One of the first games to really make an impact with a crowdfunding campaign was Wasteland 2, a sequel to the 1980s RPG that inspired Fallout. Now, InXile Entertainment has announced a follow-up, which is set to further expand the limits of the franchise.
Wasteland 3 will cast players as a group of rangers known as Team November, according to a report from Polygon. The unit is sent on a mission to Colorado in the wake of a nuclear apocalypse, and at the start the game, they’re stranded from civilization and placed at the mercy of sub-zero temperatures.
The change of setting should ensure that Wasteland 3 has a different feel than its predecessor, even though many gameplay systems are making a return. However, the team at InXile are working on brand new mechanics that should expand upon the experience considerably.
The game will feature multiplayer support, allowing players to cooperate with one another as they explore the world of Wasteland 3. Each player will be able to control their own unique team of rangers, which should make for some unique methods of player interaction.
For instance, one player might embark upon a mission that centers around a herd of infected cattle that need to be culled, and the other group of rangers might end up being held accountable for the decision made by their partner. Another theoretical example given by studio head Brian Fargo involves one player convincing a community of NPCs that the other player is some kind of messiah, and leaving them to deal with the consequences.
Brotherhood Games is set to assist with development, having impressed Fargo with a pre-release version of their 2015 title Stasis. “They clearly understood how to set a mood with lighting and I wanted to promote them as talent,” Fargo told Digital Trends via email. “I had always kept the idea of working with them in the back of my mind to help set the visual style for a game and that is what I’ve done with Wasteland 3.”
The game’s new multiplayer component isn’t the only way in which it represents a break from the norm. Wasteland 3 will be funded via the Fig platform, which allows users to invest in promising projects, and to potentially see a share of their profits — Fargo holds a position on the organization’s advisory board.
“An equity crowdfuding campaign is significantly more complex than a standard rewards based one like Kickstarter,” he explained. “We still have to create a compelling rewards based program, but then put another layer on that allows people to invest via Fig to share in the sales of the games. There are issues to think through relating to accredited and unaccredited investors and there are SEC laws that need to be adhered to.”
“I believe all this effort to be worth it because it’s a compelling long term model if games on Fig can start to return profits to people. Making money is a concept that never gets old.”
The Wasteland 3 campaign will go live on Fig on October 5, with a funding goal of $2.75 million.
