Fallout Online: Interplay in trouble

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 31 May, 2011

Financial strife could affect MMO.

Post-apocalyptic massively multiplayer online game Fallout Online could be dead before launch after it emerged publisher Interplay is close to financial ruin.

Interplay's astonishing financial situation was revealed by an SEC document reported by Develop.

It warns that Interplay could face bankruptcy and may have to generate funds by selling the company.

The games threatened by Interplay's financial strife are Fallout Online, DSiWare game ClayFighter, WiiWare games Stonekeep and Descent, and Earthworm Jim 4.

If Interplay does not find some money soon, these games could be cancelled. It said it's prepared to accept "a sale or merger of the company".

Interplay has been embroiled in a long-running legal battle with Fallout 3 maker Bethesda, which wants to terminate development of Fallout Online.

In January Interplay told Eurogamer it could end up developing the sixth Fallout game if Bethesda successfully prevents it from releasing Fallout Online.

President Eric Caen said his company was "ready to fight for years if necessary" over the future of the MMO.

"We sold the Fallout IP to Bethesda in exchange for a certain amount of cash and the right to do the Fallout MMO," he said. "If they refuse to let us do the game, then the sale of the IP is terminated, and they will be allowed to do only one more Fallout, 5.

"But in that case, the IP will come back to us, and of course, we will complete our work and release Fallout MMO."

Bethesda purchased the rights to the Fallout franchise from Interplay in 2004 for $5.75 million. It licensed the online rights back to the publisher before starting development on Fallout 3.

Interplay announced its intent to release a Fallout MMO soon after that deal was signed, with a release currently slated for 2012. But a legal tug of war over the future of the game has put its release in doubt.

The latest development saw Bethesda hit back at Interplay's claim that its attempt to derail its planned Fallout MMO was "absurd". Bethesda had claimed it gave Interplay rights over the Fallout trademark and nothing else, meaning it had no right to use essential Fallout ingredients such as weapon art and game concepts, for example the Pip Boy and what's called the "World Bible".

"We have confidence in justice, and we should win this case," Caen said. "But the decision isn't in our hands."

Interplay has so far refrained from showing much from Fallout Online because "anything we show will help Bethesda in their fight".

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (18) Latest comment 12 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • ubergine #1 12 months ago

    NEVER SAW THIS COMING.

    Seriously though Bethesda should never starting talking about them not being able to use Pip Boy and other intrinsically Fallout imagery, that is just outright bullshit likely to turn fans against them as trolls.

    This was all being reported before that as pertaining to Interplay not being able to hit milestones or have any genuine chance of finishing this game, also of Interplay selling the collected early fallout games as "Fallout Trilogy" giving the false impression that it contained Fallout 3 instead of the spin-off "Tactics". In that regard, Bethesda appear to be completely in the right, Interplay has been run by delusional people for years now and anything they even publish I think Bethesda would fear could diminish the value of the brand. But Bethesda shouldn't be taking an "we said you could make Fallout but with no Fallout in it" retarded Jerry Springer angle, they sound like idiots saying that.
    Edited by ubergine at 31/05/11 @ 09:17

  • Whitster #2 12 months ago

    I thought the issue was that they lost the useage rights if they hadn't begun work by sometime which has now passed?

  • thedaveeyres #3 12 months ago

    Interplay has so far refrained from showing much from Fallout Online because, "Honestly sir, the dog ate it".

  • djed #4 12 months ago

    Why not just buy all the IP rights to begin with, Bethesda? Instead of just buying parts and then running the seller into financial ruin through lawsuits....

  • yoomazir #5 12 months ago

    Hurry up and fucking die already Interplay.

  • BigDannyH #6 12 months ago

    What is with all the MMOs? Apart from the big one, do any ever succeed?

    I don't know anyone who plays an MMO (or maybe I just don't know that I know them), and surely those who want to play one will already be subscribed and hooked in to WoW?

    Greedy developers seem to think the market is their for MMOs and throw away mobile games because 2 have sold a lot. That's not a market!

    And I still maintain that Angry Birds just got lucky ...

  • roquey Verified Lead Quality Assurance Tester and Compliance Specialist, Universally Speaking #7 12 months ago

    I would hate to see Interplay go down. I remember playing their games year and years ago. nobody likes to see a company go down in such a manner. Unless your a giant prick like yoomazir ofcourse.

  • rudedudejude #8 12 months ago

    By Gamers... For Gamers!

  • Lemming81 #9 12 months ago

    "Financial Strife could affect MMO"


    I think the fact that they haven't actually produced anything would affect the MMO more...

  • Kami #10 12 months ago

    We've known for ages there's a lot of problems with the Fallout franchise behind closed doors. Nothing surprises me in this saga now.

    edit; and I don't know which company to believe anymore either, they're both as bad as each other really.
    Edited by Kami at 31/05/11 @ 11:34

  • Monkey_Puncher #11 12 months ago

    What have Interplay actually done in the last 10 years?

    I think it's pretty clear that this company that are holding the Interplay name are very much a tiny shadow of the company they once were. I doubt they've even done any work on this supposed mmo they talk of.

  • SilentTristero #12 12 months ago

    Have they mentioned if its a 'full' release, or perhaps just a download-only? Maybe even browser based, like Project Zomboid...

    I subscribe to the supposed newsletter, and know nothing about it

  • glaeken #13 12 months ago

    I think the MMO was vapourware anyway. I think their main method of making money out of it was to try and get some sort of financial settlement from Bethesda
    Edited by glaeken at 31/05/11 @ 17:29

  • Spekingur #14 12 months ago

    They can't really show off anything of their MMO due to legal stuff - since the case is still in the courts.

  • Headless_Monkey_Boy #15 12 months ago

    @Djed, As i understand it Interplay only offered the rights to the single player stuff and stipulated that they were planning on doing an mmo, this is reeeeaaaly old news now cos i still remember the early rumours around the dev of a fallout mmo back when playing fallout 3 (prob from this site). The Reason interplay sold any rights at all was to get the company some pocket money to start developing again.

    I get the impression that interplays lawers met up with bethsedias lawers came to an agrrement on rights while the bethsedia told their lawers to word their terms "just So" to look good but infact be sort of ambiguois to be meaningless.

    also i think this was kind of predicable (though morrally reprehensible) The guys with the money always have the ability to drag this sort of thing through the courts so slowly that financial ruin of the other party is assured.

    Shame, i thought interplay deserved another shot at life.
    Edited by Headless_Monkey_Boy at 31/05/11 @ 14:13

  • StooMonster #16 12 months ago

    I am sure that I am not alone in wishing to see Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 etc on iOS/Android devices, perhaps Interplay should focus on knocking those out in the short-term to earn a bit of low-risk revenue?

    Although of course they are focused on their MMO dreams of earning hundreds of millions of dollars instead.

  • yoomazir #17 12 months ago

    can't believe there's people that still support Interplay.... are they aware that there's nobody of the old days there? what the hell do you expect, a new MDK/EWJ/Fallout like the old ones? made by whom? Gameloft?
    Don't make me laugh for fuck sake.
    Edited by yoomazir at 01/06/11 @ 00:22

  • ircaddicts #18 12 months ago

    @bigdannyh you clearly don't know many people then. As YES other MMO's apart from world of borecraft DO very well thank you. EG Guild Wars. Lotro and EVE to name but 3. As for mobile phone games who gives a (&**( thier a fad just like all these failbook games.