From the perspective of gamers, Psychonauts was pretty awesome.  It garnered fantastic reviews, and holds a special place in the heart of many players.  From a publisher’s perspective, however, it was an unmitigated disaster.  Despite its Metarcritic average of 87, it sold far fewer copies than publisher Majesco expected, and remains one of the biggest financial disappointments of the last decade.  That’s why Tim Schafer’s announcement that he wants to start work on a sequel to Psychonauts is simultaneously thrilling and frustrating; He’s ready to make it, but will any publishers join him?

Speaking with PSM3, Schafer expressed his desire to make Psychonauts 2, stating, “It's really a question of getting a publisher who's interested in doing it."  The concern over finding a publisher is a legitimate one, but Schafer is a big enough name that some houses may take a chance on him.  In the interview, Schafer points out that Psychonauts has achieved greater notoriety due to digital distribution methods like Steam, as well as piracy, and that "if all these people were going to buy the sequel it would be a big hit."  Schafer’s last game, Brutal Legend, sold reasonably well, but didn’t exactly set the charts on fire.  It will be interesting to see who, if anyone, will pick up the project; will it be an established studio with money to lose who grabs it in an effort to be seen as “the studio that makes good games even if they don’t sell,” or a smaller studio who’s willing to take a loss in order to increase their own notoriety? 

[Source - PSM3 via CVG]