Interplay re-opens dev studio News • News • Eurogamer.net

News PC Xbox 360 PlayStation 3

Rummages around old portfolio.

Revitalised US publisher Interplay has re-opened its internal development studio in an attempt to rekindle some of its old magic.

It can do it because its revenues were up 872 per cent on last year, according to a financial statement by boss Herve Caen - although he accepts it is largely from selling the Fallout property to Bethesda for a rumoured USD 5.75 million.

The result is that we may see the likes of Earthworm Jim, MDK, Clayfighters, Freespace, Kingpin, Sacrifice and more reworked to stoke the fast-burning money oven.

It will need all it can get, too, as it has ambitious plans to create a Fallout MMO requiring a minimum financing of around USD 30 million. A tall task, then, but one Caen has previously said he is busy securing funding to overcome.

Meanwhile Bethesda continues work on Fallout 3 for PC, PS3 and 360, a game tipped by many to be as successful if not more so than acclaimed RPG Oblivion.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

Comments (54) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

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Dizzy #1 4 years ago

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Freespace and Descent plz.
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Ciaran #2 4 years ago

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I loved MDK. Sacrifice too. Good news!
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mkreku #3 4 years ago

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Die, Herv�, die!
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Thalanos #4 4 years ago

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I second the Freespace/Descent request!
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General_Zod #5 4 years ago

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Freespace MMO please.
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Der_tolle_Emil #6 4 years ago

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Rock'n'Roll Racing online please!
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bioreit #7 4 years ago

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Echoes Dizzy and Thalanos.

Except for Descent.

Just gimme my Freespace 1 and 2 on XBLA. Now. Or next year. But now is fine.
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hjarg #8 4 years ago

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/demands Freespace 3
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MBar #9 4 years ago

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Earth.

WORM!

JIM!!!
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GrandpaUlrira #10 4 years ago

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Earthworm Jim was overrated.
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bioreit #11 4 years ago

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@ GrandpaUlrira

"Earthworm Jim was overrated."

So was your mum. Doesn't stop you from loving her though.
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Kropotkin #12 4 years ago

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Freespace 3 and Sacrifice 2 please. k-thnks.
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Hunam #13 4 years ago

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As great as all this is, who in their right minds would want to work at Interplay?
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asphaltcowboy #14 4 years ago

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MDK!
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SeesThroughAll #15 4 years ago

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Downloadable Descent for consoles please!
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bioreit #16 4 years ago

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@ asphaltcowboy

Hells yeah!

MDK, MDK, MDK, MDK!

Not fussed about MDK 2, although I wouldn't say no!
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neuroniky #17 4 years ago

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Sacrifice was pure genius. But I doubt it will be revitalised, it was already a niche product back then...
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Slamhound #18 4 years ago

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Can we trust them not to fuck it up this time?

Wouldn't surprise me one bit if they just fall back into doing what it was that killed them off in the first place.
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schachmatt #19 4 years ago

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Well, Sacrifice, Messiah and MDK were all made by Shiny Entertainment, which went the hard way of designing great, original games.
I wouldn't doubt Interplay in the state it's in would try to cash in on horrible sequels if those games would have been good sellers, which they weren't.
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Nemesis #20 4 years ago

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Stonekeep?

Jus' me then.
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Lutz #21 4 years ago

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FREESPACE 3. I don't demand this, I require it to live past the age of 30.

/is 29 and 364 days
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Xerx3s #22 4 years ago

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It's sad to see the likes of interplay and blackisle out of business. They where (together with Bethesda and bioware) the only ones who could truly call themselves masters of RPG. Others can only dream of the quality that they delivered.

I hope interplay can succeed in their revival. Would pay good money to play the next Earthworm Jim, MDK, or Freespace.
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reality_cheque #23 4 years ago

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I would like more good games please, I don't care which IPs they use for them.

Although Descent would be nice.
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Xerx3s #24 4 years ago

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Stonekeep?

Jus' me then.

You are not alone brother!
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JonFE #25 4 years ago

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What is the point of planning a Fallout MMO, now that they (Interplay) sold the Fallout property to Bethesda? Will they license it back?

Edited by 1 at 15/11/07 @ 13:39
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spud71 #26 4 years ago

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It's not so much as what IP they have, as to who they can get to work on them.
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Whizzo #27 4 years ago

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Interplay don't own the Freespace IP any more.

He, who shall not be named, does.
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Xerx3s #28 4 years ago

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What is the point of planning a Fallout MMO, now that they (Interplay) sold the Fallout property to Bethesda? Will they license it back?

Interplay has kept the rights to online stuff.
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J.C #29 4 years ago

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Good luck Interplay.
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El_MUERkO #30 4 years ago

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I can see their plan now:

First move ... port all old games to DS controls be damned!

Second move ... roll in money!

Hit that bullseye and the rest of the dominos will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate!
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tripitaka #31 4 years ago

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They did a top down LOTR RPG on the PC years ago, but only released the first two parts.
It was ace, but I guess the license for that is elsewhere now.

Edited by 1 at 15/11/07 @ 14:13
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hjarg #32 4 years ago

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Whizzo, you mean Derek Smart! Derek Smart! Derek Smart! acutally bought Freespace rights? Not just bragged about buying it?
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anver #33 4 years ago

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Since the last thing I remember about Interplay is Fallout 3 (Van Buren) being cancelled shortly before completion in favour of BOS, I can't really say I've much faith in it's future.
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monkie_king #34 4 years ago

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as far as MDK goes, the team who created that perfect little marvel left and formed Planet Moon, who've subsequently done other left-field stuff like Giants and Armed and Dangerous. Then the PSP After Burner game. And now a Wii trivia game. Oh well.

Shiny went completely down the dumper after MDK and Messiah too, culminating in that godawful Matrix game.
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Mo0k #35 4 years ago

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Hit that bullseye and the rest of the dominos will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate!

---

That's a lot of pub games in one go.
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Mr_Bogus #36 4 years ago

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World's most interesting bomb.
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zoidberg #37 4 years ago

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FREESPACE 3!!!!

NOW!!!!

EDIT: Thought about it... here's an incentive Interplay: I'll buy 10 copies!

Edited by 1 at 15/11/07 @ 15:06
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Stu #38 4 years ago

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"Rock'n'Roll Racing online please!"

Ditto. With a co-op Guitar Hero mode, so a friend can provide the rock 'n' roll.
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Popzeus #39 4 years ago

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I want my next gen Battle Chess, and I want it NOW.
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monkie_king #40 4 years ago

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Titus published the middling-to-good Crazy Cars series on the Amiga, right? And the eponymous Titus the Fox.
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dolphan #41 4 years ago

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Just to echo all the desperate voices ... please, please, give us Freespace 3. And do it right. With the ion cannons. Especially with the ion cannons.

NB - I'm not even sure they were called ion cannons, as I've just remembered that's what they're called in Homeworld. The huge pretty laser beams that the huge pretty capital ships fire at each other and that fry you instantly if you fly into them.
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schachmatt #42 4 years ago

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"Shiny went completely down the dumper after MDK and Messiah too, culminating in that godawful Matrix game."
They just made what the public wanted and were much more successful with that. Can't really blame them when even here dumbed-down, derivative work gets so much praise.

"They did a top down LOTR RPG on the PC years ago, but only released the first two parts."
Those were totally great games, with a lot of freedom in the framework of the story. It foreshadowed a lot of what Fallout made great.
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Azazel #43 4 years ago

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MDK

\o/ - First game with a FPS-style sniper rifle?

Sacrifice

\o/ - Awesome easy-to-use map editor on top of everything else

It's all win.
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Pob #44 4 years ago

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FREESPACE 3!! Please.
Ooh and a new MDK wouldn't be too bad either.
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Vin #45 4 years ago

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Sacrifice, motherfuckers.

And a proper 360 version. Not a shitty Wii cast-off.
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Slamhound #46 4 years ago

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""Rock'n'Roll Racing online please!"

Ditto. With a co-op Guitar Hero mode, so a friend can provide the rock 'n' roll."

Your ideas intrigue me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

Edited by 1 at 15/11/07 @ 19:36
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Khanivor #47 4 years ago

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Fuck that shite. New Battlechess please.
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Pastici #48 4 years ago

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Earthworm Jim on the DS please!
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pigwhistler #49 4 years ago

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kingpin 2 now please
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Dan_Dare #50 4 years ago

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for the love of all that's holy, please make freespace 3. the 2nd game is my favourite all time pc game.
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Drpwnage #51 4 years ago

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As above :>
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kangarootoo #52 4 years ago

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"Stonekeep"

Jesus, thats takes me back. I've barely more than a nostalgic feeling as a memory (though its a good one).

Off I go to google to find some mnemonics.
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kangarootoo #53 4 years ago

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[link url=http://www.ulu jain.org/stonekeep.shtml
]http://www.ulu jain.org/stonekeep.shtml
[/link]

Statements like this make me feel very old.

"This game is old. We're talking 1996 here."

'96 seems like only yesterday. Stuff like "Eye of the Beholder" and "Dungeon Master" is what I would call old. Christ, I was doing my A'levels in 93 ffs.

I'm off to have a cry now.
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Sucram #54 4 years ago

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Freespace 3!!! Yes please.. let a good developer obtain the rights to this IP.

Please don't let the likes of zombie Interplay or Smart ruin it.
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