After last month's announcement of Interplay catalog titles coming to GameTap, we surely weren't alone in wondering where the Fallout games were. Sure, MDK and Earthworm Jim are great additions but, with Fallout 3 coming out later this year, the absence was enough to make us reach for the bottle. Now, just a few weeks later, the 'Tap has announced that those previously announced Interplay titles – as well as the "widely successful Fallout titles" – will be available not only through the subscription service but also for free play on the ad-supported website.

And just like that, put another check mark on Interplay's ongoing quest to monetize their stable of properties and turn all that red ink black. Next step: sequels and that Fallout MMO they keep talking about.

GameTap has re-acquired the rights to Interplay titles and has also finalized a deal with publisher Take-Two. The return of Interplay, following an awkward departure last December, means that titles like Earthworm Jim, Descent and MDK will return to the service beginning in June. GameTap also announced it'll be losing six titles (all listed after the break).

The finalized deal with Take-Two, which brought Civilization IV and Pirates! to the service late last year, could yield some interesting titles. There's no word yet what games are being added beyond Civ IV's expansion Warlords, but getting some Rockstar titles (like Max Payne and GTA) would be sweet.

Earthworm Jim is sort of an anomaly. It's been 13 years since he last starred in a good game, but people still call out for his return. If Kid Icarus had been a good game, he'd be the Pit of the annelid world. Now, after breaking our hearts with the 2007 cancellation of his PSP game, it seems that Jim is finally poised to make his return. Interplay has announced a new deal with original creator Douglas TenNapel to revive Jim.

So far, plans reportedly include "an animated series and feature film to expand the well known brand" and, most importantly, Earthworm Jim 4 for unspecified consoles (which we sort of knew about already). As much as we'd like to be excited, after being strung along on Jim's hook for more than a decade, "cautiously optimistic" is the best we can muster.

[Via X3F]

Four classic Interplay Sega Genesis games are en route to the Wii's Virtual Console. Dave Perry's classic platformers Earthworm Jim and Earthworm Jim 2 will both be gracing the download service, along with the campy claymation action of Clayfighter, and the gross-out humor of Boogerman.

According to the press release, all four titles will be the Sega Genesis versions of the games, despite having appeared on both Genesis and SNES. No word yet on when these titles we be released (but we're guessing it'll be on a Monday).

It's been awhile since we've had an update on Interplay's long-promised Fallout MMO. To get some of you up to speed: plans for a Fallout MMO that could revive the ailing company were teased out of a November 2006 SEC filing. In April of the following year, Bethesda – already hard at work on Fallout 3 – bought the rights to the series from Interplay for $5.75 million. The deal allowed Interplay to be a licensee, paying Bethesda a 12% royalty on net sales of the still-vaporous Fallout MMO. In August, Interplay's CEO stated in an earning statement that "Fallout Online will play a key role in the future of Interplay" and in November the company revealed ambitions to rekindle franchises like Earthworm Jim, MDK, Descent, and Dark Alliance.

Now, in yet another earnings report wrapping up their 2007 fiscal year, Interplay reaffirms its ambition to secure funding for the Fallout MMO as well as "creating sequels to some of its most successful games," notably the four listed above. To that end, it's hiring developers and will be launching a new web site "imminently." Regrettably, we won't be seeing any of these games as "imminently."

[Via MCV]

Just as GameTap celebrated hitting 1,000 games on the service, it'll get to repeat the milestone all over again as it loses 70+ games in a couple weeks. Apparently EA, Interplay, Atari and some lesser-known publishers will end their affiliation with the service December 11. GameTap Editorial Director Douglass Perry says GameTap signs contracts with a publisher which have a beginning and an end. He says none of the games on the service are permanent. Perry also says they were unaware they'd have to pull all those titles when celebrating their 1,000 game mark.

We're currently trying to get a fuller explanation of the current situation. Perry says that GameTap will continue to expand their library despite this setback, but the issue seems to be a wake-up call to many subscribers that GameTap isn't the repository of gaming that they once thought. Although it's unofficial whether GameTap didn't want to pony up the cash to extend the contracts or the publishers asked for too much money to renew -- we're pretty sure GameTap isn't happy about dipping below the 1,000 game mark they recently hyped. It's also not a great day for the company when their subscribers learn quite harshly that games on the service have a virtual shelf life.

Update: An unofficial list of games being lost Dec. 11.

[Thanks Satertak, Matt]

With help from money it gleaned from selling the Fallout franchise to Bethesda, Interplay intends to revitalize its in-house game development studio and "has hired a veteran game developer," according to an SEC filing. Interplay also noted that, should it be able to obtain further financing, the developer intends to "develop sequels to some of the most successful games, including Earthworm Jim, Dark Alliance, Descent and MDK." The developer also plans to continue work on a Fallout MMO.

The connection to Interplay's former post-apocalyptic franchise doesn't end there; it's as interwoven into this story as the characters from LOST are to each other. The "veteran game developer," as it turns out, is former Fallout designer Jason Anderson, who worked on the first and second games before leaving with fellow Fallout devs Tim Cain and Leonard Boyarsky to form Troika games. Anderson is reportedly working on an MMO for Interplay unrelated to Fallout.

[Via Gamasutra]

Like a deadbeat dad promising to buy you a new bicycle "as soon as he gets the scratch together," Interplay is still talking about making an MMO based on the Fallout universe. They made mention of the idea last December, but, according to a new earnings statement, are perhaps a bit closer to beginning to realize it now that their debt load has been reduced from $59 million in December 2001 to less than $3 million.

Whatever they're planning, they may want to get hoppin'. Their agreement with Bethesda states that not only must Interplay pay a 12% royalty on net sales of the MMO, but it must be in development before April of 2009, must have a minimum of 10,000 subscribers and must comply with "the quality standards of Bethesda." By the way, this week's understatement champion is Interplay Chairman Herve Caen who said, "Fallout Online will play a key role in the future of Interplay." Yeah, Herve. No kidding.

[Via 1UP]

The old footage from a few days back was not enough to satiate old fans of the Fallout series. Fan site No Mutants Allowed is not done giving us goodies about Black Isle's rendition of Fallout 3, codenamed Van Buren, and has released the tech demo for the old version.

The download is only 241 MB and purportedly bug-laden and missing turn-based combat. Still, it's likely the last chance die-hard Fallout purists will get a taste of the post-apocalyptic franchise with the old engine. (Not everyone at Bethesda enjoys the Fallout engine, mind you.) NMA has also posted a guide for those working with the tech demo. For those interested enough to take it for a spin, let us know what you think.

No Mutants Allowed shows us footage of Black Isle's canceled Fallout 3 in today's video pick. The segment isn't flashy, but it gives a good sense of what Fallout 3 could have been (hint: similar to Fallout 2, in a good way). Bethesda currently owns the Fallout IP and working on its own version of Fallout 3, with a projected release to be determined.

So before you look forward to Bethesda's -- and possibly even Interplay's --- version of Fallout, take a moment to watch what could have been. See the video after the break.

According to an SEC report filed today, the revered Fallout franchise has been sold to Bethesda Softworks, currently in the midst of developing Fallout 3. Uncovered by Fallout fansite, No Mutants Allowed, the document states that the radioactive IP was purchased from Interplay for the princely sum of $5.75 million -- roughly a mountain's worth of post-apocalyptic bottle caps. Bethesda had been developing their Fallout sequel as licensee, not property owner.

This change of ownership sees original IP-holder, Interplay, becoming a licensee to Bethesda and paying the Elder Scrolls developer a 12% royalty on net sales derived from an upcoming (and still entirely nebulous) Fallout MMO. Interplay's license requires them to begin development within two years of the date of agreement, secure a minimum of 10,000 subscribers and offer a product that complies with "the quality standards of Bethesda."

Purchasing the Fallout IP outright certainly reflects positively on Bethesda's dedication to the franchise -- it's their property they risk messing up now -- and highlights plans well beyond "Morrowind with Mutants." (Next, would someone be so kind as to rescue the Freespace IP from Interplay?)

[Via Gamasutra]

According to a November SEC filing, battered software publisher, Interplay, imagines a wonderful future with gamers paying it $160 million per-year beginning in 2011. The one product that could relaunch the company: a Fallout MMO.

In the SEC document -- with typical financial disclaimers saying the projection may never be realized -- Interplay hopes a $75 million Fallout MMO production of will save the farm. (A large part of that figure includes marketing.) The company intends to sell common stock to generate a significant part of that budget -- that's why this filing exists for us to drool and scribble notes in the margins.

While the product may eventually be created, give it at least a few months before getting excited; Interplay hopes development begins in early in 2007. And even then, you'll have to wait until Q3 2010 before the company intends to launch; three-and-a-half years in production seems optimistic. Keep the skepticism setting on high.

[Via Inside Mac Games]

A high resolution version of Eric Chahi's 1991 masterpiece Out of this World (that's Another World for gamers outside North America) has become available for the Windows platform and can be downloaded here. The shareware demo can be unlocked for 7€ (about $8.50). The project, hosted at www.anotherworld.fr, appears to be the work of Magic Productions, the group responsible for porting Out of this World to the Symbian cell-phone operating system last year.

The remastered version is Windows only, but Mac users know what they can do. This looks beautiful ...

[Via Waxy]