Developer inXile has teased that it’s in the early stages of creating a new classic-style RPG. The studio has had solid success over the last year or so thanks to the boom in interest in old-style RPGs, with Wasteland 2 being critically admired and Torment spiritual successor Tides of Numenera picking up lots of cash on Kickstarter. But inXile’s new project involves an RPG that the studio’s fans have been demanding for some time
Is inXile working on a new Bard’s Tale game?
In a backers note to Wasteland 2 supporters this week, project lead Chris Keenan said that the studio was working on “another RPG that has been passionately demanded of us for a while now! It’s still quite early in the process, but we will have more news on that in the New Year.”
inXile has plenty of history working on beloved RPGs. The company’s roots run back as far as Black Isle, with many of its staff having worked on Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale. A true sequel to any of these games is likely impossible as the required Dungeons & Dragons license is held by Wizards of the Coast, a company who currently have plenty of dealings with Beamdog as they kick out Enhanced Editions of the classics. But as far as a spiritual successor akin to how Tides of Numenera emulates the soul of Planescape Torment? That’s a possibility.
Yet the words of Keenan suggests that inXile are actually revisiting an RPG property, so looking at the titles the studio actually have the rights to is probably a more accurate bet. Enter The Bard’s Tale. Last seen in 2004, it’s a comedic take on RPG tropes. It recently received some new attention thanks to a smartphone re-release, which may well be the catalyst behind the passionate demands inXile have received.
The studio’s head honcho is also fond of referencing The Bard’s Tale in his writing, so potentially a revisit to those sillier lands and adventures are being drawn up in the design studio as we speak. We’ll find out exactly what’s going on in the new year.
Thanks, Rock Paper Shotgun.