'Project V-13' kind of returning through Black Isle fund drive
"Project V-13" has returned from obscurity, tied to another name returning under mysterious circumstances: Black Isle Studios. Interplay's mystery studio, which former Black Isle founders are not involved with and don't really know about, has started a funding drive for a game called "Project V13," a "post-apocalyptic strategy RPG," introducing the longtime Interplay staff working on the game.
The original plan for Project V-13 was to make an MMO in the Fallout universe, a plan that is no longer possible, because Interplay no longer owns the rights to make a Fallout MMO, following a protracted legal battle with Bethesda.
There's no evidence that this new version is massively multiplayer. Its strategy RPG gameplay involves character creation, and rebuilding and management of facilities within an abandoned "colony." There are references to "meeting friends" and "fighting neighbors," suggesting some kind of multiplayer, but this game is very likely neither Fallout nor MMO. "PV13 has been in development for years," the funding site notes, "but we've had to make some major changes recently. We believe the changes are for the better and we're excited about working on this new iteration of PV13."
The fund drive is Mayan Apocalypse-themed, of course. By paying into the fund drive, you move a countdown clock forward, postponing the apocalypse, as it were. You also get access to a backer-only forum.
What you don't get is the game. The funds raised will go toward a "prototype," which will then be shopped around to raise additional development budget. There's no indication on the website that backers will get access to this prototype, either.
So, while you may think of Kickstarters as extended pre-orders, this non-Kickstarter drive should be seen as more of a "donation."
