On the ten-year anniversary of Psychonauts, Double Fine veterans reflect back on the turbulent production. Tim decides it might be time to return to the Psychonauts universe...
The studio kicks off development of the Psychonauts VR game that will bridge the gap between the original Psychonauts and its sequel.
Rhombus of Ruin gets a pair of new project leads. Tim invites his most trusted artists to the studio to help brainstorm for Psychonauts 2.
The studio prepares to announce Psychonauts 2 on a new funding platform, creating both fresh opportunities and complications.
Psychonauts 2’s funding campaign is in full effect, but Double Fine finds itself confronting criticisms of previous projects in order to move forward.
Tim and new lead designer Zak lock themselves in a conference room for months, attempting to define the gameplay and story of Psychonauts 2.
It's a surprising day at the studio as a beloved team member shares personal news.
The Psychonauts 2 team staffs up with both veteran team members and new hires, while attempting to create a prototype of the game experience.
Double Fine hires a rookie designer and longtime studio fan to kick off development of a new game level.
James finds his footing with the team and the first Psychonauts 2 mental landscape takes shape.
Despite the previous breakthrough, the team struggles to impress Tim, who pushes for even stronger concepts. Meanwhile, Amnesia Fortnight draws near.
It's time for Amnesia Fortnight, a two-week game jam meant to invigorate the studio.
Leaders and team members reflect on the highs and lows of the most recent Amnesia Fortnight.
Frustration from Amnesia Fortnight carries back over into Psychonauts 2 as the team struggles to see eye to eye on the execution of the newest level concept.
Tim celebrates his 50th birthday while publisher Starbreeze puts pressure on the team with an impending visit.
A new art manager is hired to help smooth out the relationship between the art and design teams.
Tim's reception of a major award is made bittersweet by the departure of a founding Double Finer.
Following a major departure from the studio, the team is forced to examine their own processes or risk losing more vital team members.
A wave of new hires changes the team dynamics at Double Fine and generates fresh ideas for Psychonauts 2.
Asif is given the task of adapting his Amnesia Fortnight project into a full-fledged Psychonauts level.
With time and money running out, Zak struggles to find the path forward.
The team is shattered and reformed just as they face an uphill battle with delivering their first playable demo for the public.
The team picks up the pace as the E3 deadline looms. Meanwhile Greg and Tim work to secure Double Fine’s financial future.
The team wraps up their playable demo and has a blast showing the game off to the public for the first time.
Tim steps up his involvement after some high profile exits from the studio, bringing major changes to the project.
Amnesia Fortnight returns, calming tensions within the studio as everyone takes a much-needed break from Psychonauts 2.
From the crew and studio behind ‘Double Fine Adventure’ comes a brand new feature length documentary diving into the fast-paced world of game design and the fresh challenges that come with turning ideas into reality. Double Fine Productions (known for Psychonauts, Broken Age, Brütal Legend and more!) regularly take a two week break to collect their thoughts but the work doesn’t entirely stop. In a process called “Amnesia Fortnight,” anyone and everyone at the studio can pitch a game concept. The goal: turn those ideas into working prototypes. In 2019, during their work in Psychonauts 2, Double Fine held another Amnesia Fortnight. The result? New projects embodying the studio’s ethos of comedic adventures and unique games.
Issues with the expanding schedule come to a head as the studio attempts to reconcile with its past participation in crunch culture.
Fallout from the scheduling conflict results in more exits from the studio, but others continue to rise and fill leadership roles.
As pressure mounts to complete the game, a worldwide pandemic suddenly changes everything.
The team adjusts to working from home during the pandemic, pushing the release date out even further.
Intense political happenings, raging wildfires and general unrest cast a dark shadow over the studio as they struggle to finish Psychonauts 2.
The team pushes on towards the game’s imminent release as they fight to stay true to the heart of Double Fine.
Double Fine reflects on the launch of Psychonauts 2 and the PsychOdyssey documentary series while looking to the future and a return to smaller projects.
In March, we celebrated Women's History Month with a series looking at Psychonauts 2 and the amazing women who helped bring the game to live. Released initially on social media, here's the full deep dive for folks eager to learn about more of our team and their work! Featuring: - Monica Chin-Perez, senior archivist and culture manager - Denise Gollaher, director of operations - Naoko Takamoto, producer - Juli Gregg, gameplay programmer - Miyuki Richardson, animator - Malena Annable, producer - Rebecca Vessal, gameplay programmer - Moira Marr, environment artist - Zahra Amirabadi, character artist
Double Fine dives headfirst into their first VR project with Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin! The team works together to tackle the unique challenges posed by designing for a VR experience, and Psychonauts creator Tim Schafer returns to writing for the classic characters that launched his studio over ten years ago.
Artist Michael Firman has long been a collaborator with Double Fine Productions. Michael has created stylish portraits of the team, graphic support for the Amnesia Fortnight documentaries, and the animated story recap at the start of Psychonauts 2. For the PsychOdyssey, Michael was contracted to produce an opening title animation that would subtly change to represent each episode and the passage of time in the studio. This supercut presents just a small highlight of his total work on the series alongside the scenes that inspired him. The featured music track is "Illusions" by series composer Orange Drink, found on the second volume of his expansive PsychOdyssey soundtrack release.
