Science Consultancy Firm to Collaborate With inXile on Wasteland 2

Montreal-based science consultancy firm Thwacke has announced with a press release that they’re collaborating with inXile on Wasteland 2, to help make the setting’s science-fiction more grounded and believable.

Here’s the full press release:

Reinventing science fiction in a post-apocalyptic future

While a post-apocalyptic future is a bleak one to imagine, with the right minds, it is a feasible one to speculate. In order to bring a novel sense of believability to narrative, inXile will be working with the Montreal-based science consultancy, Thwacke. Thwacke will bring in experts in the realms of evolutionary biology, nuclear physics, and medicine to add depth and believability to the wasteland, its people, its creatures and its afflictions.

As part of their collaboration with inXile, Thwacke, will be working closely with the writers and producers behind Wasteland 2 to enrich their fiction with interesting science. Thwacke CEO and molecular biologist, Sebastian Alvarado, has ensured that his entire team will align good science from their respective expertise to build rich stories. (We’re interested in creating moments where the player feels the line blur between reality and fiction, ultimately impacting gameplay and narrative).

What to expect.
Role playing games bring some of the most personalized gaming experiences to the player. At the core of their gameplay, immersion is required to sell the believability of this experience. While writers can craft this experience with artistic merit, Thwacke offers to enhance it with interdisciplinary science. But what does this mean to the player? Expect creatures that are a natural byproduct of their environment, biological and chemical warfare that makes sense and the medical know-how to survive with the scarcest of resources.

While the full details of Thwacke’s involvement cannot be fully disclosed, they have already brought in unique perspectives from entomologists, nuclear engineers, surgeons and geologists. We plan on using these insights to shape a world capable of capturing the imagination of players and offer relevant, creative and immersive experience for the player.

“The more smart guys we have in room looking at the writing and design is always a good thing and in this case we have a group of very bright people checking our work.” Brian Fargo

Thwacke: A science consultancy for the gaming industry
Thwacke’s extensive network has been built around two pillars; a passion for scientific research and a love for video games. Maral Tajerian, co-founder at Thwacke and neuroscientist has assured that (Thwacke isn’t interested in fact checking or burdening a player with details. We’re only interested in working within the realms of a player’s interest to discuss next generation research(. With a team that represents fields from rocket science to brain surgery (and everything in between) they bring in the brightest of minds to build a team unique to a specific project’s vision.

The original Wasteland didn’t feature the most grounded setting by any stretch, and was in fact quite playful with its treatment of a post-apocalyptic scenario, so I can’t help but wonder what this news means for the sequel’s tone.