fallout-mmo posts

Interplay and Bethesda Softworks are still continuing their legal fight over the Fallout game franchise. Howeve that fight isn't stopping Interplay from promoting its long-in-development MMO game Fallout Online. On Saturday, Interplay emailed out word that the latest "Pip-Pad" edition of The Armageddon Rag is now online and available to read.

This latest update has a couple of new short stories set in the game's post-apocalypse universe along with Crazy Ivan's New and Used Gun Catalog (More Guns Than Canada) showing some of the weapons and items that players might get to use in the game. That is if the game itself ever goes live.

The rights to the Fallout RPG franchise have been part of a big legal battle between publishers Interplay and Bethesda Softworks. This week the dispute left the court room and entered into the interwebs with reps from both companies basically saying, "We own the rights."

Eurogamer chatted with Interplay's president Eric Caen who admitted, "We sold the Fallout IP to Bethesda in exchange for a certain amount of cash and the right to do the Fallout MMO." However Caen claims that the actual IP agreement gave Bethesda to make just three Fallout games. Caen claims, "So they already did Fallout 3, then Fallout: New Vegas, and they can only do one more Fallout, 5, if the sale of the IP is cancelled by the court."

Not so, says Bethesda Softworks PR head Pete Hines. Chatting with VG247.com, Hines states, "We own the rights to everything Fallout. The licence is ours. Fallout belongs to us. That's what I'll clarify." It's clear that the two parties are well out of agreement which also means a protracted legal battle.

Fallout Online is still very much in stealth mode but the team at Interplay continues to release teasers about the background to the upcoming post-apocalypse MMO. Today we received a link to yet another such teaser which comes from the Pip-Pad, a apparently prototype model for Fallout's PipBoy info device.

The Pip-Pad some rather odd stuff inside of it including a transcription of an audio message, what passes for a novel except and an odd log entry from somebody. It's all rather strange and we are not sure how this will all link into Fallout Online itself. But at least its more interesting than your normal online newsletter promotion.

While there's been little info about Fallout Online's development from its team at Interplay, the company's president said in a recent interview that the MMO version of the post apocalyse franchise is set for a launch in the second half of 2010, with a beta coming in that year as well.

Eurogamer reports that in the new issue of Edge magazine that Interplay president Eric Caen states, "We have 90 people working on it. Even in January 2009, you were already able to move across the world." Interplay is still apparently in a legal fight over the Fallout trademarks with Bethesda Softworks. That's part of the reason for trickle of info about the game with Caen stating, 'anything we show will help Bethesda in their fight." Caen also decided to take a little shot against Bethesda's take on the franchise, saying "Fallout 3 was a little bit too serious – that's definitely not where we're going. Our Fallout MMOG will be extremely funny."

Fallout Online remain as mysterious as ever (and somewhat in question thanks to its publisher Interplay's current legal battle with Fallout's current owners ZeniMax Media) but this weekend the upcoming MMO showed some more life. We got an email that directed us to a new viral web site that expands on one of the post-apocalypse franchise's long running characters.

That character is Harold, the mutated ghoul who is the only character that has appeared in all three Fallout RPG title. The viral web site suggests that the MMO will have a "Church of Harold" organization that is "open to all". We just wonder when Interplay will stop teasing us and show us some actual Fallout Online gameplay.

It's getting closer to the time we head back to the world of mutants, Pip Boys and mayhem but with a Vegas twist. Publisher Bethesda Softworks has announced that the post-apocalypse RPG Fallout New Vegas will officially ship out for the US on October 19. Europeans get their taste of the game a few days later on October 22.

Just a reminder: The Obsidian Entertainment-developed game will come in a regular edition and a Collector's Edition in retail stores. Also several online retail web sites like Steam, Best Buy, Amazon.com, Walmart and Gamestop are offering their own special unique in-game items if you pre-order the downloadable version of the title.

[Via email press release]

On Thursday, Interplay stated in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that Bethesda Softworks had dropped an appeal in its ongoing lawsuit against Interplay over the Fallout license. The dropping of the appeal means that Interplay is free to continue working on their Fallout MMO project (shown above in concept art form) and to sell their older Fallout games.

However, unlike what the fan site Duck and Cover stated on Thursday, Bethesda is still continuing to see this court action through. Our sister site Joystiq reports that a Bethesda PR rep told them, "It's an ongoing legal matter. I don't know where whoever reported that got their information, but it is ongoing and we are going to see how it plays out in court."

For the past several months, publishers Interplay and Bethesda Softworks have been engaging in a court battle over what Interplay can do with the Fallout game licence. Now fan site Duck and Cover is reporting that Bethesda Softworks has decided to drop their appeal of the lawsuit against Interplay.

Just a recap: Bethesda bought the rights to the Fallout game franchise from Interplay several years ago but gave Interplay a license to develop a MMO based on the property. However in 2009, Bethesda filed a lawsuit against Interplay claiming Interplay had failed to get Bethesda's approval for the marketing materials of a re-release of Interplay's old Fallout games. They also sought to terminate Interplay's Fallout MMO plans.

If Duck and Cover's info is true, Bethesda has now decided to drop the lawsuit which likely means that the Fallout MMO game (also known as Project V13) can indeed be developed. Indeed Interplay has already released some concept artwork for the game and some possible screenshots have been leaked as well. We have emailed Bethesda's PR folks for comment.

[Via Blue's News]

With the exception of a few of their older games ported to downloadable console titles, Interplay hasn't actually released an all new game since 2004. The once mighty developer and publisher has been working for years to port the Fallout franchise into an MMO (an effort that's now in court with Fallout's current owners Bethesda Softworks). Now comes word that the publisher may have gotten a cash infusion to fund new game projects.

The Fallout fan site Duck and Cover have pointed to a new SEC listing from Interplay where the company says it sold a large amount of stock, as much as 10 percent, to both Microprose and its managing director Frederic Chesnais. According to the site, word from an Interplay investor called "Frymuchan" is that this development, " . . is very good news for stockholders. He claims the stock sale will allow Chesnais to fund new Interplay game projects. The games named are Earthworm Jim, Dark Alliance, Descent and MDK. Oddly enough, Interplay listed those games two years ago as titles they were planning to develop as new sequels.

Remember when Interplay was one of the biggest game developers and publishers there was? Ah, those were the days. However they are over now as the once huge company has been a shadow of its former self as it develops their MMO game "Project V13" which is almost certainly a code name for their long awaited Fallout MMO.

While Interplay works on that game (and fights over the Fallout game rights with Bethesda Softworks in court).they apparently have something else in the works. In a post on the Interplay forums, Project V13 lead Chris Taylor states, "I think I'm allowed to tease and say that just yesterday I was told of a new game. But I can't say anything about it." The big question: Is it a totally original game or one based on the few IPs that Interplay has not sold off yet like Descent or MDK?

[Via Duck and Cover]