Micro Forté suffer radiation sickness
Fallout Tactics developer in trouble after cancellation of sequel
Australian developer Micro Forté are apparently in trouble following the recent completion of their latest game Fallout Tactics for publisher Interplay. According to reports on a fan site devoted to the Fallout series, they had been funding work on a new 3D engine ready for a planned sequel to the game, only for Interplay to change their mind and cancel the title. The result was a cash shortfall leading to a large number of lay-offs at the developer.
The exact reasons behind the decision to abort work on Fallout Tactics 2 are unclear at this stage, but it's possible that Interplay simply ran out of money for the project - they are a fairly small publisher whose stock price is near its all time low, and they are reputed to have dropped somewhere in the region of $10m for a license to develop games based on the Matrix films just last month. With the Baldur's Gate franchise currently notching up impressive sales and soon to appear on PlayStation 2 for the first time, and rumours that other Fallout titles may already be in the design stage, Interplay may well have decided to shift their attentions elsewhere. Whatever the reasons though, it's bad news for the small Australian company, whose moment of triumph in finishing the game has suddenly turned decidely bitter...