In just over a month, inXile Entertainment will be releasing The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep on PC, the first new entry in the RPG series in over 30 years. In order to build up hype for the game and to encourage people to keep an eye on it, the developers have started a “wishlist initiative” for the game on Steam or GOG.
As with most in-development titles, players can go the game’s Steam or GOG Page and wishlist a game, receiving notifications about, whether it be for its initial release or going on sale. As The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep passes certain wishlist milestones, inXile Entertainment will be adding some in-game content and possibly even dropping the game’s price.
If the game hits 100,000 wish-listers, the developers are ready to add an in-game version of Darkest Dungeon’s torch with the permission of Red Hook Studios, who were inspired by older games in The Bard’s Tale series. If even more people jump on the wishlist train and bring that number up to 300,000, inXile Entertainment will lower the price of The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep from $39.95 to $34.95.
Finally, the best bonuses will come if over 500,000 people decide to wishlist the game. At the milestone, the developers will lower the game’s price down to $29.95, ten dollars less than originally intended, and will release The Haernhold DLC for free. This DLC will have players explore the realm of the dwarves, Kinestria, in order to fight an evil darkness that has been released after a Dwarven king’s tomb was defiled.
Brian Fargo, CEO of inXile Entertainment, discussed why the developers decided to star this wishlist initiative, and how wishlisting a game can really help indie developers:
“Crowdfunding opens up so many possibilities because it allows us to pursue ideas that we might not otherwise and to take creative risks. Our backers helped us get The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep made, and now we’re hoping that all our fans can help us spread the word about it, and in doing so, unlock rewards for themselves and help make the game that much more accessible for the wider gaming audience out there. Putting a game on your wishlist costs nothing, yet can mean everything to an indie studio like us. With this initiative, we’re hoping to have it mean something extra for our fans, too.”
The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep is currently poised to launch on PC on September 18 before coming to Mac, Linux, PS4, and Xbox One later this year.