll get their money regardless of what people say and I do hope this one turns out to be a good game.
That's the nature of crowdfunding, isn't it? It's a way for people who believe in a project and its creators to support an attempt at bringing that project into reality. There's not really much in the way of meaningful outcomes from discussion for people who aren't interested in the project (unless their goal is to actively prevent others from supporting, which is kinda weird).
No offence to them, but in my eyes to make a game which on paper is EXCATLY the kind of game I pay good money for, but still manage to make it mind numbingly dull is just a massive achievement.Massive Chalice is far from dull. Its vibrancy is along different axes to other prominent squad oriented turn based strategy, games which demonstrates that it's not exactly the same kind of game. With that game's crowdfunding campaign putting a lot of focus on the planned generational aspects, it felt to me from the beginning that the MC had different priorities and that that would be reflected in the final game.
Either way, I think it highlights that it's really important to for anybody considering supporting to make sure that they're in the same headspace as the designers - Psychonauts 2 feels a little easier in that regard with it being a sequel, but at the same time, sequels can take things in directions that are different from what a given player of the original might have expected, and Psychonauts has had 10 years of speculation shaping their expectations.
To use other sequels that Tim Shafer has worked on as examples, Day of the Tentacle changes a lot of what I think defines Maniac Mansion's identity (I really enjoy DotT, but I can see why some people who love Maniac Mansion don't and vice versa) and Monkey Island 2 has a distinctly different kind of atmosphere and approach towards the characterisation of Guybrush (though not to the extent or in the same ways that Monkey Island 3 does).
It's important and healthy to be cautious, and if anyone feels like it's not for them or that they'd rather wait for the finished product if the game gets made, that's totally cool :)
3 Likes, Who?
By the way, it's funny how people conveniently forget about Massive Chalice, when it was ON time and ON budget.
On time? Yes
On budget? Yes
Good? No
2 Likes, Who?
Doublefine peaked with Psychonauts and Brutal Legends. Game play has never been their strong suit and with Tim's new friends, I can't see them pulling off a story with more punch than an after school special.
1 Likes, Who?
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.
I've also really liked most of their games, which is why I have no problem forgiving them occasional blunders, though I don't consider Broken Age to be one. I thought the puzzles in Act 1 were a bit on the easy side, but Act 2 made up for that, and overall I thought it was a great experience, even though I felt the story could have been fleshed out a bit more. My favorite point-and-click this year was Dropsy, but as far as crowdfunding experiences go, nothing tops DFA when I take the amazing documentary into account.
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 ?
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.
I feel really deep sympathy for DF, they were the first bigger player to really support linux.
Without them, icculus and humble, linux gaming would have been in a much poorer state when valve started to think about a linux client and who knows if they would have taken this endevour then.
Yeah, Double Fine has been great about supporting Linux, and I think that having major indie developers like DF, Croteam, Klei, Vlambeer and Team17 support our OS has been crucial in getting other, smaller indies to do so too.
Regarding Massive Chalice:
Sure, but that game really sucked :P
Good? No
It's not really my cup of tea either (and neither is XCOM), but it has 72% positive ratings on Steam, which really isn't bad no matter how you slice it.
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I definitely won't be funding any more DF games. Once they release, get reviewed by an impartial party and support Linux I'll consider it :)
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Where will you find an impartial party though? ;)
Good question. Hmm. Okay I guess I'll wait for reviews by at least two partial parties, one that likes the game and one that dislikes it :)
1 Likes, Who?
Sounds like a plan. :) When reading user reviews, I try to find both positive and negative reviews. It's not a perfect method, and many of the games I'm interested in have no professional reviews or let's plays, and only a handful of user reviews on Steam, GOG or Metacritic.
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