Developer Double Fine has a lengthy documentary focused on the making of its 2021 hit, Psychonauts 2. Split into 32 parts, the “Double Fine PsychOdyssey” series explores the game from its initial conception and goes through its fairly long development period.
Psychonauts 2 had an interesting development period due to crowdfunding and the developer later being acquired by Microsoft after the game’s original publishing plans fell through. Previously, Tim Schafer has called he game’s development a “long haul,” and this series aims to touch on that in a more direct way.
These types of videos used to exist in previous video game eras, and often as bonus content for the games themselves. But their existence has become increasingly rare in the triple-A space, so seeing Double Fine put one out that’s so extensive is interesting, to say the least.
Humans Make Games
More interestingly, the documentary bills itself as covering “the human side of game development.” Current game documentary channels such as NoClip often acknowledge what it takes to make games, but “PsychOdyssey” appears to be making that a more central part of its existence.
The initial trailer also features some interesting tidbits to build anticipation for the videos to follow. Among conversations about the fear of sequel-itis and hoping the game itself will be well-received, there were apparently discussions about splitting Psychonauts 2 in two games, which the developer previously did with Broken Age.
All of “PsychOdyssey” is available to watch starting here.