Bethesda buys Fallout from Interplay; Interplay MUST launch Fallout MMOG within 6 years

Gamasutra reports on a piece of business news with two gaming fallouts – er, implications. Bethesda Softworks has recently bought the Fallout license from Interplay Studios (and not just the rights to dev Fallout 3, but the whole enchilada) for US$ 5.75 million, according to papers filed before the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), found by Fallout fansite No Mutants Allowed.

Here’s the fallout. Interplay used to own the IP and Bethesda simply licensing the IP for the Fallout 3 installment. Now as Bethesda owns the IP, not only can it securely move forward with the creation of Fallout content without backchecking with the owners (since they are the new owners), but it reaps the intellectual property’s income…

… especially from Interplay, now the licensee for its old IP. The same documents also reveal a contractual obligation by Interplay to launch its Fallout massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) within six years from the Effective Date of the agreement between them and Bethesda, with full-scale development occurring within the first twenty-four months… or else Interplay forfeits its license rights. It does give a potential window to when we’ll see that Fallout MMOG.

And with the money from the Bethesda enchilada purchase, they may have some seed to start the project. Hey, at least Bethesda’s not doing an MMO, like they said.

Gamasutra reports on a piece of business news with two gaming fallouts – er, implications. Bethesda Softworks has recently bought the Fallout license from Interplay Studios (and not just the rights to dev Fallout 3, but the whole enchilada) for US$ 5.75 million, according to papers filed before the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), found by Fallout fansite No Mutants Allowed.

Here’s the fallout. Interplay used to own the IP and Bethesda simply licensing the IP for the Fallout 3 installment. Now as Bethesda owns the IP, not only can it securely move forward with the creation of Fallout content without backchecking with the owners (since they are the new owners), but it reaps the intellectual property’s income…

… especially from Interplay, now the licensee for its old IP. The same documents also reveal a contractual obligation by Interplay to launch its Fallout massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) within six years from the Effective Date of the agreement between them and Bethesda, with full-scale development occurring within the first twenty-four months… or else Interplay forfeits its license rights. It does give a potential window to when we’ll see that Fallout MMOG.

And with the money from the Bethesda enchilada purchase, they may have some seed to start the project. Hey, at least Bethesda’s not doing an MMO, like they said.