Psychonauts 2 will release this year, Double Fine confirms

Psychonauts 2 is nearly complete, and is aiming to launch at some point later this year, developer Double Fine has revealed in an update.

You can see the announcement from studio head Tim Schafer in full just below, in which the veteran developer gives an update on the sequel. "2020 was a dang strange time but Psychonauts 2 is doing well and will release next year," Schafer reveals in the video, adding more specifically that "all the levels are in the game" as the project heads towards completion.

Obviously, one big factor in Psychonauts 2's long-awaited release is the COVID-19 pandemic. Schafer reveals that the entire development team at Double Fine has switched to working remotely from home via Zoom, but despite this, the studio refuses to crunch to complete the sequel. "On the first game that was one of the worst crunch modes we've ever done," Schafer mentions, highlighting Double Fine's pledge to avoid crunching with Psychonauts 2. 

While working from home over the last few months, Schafer mentions that he's become something of an "internal game streamer," playing levels and builds of Psychonauts 2 while other members of the team tune in and comment on what they're seeing. Through this, Double Fine determines what to cut from Psychonauts 2, and what to keep.

As of right now, Double Fine is working on some very specific parts of Psychonauts 2. While revisiting previously-completed levels is on the to-do list, there's also work to do on cutscenes, end credits, the front-end menu, and a full post-game epilogue. Psychonauts 2 might be in the home stretch, but it sounds like there's still plenty to do.

For a recent tour of the anticipated sequel from the developers themselves, you can head over to Edge's Psychonauts 2 preview for more.

If you're after a complete look at all the additional games set to launch over the coming year, you can check out our new games 2021 guide.