Double Fine's first fan-investment Fig campaign is the long-awaited Psychonauts 2, the company announced today at the Game Awards.

Tim Schafer took the stage after a brief trailer to announce the existence of the sequel to the 2005 classic.

The sequel stars original protagonist Raz, entering new mental words "inside the minds of a host of new characters who need his help to combat their inner demons and unravel their deep-seated emotional issues."

Many of the original Psychonauts crew are returning, including Schafer, artists Scott Campbell, Peter Chan and Nathan Stapley, writer Erik Wolpaw, composer Peter McConnell, and voice actors Richard Horvitz and Nicki Rapp.

The project is the first crowdfunding campaign on innovative platform Fig to offer ordinary fans a chance to invest in the title and reap financial benefits from it.

It is seeking US$3.3 million in funding, to complement funding from external sources and Double Fine's own cash.

As of publication time, the campaign had already raised $175,000 from over 1500 backers - in about half an hour.

Psychonauts 2 is estimated to release in 2018.