Double Fine is making several "weird" games that "could never get accepted by a publisher," though some developers leave the door open for Psychonauts 3

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Psychonauts 2

Double Fine Productions recently dropped an epilogue episode to its sweeping 33-part documentary series PsychoOdyssey, whichbroke down the turbulent development of Psychonauts 2, and it left some hints about the studio’s next few projects.

To shoo out the elephant in the room, Double Fine is currently not making Psychonauts 3 or any other similarly massive projects since the studio is playing around with comparatively smaller stuff. Some developers didn’t totally close the door on a potential threequel, however. Senior VFX artist Tazio Coolidge said he wouldn’t mind returning to the trippy world “because we have all these lessons learned,” though doing so “would be f***ing hard, dude.” Another developer said, “Maybe we’ll make a third someday,” while one just groaned “No…”

Double Fine PsychOdyssey · EP33: “We Wrote It Down” - YouTubeWatch On

Double Fine PsychOdyssey · EP33: “We Wrote It Down” - YouTube

Double Fine PsychOdyssey · EP33: “We Wrote It Down” - YouTube

Double Fine PsychOdyssey · EP33: “We Wrote It Down” - YouTube

That’s because anyone that’s watched the full docuseries knows that the development of Psychonauts 2 was a pretty tough endeavour for Double Fine folks, as most big video games are, as some staff talk about feeling burned out in the episode above. But it sounds like the studio is returning to their previous development pipeline and splitting into smaller teams, which previously gave us leaner gems like Costume Quest and mutant roguelike Rad.

Schafer then hints that Lee Petty, the director behind dazzling Metroidvania Headlander, is making something “weird” and “unexpected.” After leading cult classics such as Brutal Legend, Psychonauts, Grim Fandango, and much more, Schafer himself is also hammering away at a secretive project that’s even under wraps from most of the studio’s other employees, too.

Whatever comes out of Double Fine next should be, as all their output usually is, totally original.

Psychonauts 2 was designed as the “complete opposite” of an FPS because Tim Schafer wanted players to leave the world’s levels in a better condition than they found it.

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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension"2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package"3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure"4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years"5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths"1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show"2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie"3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action"4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien"5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite"1Squid Game season 2 review: “Secures its place as one of the best shows on television right now"2Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat"3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses"4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist"5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

Nemesis board game models and tokens laid out on a board

1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

1

Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

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Shadow brandishes a gun in Sonic The Hedgehog 3

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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

3

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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

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Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

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Squid Game season 2

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4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

4

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5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

5

Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

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