inXile Entertainment

inXile Entertainment is an American video game developer specializing in narrative-driven role-playing games for PC and consoles. Founded in 2002 by Brian Fargo following his departure from Interplay Entertainment, the studio builds reactive worlds around player choice, branching stories and consequences. Its work combines detailed world-building with dark humor, satire and systems that allow players to shape their experience through dialogue and combat decisions.

The studio’s early portfolio included the comedic console RPG The Bard’s Tale, alongside digital games and web ventures. It later became closely associated with the revival of complex computer role-playing games through Wasteland 2 and Torment: Tides of Numenera. Fan-supported crowdfunding played an important role in this period, helping finance those projects and The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep.

Microsoft acquired inXile in November 2018, bringing the developer into Xbox Game Studios while retaining Fargo’s creative leadership and the core team. The acquisition provided resources for the studio to move beyond its earlier crowdfunding model toward larger-scale production. Its development presence spans Southern California and New Orleans.

Role-playing design and production

inXile’s capabilities cover full-cycle game development, engineering, narrative architecture, branching dialogue, game systems and combat design. Its production work also encompasses environment art, character modeling, animation, audio design and cinematic staging. The studio’s experience includes turn-based tactical combat and first-person RPG development, with projects developed for both PC and console audiences.

Following the acquisition, inXile completed Wasteland 3, released in 2020, and its two story expansions in 2021. Its portfolio also includes the virtual reality RPG The Mage’s Tale, reflecting experience with different ways of presenting interactive worlds.

As of November 2026, the studio is developing Clockwork Revolution, a time-bending, first-person steampunk RPG built in Unreal Engine 5 for Windows PC and Xbox Series X/S. The project continues inXile’s focus on narrative-driven role-playing while applying that approach to a first-person setting.