Microsoft seems to be dropping a huge hint for Psychonauts 3.
As shared on Reddit, Microsoft ANZ (Australia and New Zealand) have shared an image that very literally and obviously spells out the name of this game, albeit, with a modicum of brain teasing. We have confirmed that post is still live and will share the image with you below.
Microsoft captioned this image with the statement:
“WHAT DOES IT MEAN??
no please seriously, someone help us out”
The next paragraph will describe the image and what the image means, so feel free to skip it if you prefer not to see it.
The image shows a game of tic-tac-toe, with a row of three x’s broken up. Instead of 0s, however, the other squares spell out the word psycho. The three x’s can be read as three naughts. Therefore, the image is hinting at Psychonauts 3.
For those who may not remember, Psychonauts creator studio Double Fine was acquired by Xbox in 2019. Double Fine pursued this arrangement after years of trying to secure self-funding across multiple platforms. Psychonauts 2 was being developed while Double Fine was under these conditions.
While the studio had secured over 3 million to produce the game via Fig, development went through multiple issues. Double Fine even lost their publisher for Psychonauts 2. As Double Fine head Tim Schafer said at the time, “It was such a roller coaster, and at certain points, it really didn’t feel like it was going to be good.”
So Microsoft actually arrived in time as a deus ex machina for Psychonauts 2. Double Fine was able to finish the game without cutting anything back, and subsequently, deliver the game as promised to their initial backers. That even included getting the game on PlayStation 4.
Psychonauts 2 did release in 2021. In that same year, Tim had joked that fans were asking for Psychonauts 3 way too early.
Of course, we had already guessed back then that Double Fine was already working on a sequel. With Microsoft Game Studios securing their funding, and feeding off the momentum of their successful release, it only made sense that Double Fine would immediately set to work on a sequel.
It does seem a little surprising that Psychonauts 3 would be ready to reveal in as short as 2 years, but maybe Double Fine were already prototyping this sequel in the final months of working on Psychonauts 2. If it isn’t quite ready for release, it may be ready to be part of Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox Showcase, that is coming alongside its Starfield Direct this June 11, 2023.
