The head of Double Fine put an end to all the rumors with a statement, so it’s safe to say that we shouldn’t get our hopes up for a Psychonauts sequel.

Fans of Psychonauts expecting an announcement at Gamescom may be disappointed. Tim Schafer, the head of development at Double Fine, essentially confirmed that the studio does not currently plan to release sequels to Psychonauts or Brütal Legend. In an interview with IGN at Gamescom, Schafer explained that Double Fine is focusing on original IPs and revealed that he is working on other projects. He didn’t reveal exactly what those projects are, but he did say that the studio is working on several original IPs because they have finished Psychonauts 2 and are satisfied with sequels for the time being.

Last year’s PsychOdyssey documentary series revealed how much time and energy went into making Psychonauts 2, as well as the reluctance of some of the developers to take on the work again for a third installment in the series. So, it’s perhaps not surprising that Double Fine wants to focus on smaller projects in the near future, though this may be disappointing for Psychonauts fans.

We already know that at least one of the new projects is Keeper. It is a surreal and sometimes unsettling puzzle game in which players take on the role of a walking lighthouse with a bird friend named Twig. Schafer described Keeper as a strange but calming experience and noted that there is no dialogue in the game. According to Schafer, they have made significant progress in developing the game, despite its relatively short length. They estimate that it can be completed in 6–8 hours, but during that time, players can enjoy a deep, high-fidelity, AAA-level experience.

The release date for Keeper was announced by Microsoft during its Xbox show in June. The puzzle-adventure game will be released on October 17 for Xbox Series and PC and will also be available on Xbox Game Pass (Double Fine is a member of Xbox Game Studios, after all).

Source: PCGamer, IGN