Interplay may lose its license to make Fallout MMO

by Ben Gilbert on Apr 16th 2009 10:15AM

Well, folks, it's been two years -- two years and 12 days, actually. And now, because Interplay may or may not have entered into "full scale development" of the Fallout MMO it was beholden to start making by, oh, say, 12 days ago, Bethesda Softworks has, unsurprisingly, asked for its property back. Though, according to an SEC filing, no "formal action" has been taken by Fallout IP-owner Bethesda as of yet, the company has apparently made claims that Interplay is "in breach of the trademark license agreement" the two companies agreed upon back in 2007.

Rumors that Interplay has been working on a Fallout MMO arose again recently as Earthrise developer Masthead Studios offered Interplay its proprietary tools and technology for use with a project currently in-development, codenamed "Project V13." We would like to point out that while a wiki page on "Project V13" hints heavily at the codename concealing a Fallout MMO in development at Interplay, nothing official has ever been announced. And you'd think Interplay might want to do that if it wanted to keep its "trademark license agreement," no?

[Via Big Download]

Source

Tags: bethesda, Bethesda-Softworks, bethesda-v-interplay, business, earthrise, fallout, fallout-mmo, intellectual-property, interplay, lawsuit, masthead-studios, project-v13, sec, trademark

Reader Comments (26)

You know I hope bethesda does not go through with this. I love there games but Interplay is the creator of both fallout 1 and 2 and would be the best company to do a fallout mmo justice. DON'T DO IT BETHESDA!

Wasn't Interplay just the publisher and Black Isle studios the developer?

Uh, Interplay only published the game. So it leaving the IP with them doesn't mean there's going to be any quality game in the same vein as the first two. Considering that Interplay is more of a name now a days than anything, it makes more sense for Bethesda to take it over.

Even then, Bethesda taking over doesn't mean a Fallout MMO, it just saves them from a terrible Fallout MMO by ANOTHER company tarnishing any games they produce. They still do have the perogative to make an MMO. Win/win.

K387

I'm pretty sure that Black Isle was a wholly owned division of Interplay (and founded by Interplay, not purchased), so they were essentially both publisher and developer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Isle_Studios

says here that it was a division until everyone was laid of and founded Obsidian Entertainment (kotor2, neverwinter nights 2)

Black Isle is no more and Interplay is a shell of it's former self. Your loyalty is admirable, but ill-placed.

Oh come on, Interplay is the only company that can make a good Fallout game. This ain't fair.

I am glad that I'm not the only person who has this opinion. Please let interplay go through with a non buggy, non broken, non oblivion-esque Fallout MMO.

I feel as if it's unlikely a significant amount of the Fallout 1 and 2 teams are still there. And it's not like they can just pump out a new Fallout and have it be just like 1 or 2

you have no idea what you're talking about, stop posting. black isle made the original fallout games, interplay is a money grabbing opportunist.

Like Brotherhood of Steel? Lets face it Black Isle is gone and Interplay can't make a good Fallout game if there life depended on it.

oh c'mon Bethesda... look, i love Fallout 3, i spent over 100+ hours from quest to just going to every corner of the map... but whats with you and trying to shut down anything to do with the world of FALLOUT, you act like it was your concept and idea.

if anything, you destroyed and burned what would have been Fallout 3 (aka Fallout Van Burden) from Interplay. AT LEAST let them make this MMO, if its their last project they can ever work on. Its their game. You just bought it out when they were in financial trouble.

Key word: bought it. It is no longer part of Interplay. They had two years to start, not finish, just start development and haven't managed that. Two years is more than enough time to be half finished. Bethesda was more than generous with the deal. This just shows Interplay as a shell of its former self that is in no position to ever release a game, let alone an MMO, or even expect it to be good. Interplay failed. Bury them with Microprose and Borderbund and move on with your life.

Took the words right out of my mout..., er, fingers. I adore Fallout 3, and even though I was never really a fan of the first two Fallout games, I understand that a ton people absolutely love them. I know that for these people, Falloblivion didn't cut it, and I understand why. It's like what would happen if someone bought the Halo license and made it a 3rd person shooter, completely ignoring most of the things that makes it Halo. Many people would be understandably upset, including me.

Bethesda needs to leave this one alone. They've helped get more fans into the Fallout universe, now they need to hand the reigns back over to Interplay so they can make the fans that didn't like Fallout 3 happy again.

because handing the reins over to another company that has never made a fallout game will suddenly make it good?

i'm done posting on this thread, so many retarded people who think interplay made the original fallout series. fucking idiots probably think microsoft made Halo as well.

From Wikipedia:
Black Isle Studios was a division of the computer and video game developer and publisher Interplay Entertainment, created specifically for the development of computer role-playing games. It was based in Orange County, California, USA.[1] The division was formed during 1996, adopting the name "Black Isle Studios" during 1998.[2] The idea for the division's name came from the Black Isle in Scotland - founder Feargus Urquhart's native country

I hate MMO games, so I'd be happy if Fallout wasn't ruined for profit.

I know I might get voted down for this, but I kinda hope this happens..

I am very interested in the Fallout lore and story, it has such a great atmosphere, but the top down perspective of the first two killed it for me. Things like that and the Baldur's Gate series (also heavy involvment with Black Isle/Interplay) arent really my cup of tea...

Fallout 3 was pretty much my favourite game of last year, combining the atmosphere and story of the Fallout universe with the 3d action of my favourite RPG ever, Oblivion...

I think if Bethesda have a go at a Fallout MMO they might make a good job of it.... The again, with some of the bugs in Fallout 3 it might turn out as a mess...

Maybe I'll be happy if Bethesda allow Interplay/Black Isle to create the game but demand its in first/third person like Fallout 3 and not top down :)

The biggest problem with Fallout 3 was that it didn't have the atmosphere of the first two games. It was a good post-apocalyptic title, it was a bad Fallout title.

Fallout 3 by Bethesda was more entertaining for me than the other 2. And I always mention to my friends that the only thing that skips it from being the most perfect open-world game ever made (for me) is the lack of an online co-op, sorta like PSO or Diablo. 4~8 players, no more than that. A MMO can fuck up the setting because cities would be crowded, and the Wasteland isn't heavily populated. It's menacing

That, or the pathetic number of bugs, glitches and freezes. Still compelling as hell though.

Lane Change: Does that say 'A Post Nuclar War RPG'? What's a Nuclar?

If the world is made sufficiently large and you treat hub cities like they do in Guild Wars, you can avoid the crowds.

Games that we are unable to make List:

Fallout - Check
Descent 4 - Check?

So the guys still holding onto the name Interplay can't make a Fallout game? Who cares? Did everyone up and forget Interplay shut down Black Isle Studios, the guys who created Fallout? The only one of the main players returned to Interplay. The rest are at Obsidian, working on Diablo III, or at something called Carbine Studios.

Don't let nostalgia get you all up in arms.

Umm...........

what is the name of this title???

LOL, idiots

I personally think Bethsoft/Zenimax would do a great job with the Fallout MMO.

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Interplay may lose its license to make Fallout MMO

Reader Comments (26)

Posted: Apr 16th 2009 10:25AM (Unverified) said

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