InXile Entertainmentwas founded by Brian Fargo, co-founder of Interplay, and developer of various beloved CRPGs such as Wasteland,Falloutand The Bard’s Tale.
Wasteland, which Fargo directed, is often seen as the primary inspiration for Fallout, which went on to become a much bigger brand following the release of the original in 1997. Fargo was an executive producer on both Fallout and Fallout 2.
InXile was in dire straits until a “Hail Mary"Kickstarter campaignfor Wasteland 2 saved the studio in 2012. The campaign raised $2,933,252, and Wasteland 2 was released to acclaim. The success of Wasteland 2 and the subsequent Torment: Tides of Numenera led to the acquisition of InXile by Microsoft in 2018.
InXile’s Going Strong
“That Kickstarter campaign was a Hail Mary pass to allow us to go back to making the kind of role-playing games we wanted to, and eventually being part of Microsoft,” Fargo said in asocial media post. “That culminated in Clockwork Revolution.”
Clockwork Revolution, originally revealed in 2023, received a lengthy trailer at the most recent Xbox Showcase. The game is very, very British and clearly displays elements of the immersive genre, drawing apt comparisons to BioShock and Dishonored. Our own Tessa Kaur believes Clockwork Revolution may surpass BioShock Infinite,based on early impressions.
There’s a big emphasis on player agency in Clockwork Revolution. Micah Whipple, communications director at InXile, recently released a piece onXbox Wirewhere he highlighted the reactivity of the game: “Clockwork Revolution has all the crunchy systems and reactivity you’d expect from us.”
The advent of crowdfunding in the early 2010s is not only responsible for saving InXile Entertainment but also fellow Xbox Game Studios property Obsidian Entertainment. The latter’s Kickstarter campaign for the original Pillars of Eternity gave the studio a much-needed cash injection, allowing it to flourish until its eventual acquisition by Microsoft.
Clockwork Revolution is set to release sometime in 2026, though a specific release date has yet to be specified.
