Interplay Restarts Development Thanks To IP Sale
Sale of 'Fallout' IP Allows Company To Rise From Ashes
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Storied publisher Interplay has announced that they will begin development again. The bankrupt publisher who sold their most valuable IP, the Fallout franchise, to Bethesda Softworks in April has been able to use that $5.75 million to revive the company.
Interplay Chairman and CEO Herve Caen explained that the firm will be re-opening at least one of its development studios and will begin work on a new installment to one of their other franchises such as MDK, Earthworm Jim, Baldur's Gate or Descent. The ability for the troubled publisher to create games based on the Earthworm Jim or Baldur's Gate IPs is currently up in the air since Atari previously held the rights for EJ and the length of Interplay's Dungeons & Dragons licensing agreement, which was used for previous Baldur's Gate titles, is unknown. Caen also mentioned that the firm has brought Jason Anderson back to the publisher. Anderson was lead artist on the original Fallout and co-founder of the now dead Troika Games, best known for Vampire: Bloodlines. Anderson will now act as the creative director to an unannounced MMOG, and let's not forget that Interplay has had plans for a Fallout-based MMOG for some time now.
"This quarter marks an important milestone in the company's difficult turnaround period of the past three years," commented, Interplay Chairman and CEO Herve Caen. "We are now focused on a two-pronged growth strategy. As we are working to secure funding for the development of a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) based on the popular Fallout franchise, we are at the same time exploring ways to leverage our impressive portfolio of gaming properties through sequels and various development and publishing arrangements."
Interplay Chairman and CEO Herve Caen explained that the firm will be re-opening at least one of its development studios and will begin work on a new installment to one of their other franchises such as MDK, Earthworm Jim, Baldur's Gate or Descent. The ability for the troubled publisher to create games based on the Earthworm Jim or Baldur's Gate IPs is currently up in the air since Atari previously held the rights for EJ and the length of Interplay's Dungeons & Dragons licensing agreement, which was used for previous Baldur's Gate titles, is unknown. Caen also mentioned that the firm has brought Jason Anderson back to the publisher. Anderson was lead artist on the original Fallout and co-founder of the now dead Troika Games, best known for Vampire: Bloodlines. Anderson will now act as the creative director to an unannounced MMOG, and let's not forget that Interplay has had plans for a Fallout-based MMOG for some time now.
"This quarter marks an important milestone in the company's difficult turnaround period of the past three years," commented, Interplay Chairman and CEO Herve Caen. "We are now focused on a two-pronged growth strategy. As we are working to secure funding for the development of a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) based on the popular Fallout franchise, we are at the same time exploring ways to leverage our impressive portfolio of gaming properties through sequels and various development and publishing arrangements."