Double Fine says Psychonauts 2 is ‘playable’ and coming this year for sure

(Image credit: Double Fine Productions)

The original Psychonauts, Double Fine's narrative platformer about a summer camp for weirdos with psychic abilities, came out in 2005, and it took a full ten years for a sequel to be announced—and then slightly longer for it to actually be confirmed. Six years after that, we still don't have our hands on the game, but Double Fine said on Twitter today that this year, beyond any doubt, is the year that Psychonauts 2 will finally arrive.

"Yes, Psychonauts 2 is this year and yes I've been mentioning that here and elsewhere for a while but no I can't tell you when because someone from THE COMPANY would arrange for a mysterious 'cactus accident' to happen to me," Double Fine tweeted. "But it is real. It is playable. It is coming."

And yes, Psychonauts 2 is this year and yes I've been mentioning that here and elsewhere for a while but no I can't tell you when because someone from THE COMPANY would arrange for a mysterious "cactus accident" to happen to me...But it is real. It is playable. It is coming.April 19, 2021

I'm pretty sure Microsoft, which acquired Double Fine in 2019, is "the company," but I have no idea what the cactus accident could be.

The timing of the tweet is no accident—today is the 16th anniversary of Psychonauts' release—but the re-confirmation of a 2021 release is noteworthy too. Psychonauts 2 was expected to be out in the summer of 2018, but that was eventually pushed to 2019, then 2020, and then 2021. This time, apparently, they mean it.

And now, let us celebrate Psychonauts being old enough to drive (and get a sense of what’s coming in the new game) with a look back at one of videogaming's greatest anti-heroes: The Milkman. His milk is delicious.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.