Psychonauts Turns 20 and the PsychOdyssey Rides Again
Hello friends! It's Double Fine here with Psychonauts-focused action blast of news. Don't panic! Today we've gathered up some very cool posts and recent news from our celebration of Psychonauts 20th anniversary. That's pretty astounding to think of! Raz's adventures kicked off two decades ago and thanks to fans like you he's lived on as a genuine icon in games history. An odd little side icon whose trippy heroics are thankfully associated with ideas of creativity and kindness.
Shout outs to Tim and that original team. Ya swung for the fences and hit the ball deep!
The Psychonauts cake and macaroons rest on a table with a glass top. Two plushies of Raz and Lili rest by the cake. There are also many glasses of champagne.
Family Fun
We kicked off our celebration with a fun party! The cake was based on the original cake made 20 years ago for Psychonauts' launch: a slathering of wild orange frosting topped with an awesome picture of Raz. There were even macaroons designed like Raz and Lili! You weren't there for that and we're bummed you couldn't show up. Instead, we shared cool stuff on our website. Among these was some work by Psychonauts art director Scott Campbell. He put together a fantastic new piece of art featuring most of the series' characters in a kind of "family portrait." Can you spy your favorite?
PsychOdyssey Returns!
We have lots of fan-submitted stuff to show off today but some of the story here has to be the development of the Psychonauts series. Thankfully, this has been documented in detail by 2 Player Productions. Details of those early days in Double Fine's initial run down office are captured in the earliest parts of Double Fine PsychOdyssey, our lengthy documentary that covers not only Psychonauts 2's development but the free-wheeling tumult of Psychonauts and the innovative design process of Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin. It had a cool Blu-ray release but the stock sold quickly and...
Wait what?!
That's right! Double Fine PsychOdyssey is back for a second Blu-ray run over at Fangamer. This modified package comes after tons of folks signed up on a special list to tell us they really wanted another chance to purchase a copy of the documentary. This edition has freshly-found extra footage and the “Documenting the Journey” 80-page booklet packed with team insights and reflection. Snag it quickly!
Fan-Tastic!
Not all of the artistic talent that week belonged to Scott. You sent us tons fan art that we collected into a massive collage as well as a few that were featured in a wonderful gallery. There were over 500 submissions ranging from Raz's in all kinds of style to original characters and images of new adventures for our fantastic psychic agents. And there was also plenty of Sasha and Milla romance!
Scott sat down to review some of this art and give his reactions. We're really fortunate to have such talented fans. Beyond art, we also collected submissions showing off arts and crafts as well as cosplay. Though I think "arts and crafts" might be underselling it. There's brain-cakes and lovingly designed dolls. There's hand-knit plushies and an imagining of what a LEGO Psychonauts set could look like. Cosplay ranged from all kinds of Raz costumes to a Loboto with a truly terrifying and game-accurate mask. Laying it all out in this email would take forever so all I will say is that you really need to click those links and behold it in all the glory.
These submissions came side by side with fan census that gave us information on our most popular characters. Raz obviously game out far ahead of the pack but there were fun quirks in the data. Sasha and Milla literally tied for second place! How oddly romantic.
Our top five popular characters were:
- Raz
- Sasha and Milla
- Loboto
- Ford
- Coach Oleander
What Inspires You?
There's always new things to discover about Psychonauts' development. Every time you think there's nothing else to learn, Tim will say something in the office like "That was inspired by Skies of Arcadia!" and you're like what the hell? So to conclude this newsletter, we want to share this video of Tim outlining the various inspirations that shaped the game into what it is.
There's a lot of things and it's not just limited to games. There's Haruki Murakami novels, art by Joe Saurin, and more. Tons of things mix to make games! It's very neat and Tim's inspirations are wonderfully varied. A reminder that art is an ongoing conversation between the people you inspire and the audience you then pass your work to. Which means folks like you!
We're continually happy to have your support and so amazed at the different ways you show love for our games. New adventures beckon but we'll also never forget the fun stories we've had along the way. Yes, that even includes the Meat Circus! Until then, keep kickin' butt!
We promise not to send too many emails, but if you wish to withdraw your consent and stop hearing from us, simply click the unsubscribe link found at the bottom of each email we send, or contact us at support@doublefine.com.
We value and respect your personal data and privacy. For more information, please read the Microsoft Privacy Statement. By submitting this form, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms. Thanks!