FalloutMmo
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Great Geiger! Bethesda buys Fallout IP
According to an SEC report filed today, the revered Fallout franchise has been sold to Bethesda Softworks, currently in the midst of developing Fallout 3. Uncovered by Fallout fansite, No Mutants Allowed, the document states that the radioactive IP was purchased from Interplay for the princely sum of $5.75 million -- roughly a mountain's worth of post-apocalyptic bottle caps. Bethesda had been developing their Fallout sequel as licensee, not property owner.This change of ownership sees original IP-holder, Interplay, becoming a licensee to Bethesda and paying the Elder Scrolls developer a 12% royalty on net sales derived from an upcoming (and still entirely nebulous) Fallout MMO. Interplay's license requires them to begin development within two years of the date of agreement, secure a minimum of 10,000 subscribers and offer a product that complies with "the quality standards of Bethesda." Purchasing the Fallout IP outright certainly reflects positively on Bethesda's dedication to the franchise -- it's their property they risk messing up now -- and highlights plans well beyond "Morrowind with Mutants." (Next, would someone be so kind as to rescue the Freespace IP from Interplay?)[Via Gamasutra]
Boardroom guys: Let's make a Fallout MMO
According to a November SEC filing, battered software publisher, Interplay, imagines a wonderful future with gamers paying it $160 million per-year beginning in 2011. The one product that could relaunch the company: a Fallout MMO.In the SEC document -- with typical financial disclaimers saying the projection may never be realized -- Interplay hopes a $75 million Fallout MMO production of will save the farm. (A large part of that figure includes marketing.) The company intends to sell common stock to generate a significant part of that budget -- that's why this filing exists for us to drool and scribble notes in the margins.While the product may eventually be created, give it at least a few months before getting excited; Interplay hopes development begins in early in 2007. And even then, you'll have to wait until Q3 2010 before the company intends to launch; three-and-a-half years in production seems optimistic. Keep the skepticism setting on high.[Via Inside Mac Games]
