inXile Entertainment

About inXile Entertainment

inXile Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer specializing in role-playing games (RPGs). The company was founded in Newport Beach, California, on October 26, 2002, by Brian Fargo, a video game industry veteran who previously co-founded Interplay Productions. The name 'inXile' originated from Fargo's self-styled business card, "Leader in Exile," which he used after departing from Interplay.

Fargo's extensive background includes creating Interplay in 1983 and producing influential titles like The Bard's Tale, Fallout, and Wasteland. After leaving Interplay, he established inXile to continue creating the deep, narrative-driven games he was passionate about. The studio's first release was The Bard's Tale (2004), a comedic action-RPG. For several years, the company developed various titles for PC, consoles, and mobile platforms, including Line Rider and Hunted: The Demon's Forge.

A significant turning point came in 2012 when inXile successfully utilized the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter to finance Wasteland 2, a sequel to the 1988 classic. The campaign vastly exceeded its goal, raising nearly $3 million and demonstrating a strong market for classic-style RPGs. This success established inXile as a pioneer in crowdfunding for games and led to subsequent successful campaigns for titles like Torment: Tides of Numenera, a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment, and The Bard's Tale IV.

In November 2018, Microsoft acquired inXile Entertainment, making it a part of Xbox Game Studios. This acquisition provided the studio with financial stability and the resources to develop higher-budget, AAA-quality titles without the constant pressure of fundraising. As an Xbox studio, inXile operates with teams in Tustin, California, and New Orleans, Louisiana. The company's business model now functions within the larger Xbox ecosystem, developing titles for PC and Xbox consoles, often releasing them on the Game Pass subscription service on day one. The studio's current major project is Clockwork Revolution, a time-bending, first-person steampunk RPG.