Ron Gilbert, co-creator of classic adventure games like Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island, has announced that Thimbleweed Park 2 is in early development, with a planned release for early 2028. The original Thimbleweed Park, released in 2017, was a nostalgic return to the LucasArts-style point-and-click adventure genre, earning praise for its challenging puzzles, eccentric characters, and a compelling mystery. Gilbert and his original Thimbleweed Park development team, including co-creator Gary Winnick, Mark Ferrari, David Fox, Octavi Navarro, and Robert Megone, are reuniting for the new project.
The new title will once again feature agents Ray and Reyes as protagonists and will involve a murder mystery, this time set within the Edmund Mansion. Gilbert described the game as a "spoof of a classic whodunit" where "everyone's a suspect except the butler, who for once did not do it." However, Gilbert has also stated that the game is not strictly a sequel or a prequel, describing it as "more Thimbleweed Park and just as weird." The original game focused on a murder investigation in the titular peculiar town, and its success, along with the favorable reception of 2022's Return to Monkey Island, seems to have reignited interest in the genre for Gilbert, who had previously expressed waning enthusiasm for 2D adventure games.
Thimbleweed Park 2 is slated for release on Windows, Mac, and Linux, and will be available on both Steam and GOG. While much of the game remains under wraps, Gilbert plans to launch a development blog, similar to the one for the original game, to provide updates on the project's progress. The game is now available to wishlist on Steam.