Notch pushes Schafer for Psychonauts sequel

Mojang boss and Minecraft creator Markus 'Notch' Persson has found a novel use for the money he's made from the indie hit: funding the development of a Psychonauts sequel.

Developed by gaming legend Tim Schafer's Double Fine Productions, Psychonauts was a commercial failure but a critical success. The game, which sees the player take on the role of psychic adventurer Raz as he enters the minds of a variety of oddball characters, sold poorly despite winning numerous awards for both its PC and console releases.

Although the game was re-released in 2006 on Steam, again in 2009 via Good Old Games and updated in 2011 to support Steamworks functionality, no hint of a sequel has ever appeared. Instead, Schafer has been working on other projects including Brütal Legend, another innovative but poorly-selling title.

Fans of Psychonauts aren't willing to let the dream of a sequel die, however. When one such fan is Notch Persson, things start to happen.

When Schafer told Digital Spy that he would be willing to make a Psychonauts 2 should someone 'just give me a few million dollars,' Notch replied: 'OK.'

Specifically, Notch posted to a message to microblogging service Twitter directed at Schafer's account. 'Let's make Psychonauts 2 happen.'

Apparently serious about fronting up cash and developers to get a sequel off the ground, Notch has confirmed that he's talking to Schafer about the possibility. 'Me and [Schafer] are talking to each other via email, and he's cool with me saying whatever I want about it. He's, like, super awesome.'

It's far from a done deal, however. 'Anyway, please don't get your hopes too high yet,' Notch warned. 'Everything is extremely vague!'

Schafer, for his part, is keeping his head down. Rather than addressing the buzz, he's concentrating on promoting his current projects. Still, the possibility of seeing Psychonauts 2 looks a lot more likely today than it has at any other point in history.

Do you think Notch will convince Schafer to create the sequel, or would you rather see Double Fine's mad genius concentrating on original projects? Share your thoughts over in the forums.