Brian Fargo returns to development with new Bard's Tale

Following a "break from the industry" after an acrimonious parting of ways with French publisher Titus, onetime Interplay boss Brian Fargo is set to return to the business of making games with a new development studio.

Fargo's new studio is inXile, and its first project will be a return to one of his most successful early games - namely Bard's Tale, a 1985 RPG title originally developed for the Apple II and later ported to the C64 and Spectrum, which spawned a series that sold over a million copies worldwide.

"After a nice break from the industry I'm recharged and anxious to make great games again," Fargo commented in a statement announcing the launch of the new studio. His tenure at Interplay ended after the company was bought out by Titus, with the French company commencing an asset-stripping programme and then replacing Fargo with current CEO Herve Caen.

"I have collaborated with some of the top people in the industry to create inXile," Fargo said in his statement. "We believe our success will lie in our business model, our intensive pre-production development philosophy, our commitment to creating an enriching atmosphere for creativity and teamwork and our focus on developing a limited number of triple-A titles at a time."