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Bethesda Plans to Terminate Interplay's Fallout MMO

by Alice O'Connor, Apr 16, 2009 6:21am PDT
Related Topics – PC, Bethesda, Interplay

Interplay's annual performance report reveals that Bethesda plans to cancel the agreement allowing Interplay to make its Fallout MMO, No Mutants Allowed noticed.

When Fallout 3 developer Bethesda Softworks purchased the Fallout property from Interplay in April 2007, Interplay retained the right to make a Fallout MMO--on condition it raise at least $30 million in funding and enter scale development within 2 years.

Bethesda evidently does not believe Interplay has met these conditions, as the "Legal Proceedings" section of Interplay's Securities and Exchange Commission report shows:

Interplay recently received notice that Bethesda Softworks, LLC ("Bethesda") intends to terminate the trademark license agreement between Bethesda and Interplay which was entered into April 4, 2007 for the development of FALLOUT MMOG. Despite the fact that no formal action is currently pending, Bethesda claims that Interplay is in breach of the trademark license agreement for failure to commence fill scale development of same by April 4, 2009 and to secure certain funding for the MMOG. Interplay adamantly disputes these claims. Although the potential damages are currently unknown, if Bethesda ultimately prevails and cancels the trademark license agreement, Interplay would lose its license back of the "Fallout" MMOG and any damages resulting therefrom are unknown at this time.

Interplay has released sporadic tidbits on the development of Project V13--the project almost certainly its Fallout MMO--including the hiring of Fallout lead designer Chris Taylor last year, and a recent development partnership with Masthead Studios.

While no formal action is currently pending, should Bethesda follow through and succeed, Interplay will be unable to create a Fallout MMO. It is unknown whether Project V13 would be outright junked or if it could be salvaged under a new property.


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Comments

24 Threads | 102 Comments
  • #101
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    By: Aztiel x
    Reply
    Sounds like Bethesda doesn't want a shitty MMO version of their blockbuster effecting their future sales of the franchise.

    Can you imagine that paranoia, seriously? They have no control over the quality of it, Interplay hasn't put out anything good in years, or else I haven't heard of it. Someboy in a store heard something good about Fallout 3 once, happens to pick up this "new Fallout game" off the shelf, discovers it sucks, and never buys another Fallout game ever. That's a nightmare. Normal consumers don't have the level of knowledge in the industry that people who come and read Shacknews posts do - allowing a second version of the franchise to exist would be bad for both.

    Interplay did a great job with it before, but I think Bethesda's earned the rights to this one with what they put together in Fallout 3.
    Apr 19, 2009 5:42pm PDT
  • #47
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    By: ZDPhoenix x
    Reply
    If I remember right, Interplay only had a set amount of time to make their Fallout MMO. I may be wrong on that, but I remember something in regards to "by a set date".

    Let's be brutally honest here guys. Interplay is only around right now, because Bethesda gave them cash for the Fallout IP. Interplay let us ALL down years ago because of bad business dealings, who says history won't repeat itself again?

    Bethesda has delivered with it's product so far. Games like Morrowind, Oblivion and Fallout 3 show us all that Bethesda Softworks knows how to make immersive worlds game.

    As a consumer (not a Fallout, Bethesda, Post Apoc RPG Fan, or Interplay Fan) would you rather buy your product from a company that has shown they know how to make a game that has longevity, or take a gamble with a reformed company who hasn't shown us their quality in the modern RPG market?
    Apr 16, 2009 8:55am PDT