Psychonauts 2 studio boss Tim Schafer says he was surprised by response to game’s accessibility options

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“I was really happy to be on the right side of that”

Psychonauts 2
(Image credit: Double Fine)

Psychonauts 2 studio founder Tim Schafer says he was surprised by the response garnered from the reveal of the upcoming game’s accessibility features. 

As part of an interview with GamesRadar+, when asked if the comments about accessibility in Psychonauts 2 surprised him, Schafer responded: “I was kind of surprised that it was news. Like I was really happy to be on the right side of that, I just thought everyone knew this and that it’s obvious that games should be enjoyed by everyone.” 

The accessibility considerations include some of the more usual options found in modern game menus from brightness options, text legibility, subtitles, and subtitle size. To some more impressive features such as Localized Navigation Sign UI, which changes any signs or written words in the game from English into the player’s chosen language, and even a mental health advisory screen as the game features artistic representations of serious medical conditions. 

Elsewhere in the interview, Schafer also noted that: “We’ve had different difficulty modes, for me, since Monkey Island 2. I was kind of like ‘I wonder why this is getting picked up’ but I think it was just getting picked up because so many people agreed with it and they just wanted that statement to be said,” before concluding with “I guess that’s where a lot of people are right now, wanting to hear that.” 

Psychonauts 2 has been in development for around five years now, after it was initially announced in 2015. However, those who just can’t wait to revisit the Motherlobe don’t have to wait much longer - as revealed during the Xbox and Bethesda E3 2021 showcase - Psychonauts 2 will release on August 25, 2021. 

Just can’t wait to reunite with Raz and the gang? Get even more excited with our Psychonauts 2 hands-on impressions preview.

Hope Bellingham
Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.