Interplay Claims It Could Take Back Fallout

[Crazycat690]

I hope that happens, that would be awesome, seriusly, yes I enjouy Fallout 3 and New Vegas but there are millions of glitches, and the game lags and it seriusly freezes every 1-2 hours...

Just give it to the people willing to make a functional game plz!

 

[Biancaneri]

I think the correct outcome would be for Bethesda to win rights to the IP on condition that they rename New Vegas Fallout 3, since it's an actual continuation of the first two games, and give the Capital Wasteland game a new name that more accurately reflects it's relationship to the original games. This si clearly the fairest and most correct outcome possible.

 

[badgersprite]

What's that? You don't want to play with me? Well FINE! I'm taking my nuclear apocalypse and going home.

It really sucks that the higher ups are screwing the pooch on this one. The designers and programmers on both sides probably couldn't care less about any of this. They both just want to make great games. It's the bosses causing all the drama here, in my opinion. We shouldn't blame everyone at the companies for the actions and attitudes of lawyers and stuff.

 

[newwiseman]

As I recall the original agreement stated that Interplay had to have something like 70% of the funding required to make the MMO and begin development within some arbitrary amount of time or they forfeited their right.

When all this started it was because Interplay hadn't begun it's project with the required capitol set aside by the defined date.

Seems cut and dry but they both failed to specify what "development" was in the contract for the sale of the IP and their first legal battle ended with something like, "Interplay has stuff written on some paper (dev started), like the name and setting (fallout and post-apocalyptic America), and they had the percent budget necessary to make an MMO based on the cost of whatever the cheapest MMO was at the time (think maplestory cost of dev).

But that didn't end the fighting because Bethesda wants the MMO rights so bad they might just piss themselves.

Anyway this new move from Interplay is bold, to say nothing else. It should be a fun fight to watch.

 

[Jumwa]

Why are people sticking up for these sham artists of Interplay?

Last thing I recall them doing was trying to scam consumers with their "Fallout Trilogy", latching onto the successful revival of the long-dead Fallout series by fooling customers into thinking they were getting Fallout 3.

The case is not as clear cut as everyone is making it seem, regardless. Bethesda's not being a bully here, there were stipulations to the use of the Fallout franchise for a MMO, and whether those were met or not is up for the court to decide. Does Interplay have the cash to actually make a half-decent Fallout MMO? Seems unlikely, but that's also what's being taken to court here as per the agreement.

Bethesda signed an agreement that left Interplay with MMO rights only as long as they had the money and finances to produce a quality game on a certain schedule. They seem confident that Interplay didn't achieve that. We'll see.

And what's with the random "They changed it so now it sucks" hate for Fallout 3? Seriously, the game revived a long dead franchise, without which I very much doubt the near-dead Interplay would even be considering a Fallout MMO. It's a critically acclaimed game. Yes, like every work wrought by the hands of humanity, it's not for everyone. Tastes vary. Just because you don't like something doesn't make it bad, however. I was absolutely disapointed with Dragon Age Origins (not to mention felt utterly lied to and deceived by their advertising trumpeting it as an action-RPG), but I don't go around proclaiming it terrible, because it obviously catered to the tastes of many, enough to earn a lot of accolades.

You can't have a serious discussion when people are talking so ridiculously. Saying one of the highest rated games ever made is terrible is just a nonconstructive comment at best, while bordering on trolling.

 

[AMMO Kid]

Fallout 3, then Fallout: New Vegas, then Fallout 5. FINALLY someone is getting the numbering right on their games...

 

[JordanMillward_1]

Sorry Interplay, but you let Fallout shrivel and die when you had the rights. You forfeited your rights to Fallout as soon as you handed them over to Bethesda and then failed to live up to your side of the contract re: the MMO.

 

[JWAN]

Bethesda needs to honor its agreement with Interplay whilst Interplay needs to make Descent 4

Bethesda isn't the one that failed to honor the agreement.

Myself and quite a few others have already pointed this out - Interplay did not hold up their end of the bargain. Which makes me wonder what grounds people seem to think Interplay actually is standing on.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/106812-Interplay-Calls-Bethesdas-Fallout-Claim-Absurd
Bethesda only gave them the ability to use the trademark? Neither side is right in this case because they both have such a clusterfuck of trademarks and minor legal disputes flying around that it no longer makes any sense. Which is why Bethesda should admit that interplay owns more than just the trademark and drop it whilst interplay makes Descent 4.
Bethesda's interpretation requires Interplay to develop and release an MMOG under the Fallout name, but unrelated to the Fallout brand," Interplay said in a court filing made on January "First, this is not only absurd, but is specifically prohibited [emphasis Interplay's] by the agreement because Interplay was only granted a 'license and right to use the Licensed Marks on and in connection with its Fallout-branded MMOG... and for no other purpose'."

 

[Snoodles]

Interplay are just talking themselves up for the sake of funding. Hopefully they won't get anywhere.

Fallout 3 & NV in my opinion are great games, and I hope Bethesda keeps control over them.

 

[Fuselage]

Go on, Interplay, get that license back and make good story-telling a feature again!

Except that all the good writers and awesome people who made Fallout 1 and 2 are now at Obsidian.
The makers of Fallout: New Vegas partnered with Bethesda game studio.
Yeah.
Its probably better to keep Fallout with Chris Avellone then the shell that used to be Interplay.

 

[RicoADF]

I f Interplay is permitted to "take back" the fallout franchise through legal miandering, doesn't that mean that they have to pay bethesda back the Millions they got in the IP sale in the first place, PLUS interest?

seriously this could bankrupt an already troubled and stalled video game company, and then Bethesda will merely buy up interplay's assets for penny's on the dollar. this is a No-Win Situation for Interplay

Well yeah, part of the deal was they get to make the mmo, but that right came with conditions that they supposedly broke

that main condition was "you got to get the money to develop the game yourself, and you gotta keep us posted regularly, and if we do not like your progress, we reserve the right to pull the plug.

it is debatable whether or not Interplay had the right to outsource to Masthead after they found they could not fund V-13 themselves, Which was where this whole thing started.

IF Interplay is right, then no they wouldn't have to pay back because they were payed to allow 3 games to be made by Bethesda, basically they rented the IP. They would allow them to make those 3 then no allow Bethesda to renew the IP rent. Tbh I dont get why Bethesda doesn't just buy Interplay out.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Except that all the good writers and awesome people who made Fallout 1 and 2 are now at Obsidian.
The makers of Fallout: New Vegas partnered with Bethesda game studio.
Yeah.
Its probably better to keep Fallout with Chris Avellone then the shell that used to be Interplay.

Well, Interplay doesn't have Charles Cuevas making games for them... gotta be up from there, I guess.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Ohh this is funny, two big companies acting like children...

Maybe they both need a time out. ¬__¬

 

[thiosk]

Fuck interplay.

They murdered fallout after fallout 2.

 

[Flig]

Really, this whole thing just started with the guys from Bethesda being dicks.

Part of the deal when they bought the IP was that Interplay was gonna make an MMO. I don't understand why all of a sudden they aren't going to let them do it anymore. They aren't risking any money by letting them make it. They didn't give Interplay any capital to make it, the MMO is fully funded by Interplay. If it's good, Bethesda gets fanbase for one of it's major IPs and more advertising for the next Fallouts. If it's bad, it fades into obscurity, Interplay folds, and Bethesda is unaffected. And yet they still felt like being dicks and blocking Interplay's right to make this game.

Given all of this Interplay has every right to revoke the deal. And Bethesda's quote at the end there makes Hines look like a spoiled baby going through the "mine" phase.

 

[Starke]

Really, this whole thing just started with the guys from Bethesda being dicks.

Part of the deal when they bought the IP was that Interplay was gonna make an MMO. I don't understand why all of a sudden they aren't going to let them do it anymore. They aren't risking any money by letting them make it. They didn't give Interplay any capital to make it, the MMO is fully funded by Interplay. If it's good, Bethesda gets fanbase for one of it's major IPs and more advertising for the next Fallouts. If it's bad, it fades into obscurity, Interplay folds, and Bethesda is unaffected. And yet they still felt like being dicks and blocking Interplay's right to make this game.

Given all of this Interplay has every right to revoke the deal. And Bethesda's quote at the end there makes Hines look like a spoiled baby going through the "mine" phase.

The reason was, Interplay could make the MMO if they did it quickly. The contract had a timetable that they had to meet. The reason for this is pretty simple, if there wasn't a time table then Interplay could have just had a Fallout MMO as vaporware for years, tying up that aspect of the franchise.

The first part of the timetable was securing funding for the project. Interplay wasn't able to do that on time. Everything since then has been Interplay trying to cling to an aspect of a contract they already defaulted on.

EDIT: I mean this whole "we can simply take back the IP" thing is insane. To do that they'd have to demonstrate that Bethesda was acting in bad faith when they purchased the IP, and then probably have to cough up the money Bethesda paid them for the license.

 

[Zarmi]

I don't see why people call the companies for childish. There is a shitload of money to be had in this franchise, and with the way the gaming developers are going, they need every penny they can get their dirty hands on. It's just fair fighting for survival

 

[Starke]

I don't see why people call the companies for childish. There is a shitload of money to be had in this franchise, and with the way the gaming developers are going, they need every penny they can get their dirty hands on. It's just fair fighting for survival

It probably comes from it being easier to point fingers and call names than make a reasoned argument. I'm just guessing.

As for the second part, yeah, that's why companies exist: to make money. Anything after that is either part of the making money or gravy.