Interplay co-founder Brian Fargo wants to buy it back

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Fargo said that if The Bard's Tale 4 is a hit, he'll take a shot at acquiring the company he helped found in 1983.

The Bard's Tale 4 comes out tomorrow, and if it's a big hit, inXile Entertainment boss Brian Fargo said on Twitter that he'll celebrate by trying to buy back Interplay, the studio he co-founded back in the early '80s. 

And in case you were curious, yes, he is serious about it. "I certainly am," he told Variety. "My fans have been requesting me to bring back my old Interplay games for years and this would be the most amazing way to make that happen."

Interplay was a top-notch outfit in its prime, developing or publishing games including The Bard's Tale trilogy, Wasteland, Neuromancer, Descent, Battle Chess, Freespace, and Fallout. Recent years (say, post-2000) haven't been as kind, however. 2014 Kickstarter campaigns for Battle Chess and a Freespace-based board game both failed badly, for instance, although Battle Chess did eventually make it to Steam. Aside from that, it's been focused primarily on re-releasing old properties like Evolva and MAX 2.

Even if Bard's Tale 4 is a hit, the whole thing hinges on Interplay's willingness to sell. Fortunately for those who'd like to see it happen, Interplay has previously expressed an interest in doing just that: In 2016 the company announced a plan (which as far as I know never went anywhere) to sell its entire portfolio. That's not quite the same as selling the entire company, but it's close enough to make for a good starting point. I've reached out to Interplay for comment and will update if I receive a reply.  

Andy Chalk
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.