Sorry about the long post guys. But read, I promise it'll be worthwhile.

Remember Interplay Entertainment? Founded by Brian Fargo in 1983, it became one of the top publishers of the decade, releasing Descent, Wasteland, and The Bard's Tale for various home-computing platforms. In the '90s, it published even more classics, including BioWare's Dungeons & Dragons: Forgotten Realms game Baldur's Gate and its self-developed role-playing-game landmarks, Fallout and Fallout 2.


Unfortunately, the 21st century wasn't kind to Interplay. Fargo left the company in 2002 when it was bought by French firm Titus Interactive. His successor as CEO, Herve Caen, presided over the company's slow financial disintegration, which led to the cancellation of the "Van Buren" Fallout 3, the closure of Black Isle studios, and the laying off of almost all Interplay staff.

Though written off by many as dead, Interplay hung on, with Caen and a skeleton crew hawking its marquee IPs. They got their first buyer in July 2004, when Bethesda Softworks announced that it had licensed the rights to develop and publish Fallout 3. Three years later, Bethesda bought the Fallout IP outright, giving Interplay a much-needed cash infusion and leaving it with rights to develop a Fallout massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

Now, a year after the Fallout fire sale, Interplay appears to have risen from the grave. The company today launched an all-new Web site at Interplay.com and opened a new office in Irvine.

Perhaps more importantly, the company laid more concrete plans for development of its proposed Fallout MMORPG, code-named "Project V13." Interplay has rehired Chris Taylor*, one of the developers of the original Fallout in the mid-1990s, to be lead system designer for the game. According to its careers page, the publisher is also hiring a technical director for Project V13 to oversee all aspects of programming for the project.

To get the game through its proposed July 2010 launch, Interplay is projecting that it will need a total of $75 million. Few details were given, but the publisher did note that it would be a subscription-based game and that it was expected to provide a return on investment within three years. Interplay projects that the game would be profitable in its second year with revenues of $160 million, assuming it could garner 1 million subscribers in its first year.


So What is Project V13?
Project V13 is the codename for an unannounced post-apocalyptic Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game being developed at Interplay by Jason Anderson and Chris Taylor, two of the creators of Fallout.
While not officially announced as such, it is believed to be set in the Fallout world, an alternate universe based on 50s sci-fi pulp fiction, as if the world had stopped in the optimistic 50s and found itself on a dystopian post-apocalyptic reality. It will be a spin-off of the Fallout series, which includes Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout 3.

Is Fallout Online really in development?
The game has not been announced yet, however, Interplay has licensed the rights to a Fallout MMORPG from Bethesda and hired Jason Anderson and Chris Taylor, two of the creators of Fallout, to work on an unannounced MMORPG project, and since Interplay is working on only one MMO project, the project being Fallout Online is a pretty safe bet.

But didn't Bethesda own Fallout now?
Yes, Bethesda Softworks owns the Fallout franchise now. In April 2007, SEC filings were made showing the purchase of the entire Fallout IP to Fallout 3 developer Bethesda Softworks for $5.75 million USD. While Bethesda now owns the rights to the Fallout MMO IP, clauses in the purchase agreement state allow Interplay to license the rights to the development of the MMO.

Will Interplay be able to raise enough money?
Specific requirements were stated in the agreement that if not met, Interplay would immediately lose and forfeit its license rights for Fallout. Development must begin within 24 months of the date of the agreement (April 4, 2007), and Interplay must secure $30 million within that time frame or forfeit its rights to license. Interplay must furthermore launch the MMOG within 4 years of the beginning of development, and pay Bethesda 12 percent of sales and subscription fees for the use of the IP.
On June 30, 2008, it was announced that Interactive Game Group, LLC (created by Frederic Chesnais, former Chief Executive Officer of Atari, which now also owns MicroProse) purchased 2,000,000 shares of Interplay stock, as consideration for entering into a game production agreement.

What if they don't?
On August 1, 2007, ZeniMax Media Inc., parent company of Bethesda Softworks, announced the creation of ZeniMax Online Studios. The division will be headed by Matt Firor, a well-known expert in the field of online gaming, and will focus on the Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMO) market segment. It might work on a Fallout MMO in the future, if Interplay fails to gather enough money for their Fallout Online project.

When is it going to be released?
Unknown, since the game is yet to be announced. However, in order to avoid violating its contract, Interplay would have to launch the MMORPG before April 2013.

Bethseda is kinda of bullshiting.
Its interplays rights, they held in in the contract that they reserve the right to make a Fallout MMO.

It's not their rights if they sold them. They're taking a huge chance developing a game with that situation here.

Ah yeah, I misread the article and though Interplay were still calling their game a Fallout MMO. I agree with you, Interplay is completely clean there.

mmm... either you didn't understood what I posted or I don't understan what you are both posting! The problem is between interplay and GFC, not between Interplay and bethesda.

Interplay had first licensed the fallout IP to GCG so they could develop a pen and paper RPG within the fallout world. Then Interplay sold all rights to Bethesda, keeping some limited MMO possibilities. Then Bethesda sent a cease and desist to both GCG and Interplay, causing GCG to change their pen and paper RPG to something not related to Fallout. Of course, GCG has now issued a lawsuit against Interplay for breach of contract, I mean they sold the IP to bethesda without considering they had licensed it to GCG first. In march 2009 interplay will have to defend its case at court, and judgement shall be then delivered! In my opinion, judgement will be against interplay and in favor of GCG, I think "breach of contract and damages" should be sufficient to make interplay pays some millions....

Most of the information in the starter is info on the game.
The rest is legal information.

I dont much like your negativity dawat.
DUN CURSE THIS.
Or, you know.
Ill eat your babies and such.

But i already bought the BBQ sauce!