Wasteland 2, Sequel to Fallout's Predecessor, Launches on September 19 After 26 Years

Sequels in gaming are sometimes referred to as "long-awaited" when it's only been a few years' wait, but here's one example where that really applies: Wasteland 2, the sequel to 1988's Wasteland, will arrive on PC on September 19, its developer announced today.

Brian Fargo, founder of developer InXile Entertainment, announced the date on Twitter today, writing, "Official Wasteland 2 release date... September 19th! The 20+ year wait is soon over." Saying "20+" undersells just how long it's been, as 2014 marks the 26-year anniversary of the original Wasteland's release.

Wasteland 2, which fans successfully funded through Kickstarter in 2012 to the tune of almost $3 million, was originally scheduled to launch this month before it had to be pushed back until September. The RPG has been playable in Steam Early Access for quite some time as InXile updated it with new content, improvements, and bug fixes.

Like Wasteland 2, the original Wasteland was directed by Fargo, who, at the time, worked for Interplay Entertainment. When it was released in 1997, the original Fallout--developed by Fargo and Interplay--was effectively a spiritual successor to Wasteland. Fallout has gone on to become a hugely successful series, thanks in large part to Bethesda's Fallout 3 and Obsidian's Fallout: New Vegas, while Wasteland went silent for the better part of two decades.

For more on Wasteland 2, check out our review of the Early Access version from earlier this year, as well as the video above for a discussion with designer Chris Avellone.