Clockwork Revolution: Everything we know so far

First-person action adventure game Clockwork Revolution is one of the newly-announced upcoming Xbox Series X games we've been aching to play since its reveal. This is a new title from Wasteland 3 developer InXile Entertainment, one which is going to drawn on the studio's legacy of building immersive worlds and adventures as we traverse a strange new environment.

Clockwork Revolution presents a retro-futuristic take that feels very much out of time, both weirdly reminiscent of the past and yet distinctly sci-fi in nature. Just check out all them robots and that floating train if you don't believe me. Last year's sneak peek at his upcoming Xbox exclusive was a welcome distraction for all of us who have been waiting patiently for more news on Bioshock 4, and if that's you as well, this game looks set to tide you over. Below you'll find everything we know about Clockwork Revolution so far, from a prospective release window to first gameplay details and more from inXile.

Clockwork Revolution release date

Right now, Clockwork Revolution has been given a ballpark release window of 2024. We're hoping to get a firm launch date soon so we know to count it on our list of new games for 2024, but right now, all there is to do is wait for more news from inXile.

Clockwork Revolution platforms

With inXile being an in-house developer, Clockwork Revolution is set to release on Xbox Series X and PC platforms when it launches in 2024. Whether it will be backwards compatible with Xbox One remains to be seen, but the fact that it will come to Xbox Game Pass as a day-one release is something to celebrate. 

Clockwork Revolution trailer

The Clockwork Revolution announcement trailer as seen during this year's Xbox Games Showcase did a great job of setting the scene. In it, we get a look at the Victorian steampunk aesthetic of the world of Avalon, including flying steam trains and large blimps floating in the sky. There are robots aplenty in this futuristic take on the Victorian industrial revolution, and we also meet the game's protagonist for the first time as well. 

As she defaces a poster of the mysterious Lady Ironwood, it's made clear that this is one ruler who rules her city with an appropriately tight iron grip. Lady Ironwood's voice underscores the trailer, sounding like a perfectly poised bad guy already, and judging from the impressive array of old-fashioned yet high-tech-looking weapons wielded by the playable character during the gameplay sequences shown, we're going to have a lot of fun taking her down.

Clockwork Revolution gameplay

Clockwork Revolution is an FPS action game with a distinctly sci-fi take on a historical setting. According to Xbox Wire, it also features "dynamic time-bending combat, deep interconnected roleplaying systems, and the ability to create your own unique character from the ground up."

The city of Avalon itself is looking particularly interesting, a "vibrant Victorian-era metropolis" where "wealthy industrialists replace their limbs with ornate clockwork prosthetics, and mechanical servants fulfill their masters’ every whim." These technological advancements hold nefarious origins, however, as Lady Ironwood's use of time travel allows her to change moments in Avalon's history to keep the social strata working for her and her fellow upper-class citizens.

The time travel device, known as the Chronometer, is something we will be using ourselves as we explore the world of Clockwork Revolution. With it, we can "travel back in time, choose how to influence the past, and then return to the present to experience the effects of your decisions."

On top of this, the gameplay sequences shown in the trailer depict first-person gunplay using a variety of muskets and other, more technically advanced pieces of equipment that function much the same.

Clockwork Revolution developer

inXile is the developer team behind Clockwork Revolution, with this being its first title published by Xbox Games Studio. The magical-industrial setting of Avalon is nothing new to some members of inXile, however, with game director Chad Moore and principal designer Jason Anderson at the helm. Their work on 2001's Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura is bound to be helpful in this new steampunk RPG, and 22 years since Arcanum's launch, it'll be interesting to see those influences bleed through. Naturally, you probably know inXile best from its work on the Wasteland series, the precursor to the Fallout franchise. 

In terms of when we can hope to hear more about the game from the developer, it seems we shouldn't hold our breath. "We’re still early in development," the studio says, calling the reveal trailer a "pre-alpha sneak peek", so we'll have to watch and wait for more news as the project takes shape.

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