No, it's not a mirage. The beta for Wasteland 2 looks to be fast approaching, according to new information released yesterday by inXile Entertainment lead Brian Fargo. On Twitter and in a forum post yesterday, Fargo described the beta phase of the game's development as more or less imminent.
"Good news... Wasteland 2 beta is nearing completion (really)," Fargo wrote. "We feel confident of it's release within 2.5 weeks as we nail down blocker bugs and dial up messaging to make things clear. I'm really looking forward to the feedback of our beta backers. Thanks for all your patience."
As a sequel to the classic 1988 RPG, a couple weeks doesn't seem like much of a wait for a look at Wasteland 2's beta version. But given the enthusiasm for this project—the Kickstarter raised $2 million more than it asked for—a healthy amount of nervous anticipation seems appropriate. We already heard from Fargo back in July that crowdfunding a game like Wasteland 2, without the pressures of publishers or retailers hounding them, meant the developers didn't have to push the game out the door until it was ready, a sentiment echoed by project lead Chris Keenan in an update two weeks ago.
"We've received countless messages from backers telling us not to release the game until it's ready," Keenan wrote. "Even though it's an early beta, we feel the experience has to be at a base level of satisfaction to us before we release it."
The beta is for backers only, who will likely have a big role to play in when the post-apocalyptic RPG sees its final release to the public, according to Fargo.
"We won't set a full release date until we work through the beta with our backers," Fargo wrote on Twitter yesterday. "[U]ltimately we are making this game together."
For a look at the most recently released public footage of the game, check out this walkthrough of a Wasteland 2 prison level.
