Back in 1988, Brian Fargo designed a post-apocalyptic game called Wasteland which would eventually fall deep into the shadow of its spiritual successor, Fallout. It seems that Fargo never quite let go of the game and eventually reacquired the rights from the title’s original publisher, Electronic Arts. Now, in the face of Double Fine’s staggering Kickstarter success and pressure from fans, Fargo has made the decision to have his development studio, inXile Entertainment, pursue a direct sequel to Wasteland.
In a conversation with IGN, Fargo has stated that the game would be developed as close to the roots of the original as possible, likely a top-down, party and skill-based RPG. PC development would be the top priority, but Fargo hasn’t ruled out the possibility of releasing the game for iPad as well. Current estimates for the cost of the project are at least a million dollars with a Kickstarter drive planned to begin next month if the team decides to move forward.
I’m glad to see that there’s been so much excitement surrounding the Double Fine Kickstarter and that it has people talking about alternative means of funding games. I don’t know that I’m personally all that interested in playing the game Fargo describes, but that’s the beauty of it in a way. Crowdfunding such as this allows us as consumers to have two types of investment, financial and emotional, intersect in a new and interesting fashion. All it takes is to get the message out to enough people who share your passion and suddenly projects many would think impossible have a real shot.
Wasteland Reboot in the Works [IGN]
