Xbox’s Clockwork Revolution is its dev’s “most ambitious title, probably by a factor of 10” — it sounds like the RPG of my dreams, and probably yours too

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Microsoft, particularly through Xbox Game Studios, has been consistently releasing large-scale role-playing games like Starfield from Bethesda and upcoming titles such as Avowed, Grounded 2, and The Outer Worlds 2. Their next major release is Clockwork Revolution from inXile Entertainment, and according to the studio’s CEO Brian Fargo, it’s their most ambitious and expansive game to date.

In a recent interview with GamesRadar+, the developer described their new game as significantly more ambitious than anything they’ve done before – about ten times more, in fact. Their main aim is to recreate the dynamic, player-driven experiences found in their top-down games, like the acclaimed post-apocalyptic RPG Wasteland 3 (released in 2020), but within a first-person perspective. Wasteland 3 is the newest installment in a long-running series that heavily influenced the Fallout games.

Fargo previously mentioned that working on Clockwork Revolution has been the most complex project of his career. He now explains how this complexity connects to the core design principles at inXile, and why making the game world dynamically change based on player choices is crucial for creating the immersive roleplaying experience he envisions.

inXile Entertainment believes strongly in making game worlds that truly respond to players. The developer feels that real roleplaying means your choices have a noticeable impact on the game world. If your decisions don’t matter and the story always ends the same way, it destroys the feeling of being immersed. However, when the world constantly changes based on your actions – both major and minor – that’s when you truly feel like you’re living within the game.

Fargo explained that the game will be very detailed and complex, with a lot to experience – about 30% more content than you could finish in one game. The developers are also aiming for a lot of player freedom, letting you tackle the steampunk adventure however you like, with all choices and paths feeling equally meaningful and well-developed.

According to Fargo, true player choice is crucial. If a game doesn’t let players make genuinely bad decisions and face the resulting consequences, then their ‘good’ choices aren’t really free will at all – they’re just being guided along a predetermined path. The team believes players need to actively *choose* their actions, and they also enjoy injecting a dark, playful humor into the experience.

The game’s intricate detail carries over to how you progress and fight. Clockwork Revolution lets you create a wide variety of unique characters with tons of customizable gadgets, abilities, and weapons that you can refine throughout your entire experience.

The game is deliberately complex to encourage players to connect online and discuss the most effective strategies. We want them to share tips, discover new tactics, and even come up with approaches we haven’t thought of ourselves, and that needs a lot of different elements working together, as Fargo explained.

Our aim is to let players explore and fight however they prefer, mirroring our approach to storytelling. We want the narrative to be adaptable, allowing each player to create a unique, personal story. From customizing your character and weapons to choosing how you respond in conversations, we want players to feel like they’re in control of their own adventure.

Honestly, Clockwork Revolution sounds absolutely incredible! As someone who loves RPGs, I’m really excited about how much the developers, Fargo, are focusing on reactivity, letting you truly shape the story with your choices, and offering a ton of different ways to play. That’s what makes games like Fallout: New Vegas and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 so amazing, and I have a feeling inXile’s new game is going to be right up there with them when it launches. It just ticks all the boxes for me!

We don’t have a confirmed release date for Clockwork Revolution yet, though some people are predicting it might come out in 2026. When it’s released, it will be playable on Xbox consoles, PCs, and through Xbox Cloud Gaming with an Xbox Game Pass subscription.

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2026-01-22 00:40