The head of the Inxile Entertainment studio Brian Fargo took part in The Fourth Curtain Podcast to tell about his history in the game industry, how everything has changed under the control of Microsoft, and the new game in the development of ClockWork Revolution. Speaking about many years of work of an independent team, Fargo clearly understands that she often experienced financial stress.
“Constant running and panic, pistol to the head. I came to the office and saw how people laugh, drink coffee and spend time well, and I thought: “Once, I hope I could become as carefree as they“, He says, adding that since Inxile Entertainment has become part of the Xbox Game Studios in 2018, his efforts are now focused on”creative aspects»Business, and what he likes to participate in designer meetings.
Fargo also indicates that these creative decisions are still completely made by the studio, stating that “There is no micro -management at all here. [Microsoft] bought us because they trust us“.
Announced during the Xbox presentation in 2023, Clockwork Revolution is described as the first game of the AAA-class from Inxile, as well as the first game fully designed as part of the Xbox Game Studios. The game is a first-person RPG, the action of which takes place in a steampunk-city called Avalon, where the player discovers the opportunity to travel forward and back in time, observing how his solutions are realized after years. Clockwork Revolution currently has no release date.
Fargo says that the studio wants to emphasize “reactivity“, Citing an example of an ethical dilemma, when a player can go into the past to stop the serial killer, only to understand that this character was not a murderer in the past. Time travel can also cause more funny reactions, for example, transferring a specific hat to the past or the beginning of a fashion trend.
Speaking about the topic of AI, Fargo is careful in his words, saying that “for AI” for different people means different things. The head of the studio says that game developers can and must find ethical methods of using AI, for example, getting rid of labor -intensive work to view movements seizure data. However, Fargo rejects the idea of simple use in the game of something created by AI, stating that the team is not going to use tools such as Midjourney, to create something and introduce this into the game.
“I see in this benefit in many respects, but people are very attentive to this, so I have to answer carefully, without creating a wrong impression that it is acceptable“, He says, adding that” not convinced “that AI has in writing or creating NPC.
Microsoft recently announced partnership with INWORLD, investing in tools for developing games with artificial intelligence to create quest lines, stories and worlds.