Interplay Releases Project V13 Concept Art

[Andy Chalk]

Interplay Releases Project V13 Concept Art

The legal dust-up between Interplay [http://www.bethsoft.com] has at least one positive consequence for gamers: Interplay has released some early concept art for Project V13, the unannounced MMOG that's widely believed to be Fallout Online.

Lawsuits are generally bad news, particularly when they swirl around games and companies we know and love. Case in point: The Fallout franchise and the ongoing legal tussle it has sparked between Interplay, the company that created it, and Bethesda, the company that purchased the IP and has taken it to an launched a counter-suit [http://fallout.bethsoft.com] this month, claiming Bethesda's "unreasonable interference" has made the sale of the Fallout license "null and void."

Whatever. The silver lining for gamers is this: As a result of the lawsuit (maybe to demonstrate that it is in fact working on the game?) Interplay has released a couple pieces of V13 concept art to the public. "Keep in mind that this is concept art. It's not finalized art, but it will give you a feel for what we are aiming for with V13," wrote [http://www.interplay.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=1710] Interplay's Chris Taylor. "And I'll keep bugging the lawyers to release more art when we can... I'm pretty excited that we're finally able to show you some of the work that we've been doing up until now."

There are only two images currently posted, a graveyard and a factory; they're distinctly post-apocalyptic, but for me, they don't have the usual "Fallout feel," for lack of a better term. You'll have to register for the Interplay forums to see them, although Have a look [http://www.nma-fallout.com/article.php?id=52820] and see what you think!

via: Blue's [http://www.bluesnews.com/cgi-bin/board.pl?action=viewstory&threadid=103683]


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[GonzoGamer]

If this ends up delaying any of the Fallout games, I'm going to be very disappointed with all the parties involved.
I especially don't like the idea of Bethesda's purchase of the IP being "null & void." That makes it sound like they wont make another.
Hopefully this wont stall New Vegas

 

[dochmbi]

Why is Interplay developing a Fallout game if they sold the rights to the franchise and the intellectual property to Bethesda? It seems to me this would mean that if anyone else wanted to make a Fallout game, they would have to make a deal with Bethesda and pay for a license to use the IP.

 

[Nimbus]

I totally agree with you on this one. It looks more like a post-zombie-apocalypse than a post-nuclear-apocalypse.

 

[Lenny Magic]

That concept art could have been thrown together in a day. Pardon me for being cynical but Interplay really are making it seem as though they have only just started work on the game.

 

[digitalman]

"...it will give you a feel for what we are aiming for with V13."

Wow, really? Call me skeptical, but this shows me nothing. Generic post-apocalyptic painting that Taylor could have gotten off DeviantArt for all we know.

Concept art, unless it's truly original, has got to be one of the least tangible and meaningless aspects of game design there is. Don't get me wrong, sometimes it's really groundbreaking, and if you're really trying to drive home to your modelers/texture artists that /this/ is how it should look, it can be helpful. But some wrecked buildings and trees is a far cry from say, Craig Mullen's work on Fallout 3.

Interplay is desperately trying to show that they've started work on the MMO so they don't have to give the IP to Bethesda. But all this manages to show is that they decided that it would be "post-apocalyptic". No description of game mechanics or story, decisions on game engines, sharding, etc.

I feel sorry for them, but I hope the lawyers see through the smokescreen and actually give the license to Bethesda (as they paid for) so they can see that something is done with it.

 

[RazokKull]

I'm torn. On one hand, I'm very excited at the mere thought of a Fallout-themed MMO. On the other, it could all be BS and they're just working on another post-apocalyptic game that may not be as good.

Damn you for tugging at my emotions, Interplay!

Damn you!

 

[samsonguy920]

Just a thought to chew on, but we got tons of concept art and screenshots even of Duke Nukem Forever.

 

[Chipperz]

Shiiiiiiiiiit I hope they hurry up! Fallen Earth is drek and I need a decent post-apocalyptic MMORPG to keep me tiding over while I make my own!

 

[thiosk]

That makes it sound like they wont make another.

They made a mint off fallout 3.

They will DEF. make another; and they can probably do it with only minor upgrades to the engine. Legal schmegal-- when theres that much money involved, you can bet they'll figure something out.

 

[Ph33nix]

though it looks post apocalyptic it really doesn;t have a "fallout feel" but who knows it could be set in a different country or time period of the fallout universe and that would easily explain the differences in architecture and style

 

[Link Kadeshi]

Beth has done nothing wrong to the best of my knowledge. Interplay has not met their contractual obligations, even after Beth gave them more time. Not sure what the Conceptual art is meant to portray in the sense that they're not showing anything that makes me think they have anything yet. I was looking forward to this, at least to try it, but they still sold the IP.

 

[Slider2k]

As i know Interplay didn't sell all the rights on Fallout universe to Bethesda, reserving some to themselves. Also THEY should get much needed money from sales of Fallout 1,2, not Bethesda.

As much as i love Interplay for giving us FO1,2, and as much as i hate Bethesda for ruining Fallout universe for me... Interplay are in sad condition: they probably don't have and won't have that large amount of resource needed to make today scale/quality MMO, and most importantly, most people who were working on first two games left. Making a MMO is just not the right thing for them to get company out of shithole. The best thing for them, imho, is to stop clinging to dreams, sell out remaining rights on FO, and focus on things that would really let company survive. Or else it could turn into another Duke Nukem Forever syndrome, sadly.

EDIT: http://www.nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=52822 - an interesting read. Seems that Bethesda acting as an asshole in this situation.

 

[Valiance]

Dunno why Taylor's even involved in this project, he has his own stuff to take care of with SupCom 2.

As much as I love the idea of Project V13, I get the feeling that it will never come out and I wouldn't play it anyway.

This only confirms that belief.

Unfortunately, people are gonna blame Interplay for being bad and slowing shit down, when honestly, I just want another MDK, another Descent, and although I loved the first fallouts, I don't think a game like that will sell much to today's market.

Anyway, this concept art really doesn't show a damn thing aside from a cool quest hub inside a broken airplane or something, lol.

 

[GonzoGamer]

That makes it sound like they wont make another.

They made a mint off fallout 3.

They will DEF. make another; and they can probably do it with only minor upgrades to the engine. Legal schmegal-- when theres that much money involved, you can bet they'll figure something out.

Yea. I can't say I'm that worried (they're just trying to get money off each other, I know). But even if they lost the IP, that engine and that kind of creativity would make a great game in any kind of setting.

 

[solidstatemind]

From what I've read on the interwebs, this doesn't affect the ownership of the current single-player IP of Fallout. Bethesda can still make DLC and a FO4 if they want. It has to do with maybe Bethesda deciding that they might want to change their minds and make a FO MMO themselves, rather than letting Interplay make the money off of it.

So basically, what happened is this:

Interplay sold Bethesda the Fallout IP, but kept the right to keep selling the stuff they already made.

As a part of the 'payment' for the deal, Bethesda licensed the rights to a Fallout-based MMO back to Interplay, but put certain requirements on that (milestones, minimum investment, timeframe, etc) to keep Interplay from pimping vaporware or pumping out a steaming pile of shit, or anything else which would have a negative affect on the value of the Fallout IP as a whole.

Bethesda felt those requirements were not being met and sued to recover the rights they licensed to Interplay. They also filed for an injunction which would force Interplay to stop working on the project and stop releasing information about it until the case was resolved.

Interplay countersued, to stop the injunction and (it appears) to possibly try to say that the MMO rights should 'revert' completely to Interplay, and not just be a license, because Bethesda's actions invalidated the agreement they made.

The injunction was stopped, so Interplay is going to keep working on it. That is somewhat surprising, but odds are, in the long run, Interplay will publish a Fallout MMO, and Bethesda will hold all the 'Single Player' rights.

 

[Ausir]

Dunno why Taylor's even involved in this project, he has his own stuff to take care of with SupCom 2.

It's a different Chris Taylor. There are actually two game designers with the same name, the one we're talking about here was the lead designer of the original Fallout, worked to an extent on Fallout Tactics, as well as Star Trek: Starfleet Command and some other games. He's not the SupCom/TA/Dungeon Siege etc. one.