Interplay Sells Fallout IP to Bethesda

PsychoSniper · Post by **PsychoSniper** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 9:59 am

The only good thing is with bethesda making FO3 odds are there will be an editor.

That means we might see a FO TC mod by someone other than Haris.

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 10:10 am

Seems like a reasonable deal for Interplay, but they now have one shot at succeeding in the gaming biz; the Fallout MMO(RP?)G. If that fails, there's basically nothing left of Interplay. That is, even less that what it has been the last couple of years. As I've stated in another thread, IPLY got $15 million from the sale of Hunter: The Reckoning IP, so compared to that Fallout IP was a bargain. But nevertheless, this is a serious investment by Bethesda. Don't let us down.

frissy · Post by **frissy** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 10:21 am

Well they probably know what sort of person Herve is, so they are pretty much protecting their prior investment. It's theirs now and there is nothing Herve can do to fuck it up. He can only fuck himself up now

PsychoSniper · Post by **PsychoSniper** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 11:32 am

frissy wrote:He will only fuck himself up now :D

Fixed.

This news is a mixed blessing.

On one hand, Herve has a chance to ressurect Iply with teh FOOL!

On the other hand, Bethesda owns FO.

Its good that FOOL is all Iply have left, because as bad as that will be, and itll kill Iply after another few years, itll still mean another crappy spinoff.

PiP · Post by **PiP** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 12:23 pm

Mr. Teatime wrote:i dunno what this changes, bethsoft could develop fallout 3, 4 and 5 before... now they can do 6 and 7 as well

my thought exactly

what worries me is interplay has gotten a cash injection, enough to possibly put out a crappy fallout mmo

but can they still make a FO game when they sold the IP? How does it work?

VasikkA wrote:IPLY got $15 million from the sale of Hunter: The Reckoning IP,

WOAH

what?

Cimmerian Nights · Post by **Cimmerian Nights** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 2:32 pm

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 3:05 pm

PiP wrote:but can they still make a FO game when they sold the IP? How does it work?

Bethesda owns the franchise now, but Interplay has the license to develop a Fallout MMOG (if certain conditions are met) and must pay royalties to Bethesda. This is kind of a reversed situation of what was before.

VasikkA wrote:IPLY got $15 million from the sale of Hunter: The Reckoning IP,
WOAH what?

Yeah, apparently Vivendi sees some hidden potential in the franchise or Herve's cousin runs the company.

Post by **King of Creation** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 3:11 pm

Isn't Hunter the Reckoning a White Wolf IP? Interplay was leasing the rights to make videogames from them.

Also, I think we're overlooking the fact that this means Bethesda can make any type of Fallout game they want now (except for an MMO). They could make a sequel to Tactics if they wanted, or an FPS, or maybe an RTS. Who knows.

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 3:21 pm

King of Creation wrote:Isn't Hunter the Reckoning a White Wolf IP? Interplay was leasing the rights to make videogames from them.

I stand corrected, but still, $15 million for a rather unknown video game license sounds a bit too much. Apparently there's a H:tR movie in the making. Uwe Boll is somehow involved.

PiP · Post by **PiP** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 3:46 pm

King of Creation wrote: or an FPS,

thought they're making one?

Mad Max RW · Post by **Mad Max RW** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 4:01 pm

I hate the argument people give for Bethesda about "easy modability." Why should we be tasked to finish developing the game? I'm not gonna buy a shitty game and let it sit for a year or 2 before anything decent comes out. You can chip away at bad design all you want, but it's still bad design. Now, maybe that sounds like I'm jumping the gun until you look at Morrowind and Oblivion. Both are terribly boring games with lots of mods and expansions doing very little about the crap story, broken AI, lack of real dialog or speech trees, few and badly done voice actors, and the list keeps going.

I'm gonna be smart about this and not buy, download, or even think about upgrading my PC for Bethesda's Fallout. It's one less game I'll get bored with after a day or two.

frissy · Post by **frissy** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 6:05 pm

Why would the MMO that Herve is "making" rule out a MMO by Beth? I mean Interplay has ( a right to make a Fallout MMO, but who said it's an exclusive right? (if it's written somewhere, i'm sorry...a bit drunk at the moment...)

PiP · Post by **PiP** » Fri Apr 13, 2007 11:18 pm

frissy wrote:Why would the MMO that Herve is "making" rule out a MMO by Beth? I mean Interplay has ( a right to make a Fallout MMO, but who said it's an exclusive right? (if it's written somewhere, i'm sorry...a bit drunk at the moment...)

yea I kinda thought the same, but guess this gotta be regulated by the Beth-Iply deal.

frissy · Post by **frissy** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 12:45 am

I really don't think that Beth bought a license where they can't make a MMO if they wanted.

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 10:55 am

I don't think MMOs would fit in Bethesda's strategy. Single player action games is their expertise and developing and maintaining a MMO requires a staff and organization of their own. Blizzard, for example, has given up developing single-player games and now focuses solely on MMOs. It would be hard to maintain two separate business divisions under one roof.

As for Interplay, well, they pretty much lack single-player and multiplayer knowhow, so the development of a Fallout MMO would probably have to be bought from elsewhere most likely by a relatively new and unknown studio. But that isn't really relevant because Interplay will never get the financing they need.

frissy · Post by **frissy** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 11:40 am

I know Beth doesn't do MMO's, but I just meant that I don't think they would buy a license where they would leave MMO's out. If they are getting all the rest, why not the whole thing. Just so that Herve or anyone else for that matter couldn't make a MMO riding on their expense. They could sell the rights to someone, but no way in hell they would leave it outside the license.

Dreadnought · Post by **Dreadnought** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 11:42 am

They should sell it to Blizzard. :world of fallcraft:

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 12:05 pm

frissy wrote:I know Beth doesn't do MMO's, but I just meant that I don't think they would buy a license where they would leave MMO's out. If they are getting all the rest, why not the whole thing. Just so that Herve or anyone else for that matter couldn't make a MMO riding on their expense. They could sell the rights to someone, but no way in hell they would leave it outside the license.

Interplay wanted to keep the rights to develop a Fallout MMO, so I assume it never was on sale along with the rest of the franchise. The licence allows a foothold for Interplay for at least 24 months. If it fails to start the development or collect the required financing, it will lose that license. As I see it, Bethesda didn't mind this as they have little use for a MMO Fallout in their strategy and the chances of Interplay succeeding in this are minimal.

frissy · Post by **frissy** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 12:11 pm

Ah, ok. Thanks.

PsychoSniper · Post by **PsychoSniper** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 12:36 pm

Plus, in Iply succedes, it just helps them.

But theres almost no chance of that success.