Double Fine's Psychonauts 2 is a direct follow-up to the cult classic action-adventure platformer that featured on the original Xbox. While the game garnered great critical acclaim and certainly built up a loyal fan base over the years, it sadly did not find much in the way of commercial success.
Psychonauts 2 seems to be shaping up quite well, and the game has an exponentially larger population anticipating its release than the original. Particularly more so, since the game's development actually begun with a dedicated fanbase coming together for funding a portion of the game. A lot has changed in the gaming industry since the first game came out, too, which gives Psychonauts 2 and any future iteration a major advantage as opposed to the first game.
Psychonauts 2: The Backing Of Microsoft
As mentioned before, the original Psychonauts suffered from low sales which greatly diminished the possibility of a sequel. Developer Double Fine Studios was a relatively new independent studio with Psychonauts being its debut release, and thus the studio suffered some great financial losses. It wasn't until 2009 when Double Fine would get another crack at developing a new IP, Brutal Legend. Independent studios generally have a hard time surviving in the industry, constantly having to make sacrifices in choice of projects to keep the company running. Unfortunately, there were long spans of time where Double Fine was no different.
Microsoft acquired the studio in 2019, and Double Fine seems to be on track to hit its release next month. While Microsoft's management of prior acquisitions such as Rare has proven to be questionable, there's no doubt that Double Fine will benefit greatly from the giant's incredibly deep pockets. With Microsoft's backing, the studio can now design its games comfortably without having to worry about strict budgets and crunch-filled development timelines; problems that are common in independent studios.
Psychonauts 2 Benefits Greatly From Xbox Game Pass
Microsoft seems to have hit its stride with Xbox Game, a subscription service that allows subscribers access to a plethora of titles spanning across multiple genres for a lowly monthly fee. In addition to a number of new and old third-party releases, the entirety of the giant's first-party library will be available at launch - which also includes Psychonauts 2.
This makes the prospect of playing a new release incredibly enticing, as no additional charges are being incurred for trying out the game. Since the original Psychonauts didn't sell well, it's great that fans and developers alike have a lot less to worry about on that front when it comes to its successor. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer stated in an interview how the platform uses player engagement as a metric of success rather than purely downloads or purchases.
Instead of having to spend $60 or more up-front, fans can at least give the game a try and maybe find something interesting to warrant a purchase in the future. Even if it doesn't jibe well with their personal interests, no harm can come from giving the new Psychonauts game a chance. Early impressions of Psychonauts 2 seem to be great thus far, and hopefully, fans of the series will share that sentiment with the game's full release.
Psychonauts 2Â will launch on August 25 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
