ZeniMax Media hiring for MMO division
ZeniMax Media Inc., is currently seeking out MMO development talent for its online game division, GamesIndustry.biz reports. Why is this significant? ZeniMax is the owner of Bethesda Softworks, and thus both Fallout and ElderScrolls. A Fallout MMO is entirely possible, but the business side of producing this title is somewhat complex. Daedren over at r1ft Gaming dissected the issue as it stood in November:
Bethesda Softworks owns the rights to the the Fallout IP, while Interplay retains rights to a Fallout MMO. However, those rights are forfeit provided Interplay is unable to raise $30 million and begin development of the Fallout MMO by April of 2009. (This is presumably Interplay's "Project V13" which involves other original Fallout team members.)
Admittedly it's possible we're reading too much into this new round of MMO division hiring at ZeniMax Media as no announcements of either a Fallout or Elder Scrolls MMO have been made to date, but the timing of their MMO recruitment is enough to make us wonder what ZeniMax has in store for massively multiplayer online gaming.
