Wasteland 2 - MCA and inXile kick off design talks
 

Chris Avellone tweets he visited inXile today for the first of their Wasteland 2 design talks. By the way, the Kickstarter campaign has passed $2.3M (when you add Paypal), so hopefully the $2.5M mark can be achieved, which means two additional designers will be hired to add more content - 6 days to go.
More information.

Despite all the skepticism and even downright cynicism regarding Kickstarter around here, let me be the one who says it: Anyone who would have described a similar scenario 4 months ago would have been swiftly punched in the mouth for spewing unrealistic and hurtful fantasies.

I haven't picked up a lot of cynicism towards Kickstarter. Personally I think it is great. Most of us are realistic though and realize that the Kickstarter thing might be more of a fad than a sustainable model. I hope I am wrong about that, but Wasteland 2 still deserves a bigger budget than what it currently has in my opinion.

Well, I've been impressed by all I've seen and heard on this project (why I pledged), and if Fargo said he could do a Wasteland 2 for 1 mil and now has 2.3, then I think we're in good shape. Of course, there are still all of those pesky intangibles to work out, like "tone," "characterization," "pacing," etc. (i.e., just 'cause you get a good team together doesn't mean they deliver the goods). But, I'm optimistic… which is something I'm not with many games these days.

Kickstarter has undeniably given inXile a chance to make an old-school turn-based CRPG that they would not otherwise have had. There are no guarantees — but they have a shot. Even if the end result doesn't live up to our hopes, I think Kickstarter deserves credit for making the attempt possible.

I don't expect Kickstarter to replace traditional publishing so I won't be disappointed when it doesn't. All I hope for is that it continues to provide another financing option to small development houses in addition to traditional publishing and self-funding. I think it has a good chance of doing that — it's just another element in a broad wave of internet-enabled media disintermediation. (Wow, say that ten times fast!)

I personally think that Wasteland 2 will be a success (for some definition of success). But KickStarter is not the be all and end all of funding; just ask the Tortured Hearts people. If (and I suspect when) some "big" project implodes after it gets people's money that will doom many other projects.

I see a a handful of cynics but, honestly, I think most are quite excited.