The Artbook Cometh
Some time ago, we shared a bit of information about The Art of Psychonauts 2. This massive book started as a modest reward for project backers but grew into something much more comprehensive. Author Ashley Esqueda took our idea for an artbook and ran with it to the max! The result is a 402 page monster full of interviews and tons of never-before-seen content. It's been a long time in the making and the result is a book with pages of character concepts, looks back at parties and team gatherings, and so much more. Backers have received digital copies and the physical books are inbound. Meanwhile, many of those who pre-ordered with iam8bit have seen this lovely coffee table kingpin arrive at their doorsteps. It now reigns supreme among their collectibles. Impressive stuff!
Most copies seem to be sold out at iam8bit and I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about all this shipping stuff earlier. Consider swinging by their website regardless! There might be a chance more stock's loosened up or even a wider rerun in the future. There's certainly some other cool goodies to be found. These artbooks bring us exceptionally close to ending what has been an incredibly long journey with Psychonauts 2 backers and the massive suite of rewards from that campaign. I think all that's left are some wonderful plushies. It's been an interesting process to leap into as a community manager. I wasn't here for those initial Fig days but watching as projects like the art book turn into something above and beyond expectation was pretty great.
How much above and beyond expectation? Well, if that initial video didn't give you enough details you might find this follow up with Ash and Tim a great breakdown of what to expect if you get your hands on it. Ashley really flexed her pop culture muscles for this one.
I'm not sure what might be in the future for Psychonauts. Between the Double Fine PsychOdyssey and this book, I feel we've really opened up about the design process. I think we might have a little more to share although I can't quite talk about it yet. Psychonauts is always on our minds (ha!) and with such a long development period, it's hard to go a single day here without stumbling over an interesting memory or some knick knacks on a hard drive. Our 25th anniversary is coming up soon and that'll be a chance to share tons of stories about all of our games. There's plenty of stories to squeeze out of the brain lemon for some wonderful soul lemonade.
The brain is ours, the soul is yours. Together, they combine to make... something! For now, we hope the book peels back the curtain a little bit more. So, so many amazing people worked on P2 and I think it's really important to show off as many of their contributions as possible. Please enjoy!
