bethesda posts

Masthead Studios and Interplay finalize agreement for Fallout MMO

by Rubi Bayer Jan 25th 2010 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, News items

We have another step forward in the long-running saga of the Fallout MMO. Late last week, Interplay announced that they had signed "definitive agreements" with Masthead Studios regarding Project: V13, the highly contested post-apocalyptic MMO. We knew this development was a possibility, but things have been delayed by the legal battles with Bethesda.

Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed, Herve Caen is the Interplay Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and gave an interesting piece of information: "This MMOG will have many unique features that we will disclose before launch of the public Beta in 2012."

Project: V13 has been in development since November of 2007 (and highly anticipated by fans for the same amount of time), but has struggled along the way with problems including the court squabbling with Bethesda. This latest development is one in a series of small steps forward that Interplay is making, so we'll hold out hope for 2012.

Tags: bethesda, bethesda-softworks, fallout, fallout-mmo, herve-caen, Interplay, masthead, masthead-studios, project-v13

Court documents say Bethesda's MMO already under dev, rumor says it's Elder Scrolls

by Krystalle Voecks Jan 20th 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Legal

In this most recent round of court scuffles between Interplay and Bethesda over the Fallout MMO rights, it would seem that some details are coming to light about what's going on at Bethesda's MMO "branch", Zenimax Media. According to filings, the word is that there are close to 100 people working on an MMO that costs "tens and tens of millions of dollars" and has been under development since late 2006. Apparently these same filings claim that the title is a "World of Warcraft" type MMO. Of course, considering World of Warcraft is about as equal to McDonalds in terms of brand recognition with its millions and millions served, saying something is like World of Warcraft could mean anything from 'it's a DIKU-based, kill-ten-rats, FedEx, fantasy MMO that looks rather a lot like WoW' on up to 'it's somewhere in the general MMO neighborhood.'

Now, to follow this interesting tidbit up, the word is that Bethesda is moving to have this particular chunk of testimony censored to protect trade secrets. To stir the pot a bit further on why they might be scrambling to block it, VG247 have a source they claim is reliable confirming this is the often-rumored Elder Scrolls MMO. What's more, their source says the Elder Scrolls MMO should have been announced last year.

Tags: bethesda, bethesda-softworks, breaking, fallout-3, interplay, mmo, mmorpg, oblivion, rumor, the-elder-scrolls, under-development, zenimax-media

Current Fallout tally board: Interplay 1, Bethesda 0

by Eliot Lefebvre Dec 12th 2009 at 8:00PM

Filed under: MMO industry, Legal, Academic, Rumors

Whether it counts as one for the good guys or the bad guys depends on your personal tastes, but the ongoing saga of the Fallout MMO continues its relentless back-and-forth process. There was a rumor, back at the end of October, that Interplay had successfully denied Bethesda's preliminary injunction against their work on the franchise. According to Gamasutra, that rumor has finally proven to be true: a US District Court Judge has blocked the injunction, letting Interplay continue their work on the much-anticipated Fallout MMO, most commonly known as Project V13.

For those of you coming late to this ongoing legal battle, a quick recap. Interplay, in desperate need of money to develop the MMO, sold the rights to the propery to Bethesda, who went on to make Fallout 3 and in turn licensed the rights to the MMO back to Interplay. They are claiming that Interplay did not fulfill the terms of their contract for creating the game, which included clauses regarding timely development, and are trying to win back the rights. For now, however, their attempt at blocking further development has failed, and Interplay will continue their work on the game... although the future for this game seems to be fraught with a great deal of conflict. Ending the world is, apparently, very serious business.

Tags: bethesda, bethesda-softworks, fallout, fallout-3, injunction, interplay, legal-battle, project-v13, rumors

Interplay's in-house lawyer corrects Fallout MMO injunction rumors

by Rubi Bayer Oct 30th 2009 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, News items

Interplay and Bethesda are continuing to tussle in court over the proposed Fallout MMO, and you may have heard news earlier this week about Interplay's triumph over Bethesda in regards to a preliminary injunction. Well, don't get too excited just yet, because unfortunately it looks like reports got misinterpreted.

Interplay's in-house lawyer jumped in today to correct the rumors that have been flying around for the past few days at various Fallout fansites. Read what he had to say after the jump.

Gallery: Fallout MMO Concepts

Tags: bethesda, bethesda-softworks, breaking news, BreakingNews, fallout, fallout-3, fallout-mmo, interplay, lawsuit, legal

Fallout MMO issues at the heart of Interplay countersuit

by Eliot Lefebvre Oct 19th 2009 at 6:30PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, News items, Legal

If you're waiting for a Fallout MMO -- something many fans for the series are, without a doubt -- and you're not getting enough of that itch scratched by Fallen Earth, there's hope on the horizon. Sort of. Assuming that Interplay and Bethesda can sort their problems out in court, where they're currently behaving with all of the maturity you'd expect from two large gaming companies.

The full story can be read here at GamePolitics, but if your head is spinning a bit from all of the legal discussion, here's the short version. Bethesda is angry that Interplay, who sold them the rights to Fallout when in dire need of money, is now trying to back out of licensing the property to develop their promised Fallout MMO. Interplay, on the flipside, is arguing that Bethesda violated the terms of their original agreement and rendered it null and void, which would give them both control of the rights once again as well as meaning that Bethesda might well owe them royalties for the massively successful Fallout 3.

Practical upshot? If things go well for Interplay, they'll have more seed money for developing an MMO based on an immensely popular classic gaming franchise. If they go poorly, of course, Interplay is really up the creek and we'll very likely not see said MMO for quite some time if ever. Take a look at the full story, and start placing your bets.

Tags: bethesda, bethesda-softworks, fallout, fallout-3, fallout-mmo, interplay, legal, news-items

Bethesda and Interplay lock legal horns over Fallout MMO

by Seraphina Brennan Sep 11th 2009 at 7:00PM

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, Legal

In a month of lawsuits, another one has hit the table. This time the participants are Bethesda Softworks, best known for The Elder Scrolls series of games and the recent hit Fallout 3, and Interplay, the original holders of the Fallout license.

The lawsuit stems from the longstanding agreements between the companies regarding the Fallout IP. Namely Bethesda was allowed to take the rights to the IP except for the case of a Fallout MMO, which would be under the control of Interplay. Interplay would keep these rights as long as they secured funding for the game and began production by April.

Bethesda is asserting that Interplay has breached their agreement, citing that development on the title (which has been hidden under the thinly disguised title "Project V13," standing for "Vault 13," a shelter in the Fallout universe) has not yet begun. Interplay asserts that it still holds the rights to develop Project V13 with the assistance of Masthead Studios, the group behind the upcoming post-apocalyptic sci-fi MMO Earthrise.

Want more info? The legal documents regarding the suit have been unearthed, and are ready for your perusal.

[Via VG247]

Tags: bethesda, bethesda-softworks, fallout-3, fallout-ip, fallout-mmo, interplay, interplay-entertainment, lawsuit, legal, project-v13

The Daily Grind: Games that should be MMOs?

by Lesley Smith Jun 12th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Game mechanics, MMO industry, The Daily Grind

We all have a list of favourite games which we think should be MMOs. My first real exposure to RPGs was The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I absolutely love this game and it's top of my list of titles (or in this case a franchise) which needs to be turned into an MMO ASAP. Logically (and as a games journalist) I know it's not that simple. I've interviewed several folks at Bethesda over the years and I know that their vision of The Elder Scrolls wouldn't translate too well to a Massively Multiplayer Online game.

But that aside, I'm pretty sure most gamers are stoked that Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is being reinvented as an MMO. I want to know, if graphics, dev wishes and game mechanics weren't an issue, what games would you like to see become an MMO and why?

Tags: bethesda, bethesda-softworks, mmo, mmos, star-wars, star-wars-knights-of-the-old-republic, star-wars-knights-of-the-old-republic-mmo, star-wars-the-old-republic, the-elder-scrolls, the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion

The Digital Continuum: Summertime MMO alternatives

by Kyle Horner Jun 1st 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: News items, Opinion, The Digital Continuum

You, much like myself, may have had summer MMO plans a month or so ago. But like many things in life, circumstances changed and both Champions Online and Jumpgate Evolution were met with delays in their schedules -- making any plans to play them over the summer null.

It's a bummer, but not all is lost. Another thing I'm certain we all share is our love of gaming in general. I've been thinking of a list of games I plan to play through this summer in lieu of shiny new MMOs to delve into, with an emphasis on filling the void left by a lack Cryptic's and NetDevil's still forthcoming titles. I'm sure I'll play more than just three, but these are the ones I'll definitely play the most of overall.

Tags: atari, bethesda, bethesda-softworks, broken-steel, champions-online, codemasters, cryptic, cryptic-studios, dnd, dungeons-and-dragons, fallout-3, featured, gazillion-entertainment, jumpgate-evolution, netdevil, opinion, team-fortress-2, tf2, the-digital-continuum, valve, wizards-of-the-coast, wotc

Rumor: Bethesda likely to sue Interplay over inaction on Fallout MMO

by Kyle Horner Apr 16th 2009 at 10:00AM

Filed under: MMO industry, New titles, News items, Rumors

We must confess our lack of shock concerning today's rumor that Bethesda could be taking legal action against the previous owner of the Fallout IP. The rumor traces back to the MMO rights for everyone's favorite post-apocalyptic jaunt.

Interplay was supposed to have engaged in full-scale development on the Fallout MMO by last Thursday, April 9th and this apparently also included raising the funds for the game as well. We know some sort of movement had been made, but apparently it was too little, too late. That's a tall order for any company to pursue, especially one with a very sordid financial history.

Should Bethesda move forward with this and win, we can only assume the company will pursue its own Fallout MMO. Then again, who's to say they haven't been planning for such an occurrence all along? Bethesda was contacted for comment, but declined to do so.

Tags: bethesda, fallout, fallout-3, fallout-mmo, interplay, kotaku, post-apocalyptic

ZeniMax Media hiring for MMO division

by James Egan Mar 11th 2009 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, New titles, News items

ZeniMax Media Inc., is currently seeking out MMO development talent for its online game division, GamesIndustry.biz reports. Why is this significant? ZeniMax is the owner of Bethesda Softworks, and thus both Fallout and Elder Scrolls. A Fallout MMO is entirely possible, but the business side of producing this title is somewhat complex. Daedren over at r1ft Gaming dissected the issue as it stood in November:

Bethesda Softworks owns the rights to the the Fallout IP, while Interplay retains rights to a Fallout MMO. However, those rights are forfeit provided Interplay is unable to raise $30 million and begin development of the Fallout MMO by April of 2009. (This is presumably Interplay's "Project V13" which involves other original Fallout team members.)

Tags: bethesda, bethesda-softworks, business-models, daedren, elder-scrolls, elder-scrolls-mmo, elder-scrolls-online, fallout, fallout-mmo, gamesindustry.biz, interplay, mmo-industry, project-v13, r1ft-gaming, r1ftgaming, zenimax, zenimax-media

The fine print of a Fallout MMO

by Shawn Schuster Nov 6th 2008 at 12:30PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Opinion, Academic

Earlier this month, our very own Kyle Horner explored the real possibilities of a Fallout MMO in his Digital Continuum column. He talked about how the post-apocalyptic MMO could work in regards to an absence of lush scenery and a combat system based on pausing time. Expanding into another realm of that discussion, Daedren over at r1ft.com goes more into the financial and legal probabilities of the development of a Fallout MMO.

According to Interplay's agreement with Bethesda, there are a few stipulations when it comes to their retention of the IP for an MMO. For instance, they need to raise $30 million and begin development of the game by April, 2009. Even if they were able to raise that much based on investor faith in the wildly-successful Fallout name, where would they get the rest of the money? $30 million, an MMO does not make, and that's exactly what this article is about. Will Bethesda end up retaining the IP through fine print complications and actually make a better MMO than Interplay ever could? Check out Daedren's complete argument, including the facts as we know them today.

Tags: bethesda, daedren, fallout-mmo, interplay, opinion, post-apocalyptic, r1ftgaming

The Digital Continuum: Let's talk about the Fallout MMO

by Kyle Horner Nov 1st 2008 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Opinion, The Digital Continuum

Fallout 3 is out this week and I've spent a whole lot of time exploring and fighting in Bethesda's singleplayer MMO world. I've always wondered whether a post-apocalyptic MMO would work well or not, which is part of the reason I've kept a close eye on Fallen Earth in the past. But what's always been in the back-burner of my mind is whether or not the Fallout license would be necessary for a post-apocalyptic to flourish. While endlessly exploring our own personal post-apocalypticia is incredible fun, do we want a massive one?

Tags: bethesda, bethesda-softworks, fallen-earth, fallout, fallout-3, fallout-mmo, featured, fps, interplay, joystiqfeatures, nc-soft, post-apocalytic, rpg, super-mutant, tabula-rasa, the-digital-continuum, vault-boy, vault-tec, wasteland

Interplay launches new site, hires Chris Taylor for Fallout MMO

by Shawn Schuster Sep 24th 2008 at 1:30PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, MMO industry, New titles

For several months now, the Interplay website has been host to a simple splash page promising an upcoming revival of the once-great company. We heard news a while back that they had sold the property rights for the Fallout name to Bethesda (which will be in the form of Fallout 3), but retained the rights to a Fallout MMO.

Now we get word that they've just relaunched their new website and (re-)hired Chris Taylor for a super-secret "Project V13". It doesn't take a rocket-scientist to figure out that V13 is Vault 13, and since Chris Taylor worked on the original Fallout, it's a safe bet that this project is the highly-anticipated Fallout MMO.

Tags: bethesda, chris-taylor, fallout, fallout-3, fallout-mmo, interplay, project-v13

ZeniMax Online is hiring at Austin Game Developers Conference

by Shawn Schuster Sep 12th 2008 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Real life, Business models, Economy, Events, real-world, MMO industry

If you're a talented game professional and you're planning to attend the Austin Game Developers Conference this coming week, you may want to head on over to booth 100 and speak with ZeniMax Online Studios (which has a brand-new official site). As they've just announced, ZeniMax will be looking for potential employees with experience in Art, Programming, Design, Server Technology, Customer Support, QA and Marketing. Despite the fact that ZeniMax is located in Hunt Valley, Maryland, this may be a great opportunity for those developers in the Austin area who have suffered through the area's recent set-backs.

ZeniMax Online is the sister company of Bethesda Softworks, most famously known for their development and publishing of the Elder Scrolls Series and the upcoming Fallout 3. However, don't mistake their association with Bethesda to any connection with the Fallout MMO, which is currently in development by Interplay.

Tags: agdc, agdc08, austin-game-developers-conference, bethesda, hiring, recruiting, zenimax-online-studios

Zenimax Online kickstarting development with new digs

by Chris Chester Apr 18th 2008 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry

We haven't heard terribly much from Zenimax Online over the past few months. The company, the online off-shoot of Zenimax Media and corporate cousin of highly-lauded development house Bethesda Softworks, has been tight-lipped since they told the media to get off their lawn back in November. Of course, that didn't stop us from including the purely speculative Elder Scrolls MMO as #5 in our Top 10 MIA MMOs of 2007.

But times, they are a-changing. Word has it that Zenimax Online will be moving to a new 40,000 square foot facility in Huntsville, MD in anticipation of scaling up the development process on their as-yet-unnamed MMO project. Naturally, they're also going to need some new blood to make use of all that office space, so they've posted a bunch of positions for hire. East coast development houses are pretty rare these days, so if you're in the area you might want to get on that ASAP.

Tags: bethesda, bethesda-softworks, elder-scrolls, hiring, hunstville, jobs, maryland, zenimax-media, zenimax-online-studios