Time to throttle back those rumor meters and accept some sad confirmations. Tim Schafer, CEO of Double Fine Productions, recently made it clear that the whole rumor about a potential Psychonauts sequel was a misinterpretation of something else entirely: a website page ABOUT Psychonauts.

Schafer explained the misunderstanding to Next-Gen, writing:

Man, who knew how much excitement a little darkness could bring? The truth is we are just putting together a new page about 'The Excellent Game Psychonauts.' We're not announcing any new games or anything. Sorry if we confused anybody! We lightened up the image to hopefully make things clearer.

While the current news is a bit disheartening, the company did admit that wouldn't mind making a sequel to Psychonauts, if they had the money for it. On the FAQ posted on the company's website, they said, "Not right now, but we’d love to [make a sequel to Psychonauts] someday. If anyone out there has a few million dollars burning a hole in their pocket, and would like to help us make an Excellent Sequel to Psychonauts, please let us know!"

If any of you have a few million dollars to spare and would like to help Double Fine in making a new game, let them know, alright?

 

It looks like the critically-acclaimed sleeper hit Psychonauts by Tim Schafer and Double Fine Productions (for the first Xbox, PS2 and PC) will finally get some love it deserves: the latest update in Double Fine Productions website features banners for their two current gaming projects. Of course, Brütal Legend for the PS3 and Xbox 360 is featured in one of the banners, while the other one bears the silhouette of Psychonaut's main character, Raz, with the message "Coming Soon" stamped on top.

The banner is just a mere teaser, and Double Fine's website doesn't offer any more details about their plan to revive their top-notch title. As there isn't much details to work on regarding this matter, we still can't give you a clue as to even just for which console this will be appearing in, although Eurogamer is guessing that the new Psychonauts title will be most probably for the Wii.

But don't you worry. You can trust us to sniff out more news, so stay tuned!

The industry-focused leg of the Games Convention at GCDC 2007 will take place">Leipzig is expected to break its previous record of 650 attendees, after Leipziger Messe GmbH announced through press wire that the registered attendee tally for the 2007 event has hit 850 attendees. The Games Convention Developers Conference (GCDC) will take place on August 20-22, just before the consumer and retailer exhibition.

 

Hailing from 35 countries all over the globe - 60 percent from the North American and UK regions - participants have the opportunity to witness the delivery of more than 80 event keynotes from over 120 speakers. And representatives from their respective industry segments - namely handheld, mobile, console, PC, Mac, and online markets - will expound on visions, themes and issues relevant to the industry's times.

Although much of the planned discussions will be focused on the industry side, there will also be discussions on how society and political bodies can properly recognize the gaming industry, and the significance of associations representing the game industry to the outside world.

And in another note, Leipziger Messe has particularly named Tim Schafer of Double Fine Production (Grim Fandango, Psychonauts) to deliver his keynote speech entitled "Games and Creativity," adapted for the new age of game development. If memory serves us right, Schafer and his studio has been secretly at work on a game project under Vivendi's revived Sierra Entertainment label.

It was claimed to be titled "Brutal Legend", but that has been under question for some time since it was retracted. But if former Leipzig revelations are were groundbreaking, then you may count that fellow blogger Schafer will spill more details on his ambitious "labor of love."

The 2007 Games Convention Developers Conference opening remarks will be delivered by none other than the Chairman of the European Games Development Forum (EGDF), Fred Hasson. More GC and GCDC news coming your way, before the Leipzig-filled week begins next Monday.

Yes, the Game Developer's Choice Awards, one of many the peer-based awards in the gaming industry, will be hosted in March 7, 2007 at the Esplanade Ballroom of the Moscone Center's South Hall. The GDCA Advisory Board now has announced the names of fellow legendary developers to be awarded special honors during the award ceremony hosted by Tim Schafer.

Jamil Moledina, Executive Director of the Game Developers Conference, said:

This year’s recipients of the Game Developers Choice Award special honors reflect the dramatic impact of their visionary creations and industry work. Our four honorees are each responsible for inspiring the industry to creative heights through personal example and challenging conventional wisdom.

The legends and their awards are as follows:

• First Penguin Award - Alexey Pajitnov (Tetris)
  
• Maverick Award - Greg Costikyan (pioneer of indie games)
  
• Community Contribution Award - George "The Fatman" Sanger (game audio developer)
  
• Lifetime Achievement Award - Shigeru Miyamoto (Donkey Kong, Mario Bros.)
  

The First Penguin Award acknowledges developers who venture into unknown territory and pave the way for the rest of the development community. The Maverick Award recognizes those who take risks by experimenting with unconventional methods. The Community Contribution Award is presented to a developer who embodies the spirit of community and encourages improvement among peers.

Recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award are selected by the Choice Awards Advisory Board, who are a collection of developers from around the globe. Past recipients of this award include Richard Garriott, Eugene Jarvis, Mark Cerny, Gunpei Yokoi (posthumously), Yuji Naka and Will Wright.

Double Fine Productions head honcho Tim Schafer (of Psychonauts) may have something big up his sleeves. But what it is, we can't say for sure. In an interview with 1Up, Schafer described his company's upcoming project as a "big one." And it's almost done, too, since they have been playing with the "big one" behind closed doors.

When pressed for more info, Schafer turned uber-coy by not confirming if the "big one" will be a comedy. "There are other things to do other than shooting things. And even if you are shooting things you can do funny things," he says.  Since Schafer is famous for his story-telling and comedy writing abilities will the "big one" be an FPS-comedy? He did say the "big one" has great music and may or may not have a score system.

Well, now we're not even sure he's talking about a videogame.