Company News Codex Scoop: inXile to develop Autoduel car RPG at new New Orleans studio?

[Bubbles]

Would this be the first inXile RPG with autocombat?

 

[Mustawd]

I'd be pretty odd if he did a Kickstarter since they're the most direct competitor of this Fig platform. On the other hand, nobody outside the 'niche' RPG community has probably ever heard of Fig

The point of Fig is to encourage big spenders to migrate from KS. In addition, they want to attract new individual investors to video games via the Fig Platform.

To me it seems studos like inXile and Obsidian are in a small bind:

1. Ignore the Fig platform because it's still fledgling and they need to get their own projects funded. Negative side is that it makes Fig look less legit. In addition, if a journalist wanted to bust balls that's exactly the type of question you ask: Why haven't you figstarted your own games if you believe in this platform?

2. Figstart your game and not meet the funding goal or not get as much funding.

3. Do both and just confuse your funding base. It also takes away some of the concentration of crowdsourced money to hit specific stretch goals that help make the game better and build hype (e.g. I'm now hyped about D:OS2's GM mode).


Of course, this all assumes that investors even give a shit that Obsidian or inXile aren't funding their own game son Fig. If not, then the studios can go on their merry way with small projects on Fig, while it grows, and continue Kickstarting their own games in the meantime. I'm guessing this is their plan. If/when Fig becomes a big hit and success story, that's when you can migrate to it and make a big deal about competing with Kickstarter.

 

[Infinitron]

More details on inXile New Orleans: http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2015/10/inxile_to_open_oak_street_offi.html

Matt Findley will be in charge.

On a recent weekday, Matt Findley walked down Oak Street, had a friendly chat with four strangers, stopped by a coffee shop and a bar, and ducked into More Fun Comics to peruse. That was when it hit him. This was exactly the right place to develop video games.

"The street had everything that it takes to run a video game company," said Findley, president of inXile, a video game developer based in Newport Beach, Calif.

Findley joined inXile founder Brian Fargo and a host of economic development officials Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 21) to announce the company would open its newest development studio in newly renovated office space at the corner of Oak and Dublin streets later this year. The studio will house 50 developers each earning about $75,000 per year.

Economic development officials lauded the opening as another sign New Orleans is gaining traction as national tech hub.

Fargo, who founded inXile in 2002, said a Louisiana expansion was not part of the game plan until state economic development officials visited him earlier this year. The state's lucrative tax credit program caught his attention. The creative culture in New Orleans sealed the deal.

Fargo and Findley started seriously looking into a move in July. By September, plans for the move were in place.

"I think that if you're going to do something you do it," Fargo said. "So we did it."

The space on Oak Street will house developers who will work on new projects, including a successor to "The Bard's Tale" trilogy, a classic fantasy role playing game.

Findley, who is moving from California to New Orleans and will oversee the new office, said workers will start arriving from the company's Newport Beach, Calif. headquarters over the next few weeks to establish the first satellite location of inXile. The company plans to scale up to 50 employees in New Orleans over the coming five years.

The 3,900-square-foot office at 8207 Oak St. is still undergoing renovations and should be ready by December, he said. The Wednesday news conference was held in the unfinished space, the windows thrown open to a sunny and mild October afternoon.

Michael Hecht, CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc., one of the organizations involved in attracting inXile, called the new studio a "match made in video game heaven."

Hecht said New Orleans continues to emerge as a tech destination. He pointed to a line up of recent wins for the city, including new studios for game developers High Voltage Software and Gameloft as well as a GE technology center, which will transition to developing software for the company's energy and water segments this year.

Hecht said none of those deals would have been possible without the state's tax credit for digital media and software development. The state offers credits up to 25 percent on qualified in-state payroll expenses and up to 18 percent on certain in-state production costs.

Public scrutiny over state tax credit programs reached a new height this year as the state faced a budget deficit. Hecht urged lawmakers and the public to take a closer look at the digital media incentives. "This actually works," he said.

Quentin Messer, president and CEO of the New Orleans Business Alliance, highlighted inXile's decision to locate away from downtown and the Central Business District, where most of the city's traditional office space is located.

"It shows that what is happening here in New Orleans is parish-wide, in every neighborhood," Messer said.

Findley said inXile looked at traditional downtown office space on its first visits to New Orleans. He said he found the whole process "to be soul sucking."

Fargo chimed in, noting the development company's Newport Beach studio is a walk away from the beach, "with surf boards and chainsaws hanging from the ceiling." Oak Street had the right vibe for their company.

Both Findley and Fargo said they were concerned at first that few of their developers would be willing to leave California for New Orleans. They were surprised when about a dozen expressed interest in making the move.

Now, Findley said the company has to get to work readying its office space, which will feature long tables for open desk space, a corner full of video game consoles, a "kegerator," and a pool table.

Findley said a few inXile developers will be working from the Uptown home he is renting during the transition. He is looking forward to selling his home in California and settling into a place in New Orleans.

Findley said inXile will be posting hiring announcements for the new office to its website Wednesday night. He encouraged applicants to start sending in resumes.

"There are jobs here in New Orleans. Come and get them," he said.

 

[khavi]

Amazing, I never knew there was a video game based on Car Wars. You'd figure, of course. I think Steve Jackson Games actually kickstarted a re-release for it.

EDIT: Yup, sorta...https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/847271320/car-wars-classic-arenas

EDIT2: Holy fuck, I can't believe I missed the OGRE kickstarter

 

[Crescent Hawk]

I enjoyed the latest mad max game, even with the batman combat, its quite a solid triple A game. Wish there was somehow an opportunity to improve it and implement a decent story and rpg mechanics.

 

[Alchemist]

Amazing, I never knew there was a video game based on Car Wars. You'd figure, of course. I think Steve Jackson Games actually kickstarted a re-release for it.

EDIT: Yup, sorta...https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/847271320/car-wars-classic-arenas

EDIT2: Holy fuck, I can't believe I missed the OGRE kickstarter

A new 6th edition of Car Wars is still in the works, I hear. That Arenas thing was just an expansion of Classic Car Wars.

 

[Kem0sabe]

Fargo pulling a Kurt schilling...

One day there won't be a kickstarter to fund everyone of their games, and those tax handouts will come calling back once the layoffs start... And Fargo will realize that living off handouts is not a business plan.

 

[tyrannosaurus rex]

Quentin Messer, president and CEO of the New Orleans Business Alliance, highlighted inXile's decision to locate away from downtown and the Central Business District, where most of the city's traditional office space is located.

"It shows that what is happening here in New Orleans is parish-wide, in every neighborhood," Messer said.

Findley said inXile looked at traditional downtown office space on its first visits to New Orleans. He said he found the whole process "to be soul sucking."

Probably because it's an unsettling crime hole with roaming gangs. Wish they would drop the bullshit speak sometimes.

 

[Infinitron]

Metro can tell you whether that's true.

 

[tyrannosaurus rex]

Quebec has the distinct inconvenient of speaking Baguette gibberish

 

[gromit]

No, all it means is he can nobody else can make a game with the title "Van Buren". That's what trademarks are.

Fixed. Well, mostly.

 

[Metro]

Metro can tell you whether that's true.

Downtown is a standard collection of highrise office space. It's close a lot of local attractions but I can see why they went with the Oak Street location. As I mentioned in the other thread Oak Street is sort of a 'college' area dotted with restaurants and coffee shops. More laid back. Downtown is a pain in the ass to commute to (tons of traffic and terrible street access). Public transportation is also pretty mediocre compared to major cities.

Google Map link to Mellow Mushroom pizza chain just to give you an idea of the area:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/M...2!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0xf108e7903565399d

 

[BobNotHerbert]

Holy shit, I work a couple of minutes away from the new place...

 

[Excidium II]

Downtown is a standard collection of highrise office space. It's close a lot of local attractions but I can see why they went with the Oak Street location. As I mentioned in the other thread Oak Street is sort of a 'college' area dotted with restaurants and coffee shops. More laid back. Downtown is a pain in the ass to commute to (tons of traffic and terrible street access). Public transportation is also pretty mediocre compared to major cities.

Google Map link to Mellow Mushroom pizza chain just to give you an idea of the area:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/M...2!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0xf108e7903565399d

Looks like a sim city...city with all the perfect square blocks

 

[Mustawd]

Downtown is a standard collection of highrise office space. It's close a lot of local attractions but I can see why they went with the Oak Street location. As I mentioned in the other thread Oak Street is sort of a 'college' area dotted with restaurants and coffee shops. More laid back. Downtown is a pain in the ass to commute to (tons of traffic and terrible street access). Public transportation is also pretty mediocre compared to major cities.

Google Map link to Mellow Mushroom pizza chain just to give you an idea of the area:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/M...2!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0xf108e7903565399d

I love Mellow Mushroom.

 

[tyrannosaurus rex]

Downtown is a standard collection of highrise office space. It's close a lot of local attractions but I can see why they went with the Oak Street location. As I mentioned in the other thread Oak Street is sort of a 'college' area dotted with restaurants and coffee shops. More laid back. Downtown is a pain in the ass to commute to (tons of traffic and terrible street access). Public transportation is also pretty mediocre compared to major cities.

Google Map link to Mellow Mushroom pizza chain just to give you an idea of the area:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/M...2!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0xf108e7903565399d

When you don't know better you can't see the shit for what it is.

 

[Metro]

When you don't know better you can't see the shit for what it is.

I've lived in New Orleans, Boston, Nashville, the DC suburbs, and even New York (albeit briefly). New Orleans isn't any worse than an average city... unless you live in some lily white European country. The area around Oak Street isn't exactly upper class but it's certainly no ghetto.

 

[Invictus]

Nice, the Incline continues as Sven and Fargo look towards the future; that pair will always get my future pledges although that fig thingy sounds kind if fishy until you realize the developers want to create their own plataforms and keep that nice 20% (I always hear Alan Rickman when I say that phrase)
And adapting the original Van Buren to Wasteland would be easy peazy; most of the Fallout factions were originally based off Wasteland factions to begin with

 

[Trojan_generic]

Now: Autoduel
Next, I wish: Roadwar 2000 / Roadwar Europa

 

[Roguey]

New Orleans is 60% black and its median income is $37,146 (contrast that with Newport Beach's which is $109,677) so Jindal's plan is likely gentrification. Thanks for your part in fucking over poor people, Fargo.

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

One wonders how their surroundings will influence their future creative output...

 

[Infinitron]

I'm still waiting for somebody to photoshop the cover of A Confederacy of Dunces.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Hello, my name is Brian Fargo. You may know me from Interplay and all the games I helped publish.

But the one game that everyone has always asked me about and told me to bring back... was Autoduel.

 

[Irenaeus II]

 

[oldmanpaco]

Why anyone would voluntarily move to New Orleans is beyond me. Louisiana is the armpit of America. Those must be some spectacular "tax breaks".