Ron Gilbert, co-creator of the classic LucasArts adventure games Maniac Mansion and the Monkey Island series, has officially announced that a sequel to his 2017 point-and-click mystery, Thimbleweed Park, is in development. The new title, Thimbleweed Park 2, is slated for an early 2028 release on Linux, macOS, and Windows PC and will be self-published by the development team.
Gilbert revealed the news on his personal blog, Grumpy Gamer, confirming that production on the sequel has begun. A number of developers from the original Thimbleweed Park are returning for the project, including Mark Ferrari, David Fox, Octavi Navarro, Robert Megone, and co-creator Gary Winnick. Gilbert also indicated that a dedicated development blog for Thimbleweed Park 2 will launch soon.
The original Thimbleweed Park, released nearly a decade ago, was a notable entry in the point-and-click adventure game revival of the 2010s. It drew significant inspiration from and parodied television series such as Twin Peaks and The X-Files, following two FBI agents investigating a murder in the titular, eccentric town. The game's narrative focused on unraveling the mystery with the assistance of the town's peculiar residents.
Gilbert and Winnick's legacy in the adventure game genre is deeply rooted in their work at LucasArts, where they were instrumental in shaping iconic titles. While many contemporary adventure games sought to innovate on the genre's mechanics, Thimbleweed Park deliberately adhered closely to the established formulas of 1980s and 1990s adventure games. This approach was seen as a loving homage to the genre's golden age.
The announcement of Thimbleweed Park 2 arrives at a time when the X-Files franchise itself is experiencing a resurgence, with a reboot currently in development with Ryan Coogler. This renewed interest in the source material could provide a timely backdrop for the sequel's return to its distinctive investigative atmosphere and quirky narrative.