In 2005, the quirky psychedelic platformer Psychonauts debuted as Double Fine's first project, captivating audiences with its unique humor, unconventional visual style, and unforgettable characters. Created in the aftermath of the dotcom boom in early 2000s San Francisco, the game received praise for Tim Schafer's creative vision and dedication to excellence, as well as the hard work of a talented team, including co-writer Erik Wolpaw, who later worked on the Portal games for Valve.

Despite critical acclaim, the development of Psychonauts was filled with challenges such as poor working conditions, lack of experience, breakdown in communication, constant crunch periods, publisher search, and Schafer's workload as he took on multiple roles. Producer Caroline Esmurdoc, hired to manage the chaos, described the team's journey as overcoming numerous obstacles and turning potential defeat into success.

Under intense pressure, the team found a publisher within tight deadlines without compromising the game's quality, sacrificing ownership, or missing payroll. Esmurdoc praised the team's resilience, forming a strong bond amidst setbacks and creating one of the most united teams she had ever seen.

Explore the successes and failures of the development of Psychonauts in this classic postmortem from the August 2005 issue of Game Developer Magazine, republished in 2015 for the game's 10th anniversary.