Wild uneducated speculation, but it's worth considering that Double Fine is afaik staffed around making smaller cheaper, DLC games right now. They may be well prepared to make Psychonauts 2 on a smaller than typical budget.
That's what makes him so interesting compared to regular pr enforced companies, he speaks his weird mind even when his lawyers suggest he should not, and unlike someone like peter molyneux he hasn't managed to cause harm yet. I think the best part about notch vs a publisher is that a publisher want to focus on making…