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Fallout over 'Bethesda v. Interplay' remains unsettled
Unofficial Fallout community wiki the Vault has posted snippets and analysis of another batch of court documents, courtesy of site founder Paweł Dembowski (posting as Ausir), in the legal battle between Bethesda and Interplay over the latter's licensed, in-development Fallout Online MMO and rights to distribute pre-Fallout 3 titles from the franchise. If the absence of recent developments in the suit had you wondering if the two sides had settled cordially, forget about it. The excerpts are most certainly lacking in holiday spirit, as the fiery debate appears to wage on. According to the Vault, highlights from the new documents show Bethesda, which is the current Fallout IP owner, defending against Interplay's claims that it had denied the MMO developer rights to use "Fallout-related intellectual property assets." Bethesda maintains that it had licensed back to Interplay (the original IP owner) rights to the Fallout name only and not art assets, including the series' (literally) trademark Pip-Boy. In a separate document, Bethesda took to the offensive, demanding Interplay hand over the contents of its internal Fallout Online design wiki as court evidence. Interplay objected, calling the wiki a "trade secret document" and suggested Bethesda had repeatedly turned down offers to "inspect" the wiki outside of the courtroom. Interplay seems to have little choice but to fight on, even as it operated at a $205,000 loss in its June–September fiscal quarter. As Gamer/Law points out, the company is caught in a deadly gamble: Its future is dependant on completing Fallout Online for a planned 2012 release -- if the project doesn't get shut down by the courts first. On the bright side, Interplay won out in a separate lawsuit earlier this month against TopWare, concerning the latter's infringement upon Interplay's "Battle Chess" trademark. [Pictured: Fallout Online concept art]
New Fallout Online newsletter sighted in the wild
Several of us here at Massively are avid fans of the Fallout franchise and have even been cheating on our MMOs with a bit of New Vegas action over the last few weeks. It should come as no surprise, then, that we keep a keen eye out for news of Interplay's upcoming Fallout Online MMO. The latest tidbit arrived in our inboxes today in the form of the third issue of The Armageddon Rag, a faux in-character newsletter that purports to inform the reader of various happenings from around the wasteland. Unlike previous issues, this one comes "electronically" in the form of a Pip Pad. The latest issue of Rag doesn't pay tribute to George R.R. Martin (as you might expect from the title) but instead features three news blurbs designed to give you a little post-apocalyptic flavor and perhaps drop a few hints to those in the know. It's also worth mentioning that you can sign up for the Fallout Online beta by registering for the newsletter on the official site. [Thanks Alex!]
Interplay: Fallout Online in second half of 2012
In an interview with Edge magazine (excerpted by Eurogamer), Interplay president Eric Caen reconfirmed the company's plans to launch a beta of the MMO Fallout Online in 2012. He also specified that the "second half of 2012" will see the release of the commercial game. Thanks to the ongoing legal troubles with Bethesda, responsible for Fallout 3 and New Vegas, Interplay is in the unique position of trying to promote its game without being able to show it -- because, according to Caen, "anything we show will help Bethesda in their fight." Of course, Interplay staffers are free to go to the store and pick up the current Fallout releases for themselves, which they are doing. "What I can say is that of course we're playing what Bethesda is doing," Caen said. "We appreciate some portions of it, and we're not necessarily fans of everything. I think they miss a lot of the humor, and the fans seem to agree with that." To that end, the Fallout MMO is intended to be "extremely funny."
Interplay says Bethesda turned down chance to purchase Fallout MMO
reddit_url = "http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/10/22/interplay-says-bethesda-turned-down-chance-to-purchase-fallout-m/"; reddit_target="gaming"; Tweet Interplay president Eric Caen claims that Interplay attempted to sell full Fallout rights to Bethesda, only to be turned down. The latest news in the ongoing legal battle says that former Interplay president Hervé Caen offered the full rights to Bethesda for $50 million. Bethesda rejected the offer on the grounds that the price was too high, negotiating a lower price for everything except the MMO rights. There were conditions for development of the MMO attached to the deal, which Bethesda claims that Interplay has not met. Eric Caen has his own thoughts on these claims: "I think Bethesda, off the back of Fallout 3's success, realised that Hervé was probably right about the value. They said: 'OK, how can we get that without paying?'"" Interplay is continuing work on Fallout Online with a projected release date of 2012, as the legal investigations continue. [via gamesindustry.biz]
Fallout Online hints at The Church of Harold
The new Fallout MMORPG is such a closely guarded secret that we know next to nothing about the game itself. Interplay is wisely putting the uncertainty surrounding the title to effective marketing use, with the latest example being a cryptic "Church of Harold" advertisement that recently surfaced on the company's website. Anxious fans who signed up for the newsletter on the official Fallout site also received the head-scratching digital pamphlet in their inboxes over the weekend. For the uninitiated, Harold is the only character to appear in every Fallout game to date. Scuttlebutt has it that the "Church" may be a faction, a point of interest, or even an in-game religion. We'll keep our eyes peeled for more Fallout goodness -- and be sure to let us know if you run across any more end-of-the-world oddities. [Thanks Jonathan!]
Fallout Online firing missives from the wasteland (via email)
Nothing quite says "Our game still exists!" like Interplay's volley of email messages recently sent to folks who signed up for an account on Fallout Online's official website. According to a press release issued alongside the tease, it seems that this is just the first of many "tales from the wastelands" that early registrants will receive. Additionally, registrants will be "fast-tracked" for participation in the game's private (and eventually open) beta. Interplay's "coming soon" game page still has "Project V13" (now better known as Fallout Online) listed as a 2012 release, so, ya know, we probably won't be venturing into those wastes anytime soon. Then again, by 2012, we might be wandering in the wasteland for real.%Gallery-96978%
New Fallout Online artwork sighted
It seems like the Fallout Online hype-machine is slowly grinding into gear, what with the recent FAQ update and now word of some cryptic new artwork being sent to mailing list subscribers late last week. Destructoid has the scoop on the email blast, which kicked off with a brief textual teaser before leading into the imagery. "There are many stories and many more tall tales about life in the wastelands, this is one of them," read the notice. In addition to artwork like the vista shown above, subscribers were sent images of a letter scrawled by a character named Les, who waxes on about the Menkey Butte Mine and a "Ragskin" named Fast Eddie. Yeah, we can't make sense of it either, but it's a great way for Interplay to pique our collective interest.
Fallout Online offers up a large FAQ
If tons of tasty information about the upcoming post-apocalyptic playground, Fallout Online, is something you're hungry for, then you're in luck! A fan has compiled Interplay forum responses into a rather lengthy FAQ that's full of all manner of information every vault dweller could possibly want. Well, OK -- not everything. There's still no release date, nor are there tons of beta keys available for the grabbing. However, it's still a nice bundle of information to look over. Among the morsels on the Fallout Online FAQ are notes on PvP (yes, it will be there), death penalties (definitely worth reading for yourself), and more. It looks like the hotly debated "Project V13" has been moving along more solidly than many might have realized. Head on over to the Interplay forums to read all about it! [Thanks, Nickelpat!] [Edited to correct posting source]
Fallout Online named, teaser site launches
Interplay has launched a teaser site for Fallout Online, presumably the proper title for Project V13 from Chris Taylor, designer of the original Fallout (with help from Masthead Studios). This comes in the wake of drawn-out legal action between Interplay and Bethesda over the rights to the Fallout IP, and news in January that a beta for the V13 title would be coming in 2012. The site offers a sign-up form for the Fallout Online mailing list and an option to be informed when registration for the open beta begins. We're contacting Interplay for more on the now-named game and hope to hear back before we all need to start carrying Rad Away. [Thanks, King of Creation]
Please stand by: Fallout Online gets its own website
The Interplay/Bethesda Fallout legal battle is one mired in as much speculation as it is in fact, although we do know that Interplay has been attempting to get a Fallout MMO project off the ground for some time now. Code-named V13, Fallout Online is currently Interplay's baby, although we haven't seen a clear go-ahead due to the legal struggle over the rights. It was a bit of a surprise, then, to see a teaser website for Fallout Online launch with little fanfare. Currently, there isn't much there, just a brief glimpse at a workshop desk with various Fallout references to the Master, Brahmin, and Nuka-Cola before a form obscures the screen. You then can sign up for their mailing list, as well as a beta opt-in. Following that, you are unceremoniously sent to the Interplay forums. It looks legit, too: Interplay is promoting Fallout Online from their main website, and the new teaser site is indeed registered to Interplay Entertainment Corp. Seeing as how Fallout fans are incredibly passionate about this franchise, even a hint that this MMO is progressing toward launch should come as a jolt of radioactive bliss. Check out the website and let us know what you think! [Thanks Eric "Nickelpat" Minaker!]
Report: Court backs Interplay in Fallout MMO squabble; concept art surfaces
The twists and turns in the saga of Interplay's suspected Fallout MMO, "Project V13," date back to 2006. The latest came this week when, according to a report by No Mutants Allowed, someone claiming to be an Interplay stockholder revealed that Fallout IP owner Bethesda was denied an injunction it had sought against Interplay. Bethesda had hoped to strip Interplay of the Fallout license after the publisher had supposedly broken an agreement to begin development of the MMO before April 4, 2009. Interplay claims that's not the case and, perhaps to prove its point, has posted concept art from the could-be-a-game on its forums. As much as we'd love to play an MMO based on our favorite post-nuclear RPG, we can't help but feel this falling out between the two companies is going to keep us waiting until the real apocalypse -- and beyond. %Gallery-76799% [Via BigDownload]
