** FalloutChris is right, here is an article dated 4/3/09:


Today, Interplay announced that funding for the Fallout MMO 'Project: V13' has been secured thanks to a partnership with Masthead Studios. 'Project V13' sounds catchy, but its only a code name for an MMO that the company has had in development since 2007.

Rumor has it that 'Project V13' is a Fallout MMO. When Interplay sold Fallout to Bethesda, they kept the rights to create an MMO based on the property. Our tipster, community member dyslixec, points out that the 'V13' part of the name could refer to the infamous Vault 13 - the place where the journey begins -- in the original Fallout.

I knew they had partnered with Masthead for V13 in the last week before the 30 million was due, and knew there should be some money change hands; but by 4/1/09 they still had not produced proof of the 30 million. However, looking at the week in Nasdaq you can see a huge spike around mid-week.

As for my own self, I will wait and see what the screen shots and comments on the forums say before buying it myself if Bethesda isn't doing it.

I wonder how the negotiations for this went down because this is a very odd agreement between Interplay and Bethesda, I can't even think of another similar example of it in the industry. I remember when it was first announced that Bethesda bought the IP and Interplay retained the rights to develop the MMO, the agreement was so tilted in ZeniMax's favor that I assumed that they assumed Interplay would eff up (probably a good bet) and they'd get the rights to the MMO (not that they would do anything with it). What's odd here is that it seems Interplay has actually done the unexpected and followed through (though not very professionally, and the issue of the $30 million is apparently still up in the air).

Very very strange. I wonder how Bethesda feels about this all this 2 years after the fact (I imagine it looks a lot like this: :banghead: )

Bethesda themselves won't really care, because they don't do mmos, also they are getting x amount of cash from f3 is there is still more milking the cow if they wish to do so. It'll be zenimax that will be rather annoyed at this development.

Well Bethesda Softworks is the branch of ZeniMax that actually made the deal with Interplay even before ZeniMax Online Studios, but that's just semantics. I don't think ZeniMax/Bethesda even really wants to develop an MMO in the Fallout universe, it's more about how much creative control do they retain over their IP while it's in Interplay's hands and did they think losing a little bit of control was acceptable if it meant getting Interplay to sell the IP to them (back when they assumed Interplay would fall flat on its face and fail to secure funding thus letting the rights revert to Bethesda Softworks)?

It's an interesting situation.

I think my point is this: people are assuming that if it's being developed by Interplay than that automatically means it won't be the MMO Bethesda would have made or that it won't share many similarities with Bethesda's reinvented Fallout...or that because Chris Taylor is at Interplay again that it somehow is going to change anything.

From what I understand Interplay only has the rights to develop the MMO, they don't have creative control. Bethesda still has creative oversight of the entire project. In fact, Interplay, according to the agreement with Bethesda, shouldn't have even been able to bring Masthead into the deal without Bethesda's consent.

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/46532.



So far Interplay has stuck to the deal, including (presumably) the $30 million. If that's the case, that means Bethesda approved bringing Masthead on board. Which means Bethesda is still calling the shots.



My conspiracy theory: Bethesda/ZeniMax will fund the project themselves contingent on Interplay coming up with a viable production scheme which includes bringing in a third party like Masthead.

Even I don't believe it though :bolt:

Very nice post i never thought of it from that perspective, it is indeed very interesting. Sounds like a logistical nightmare for the guys at bethesda checking up on interplay though.

I find it amusing also that hardcoe f1 and f2 fans seem to think that anything tied to the original developers will automatically be better than anything bethesda will ever have to offer. It seems to me that alot of those players are like the kids at school that like a band until they get popular, then they are too mainstream to be cool.

No it's just that the originals team where such better writers and they made a much better rule system, and universe than anything gamesas ever did...

Bethesda will collect 12% off all sales of the MMO if Interplay makes it. Now Interplay has to also give a share of the profits to Masthead, so they will probably go belly up on the deal. Bethesda allowing them to do the MMO was more or less HIRING them to do the MMO for them, but in order to get the job Interplay had to prove they could financially do it, by having 30 million by the end of the first quarter 2009. How they got that money (I would say would be immaterial to Bethesda) - but will mean a lot to Interplay if it has to pay out all the profits to Bethesda and Masthead. Interplay sat on it for almost two years, then got (Atari?) man to purchase a ton of stock last summer. This first quarter they combed Europe for investors, and then made this deal with Masthead. The deal with Masthead gave them the 30 million they needed. If this game doesn't pay enough to pay Masthead back and secure Bethesda's 12% Interplay will be in the same boat it was in 4 years ago when it stiffed it's investors on that deal with that French company.



But the only person working for them from the original team is Chris, the only other one who came back was Jason and he quit in March. He let it out that it was no more stable now than it was when he left the first time. Chris did Tactics, which was good, but he is alone there, as far as the original team goes. Interplay put it out that they had a "bunch" from the old Black Isles there, but the only names they would produce were Chris and Jason. Jason left. I went thru every one of the original team, and can tell you where they all are, and it isn't at Interplay. (except Chris).

Weren't they already on the edge of extinction before this mess?

Yes, I'm about positive that is why Bethesda made them this offer for the MMO, to try and help them get back on their feet.



Bethesda gave them two years to come up with the proof that they could pull it together and make the MMO, so they knew it would be two years. Bethesda wants it to succeed, not just because of the 12% they will get off the net profits, but because Bethesda owns the Franchise now, and it will hurt the franchise if Interplay messes it up. (Bethesda will collect 12% off all sales of the MMO if Interplay makes it).

Now Interplay has to also give a share of the profits to Masthead, so they will probably go belly up on the deal. Bethesda allowing them to do the MMO was more or less HIRING them to do the MMO for them in return for just a percentage plus the up front money Bethesda gave Interplay originally; but in order to get the job Interplay had to prove they could financially do it right, by having 30 million by the end of the first quarter 2009.

How they got that money (I would say would be immaterial to Bethesda) - but will mean a lot to Interplay if it has to pay out all the profits to Bethesda and Masthead. Interplay sat on it for almost two years, then got that (Atari?) man to purchase a ton of stock last summer. This first quarter this year they combed Europe for investors, and then made this deal with Masthead. The deal with Masthead gave them the 30 million they needed. If this game doesn't pay enough to pay Masthead back and secure Bethesda's 12% Interplay will be in the same boat it was in 4 years ago when it stiffed it's investors on that deal with that French company.

If something happens and this game doesn't sell, this deal with Masthead will crash Interplay. If they had pushed for the full two years for investors instead of waiting till the last minute they wouldn't have had to partner with Masthead, and could have put themselves in a much more stable position when V13 was finished, which is what Bethesda (I am sure) was trying to do when they let them keep the MMO, giving them a chance to pull themselves back up on their feet.



*** Sorry about the double post, the forum kicked me out when I pushed "complete" and when I signed back in I re-wrote it (not realizing it had posted the first time)

Interplay was purportedly working on it before they sold Bethesda the license - so I imagine Interplay made it very clear that they would only sell the license to Bethesda if they could keep the rights to an MMO.

I knew they were working on Fallout 3, I saw the demo they had been showing the investors. Bethesda did much better on it in my book.

Now that they've licensed an engine, instead of building their own, I think this is more likely than before to see the light of day...

But "More Likely" isnt the same as "Likely to happen". I still think Interplay are in a very weak position, and MMOs, when they fail, fail hard. A poor selling PC game can still make a trickle of cash today in sales.... Tabula Rasa is never going to make another penny.

I honestly think Interplay have a good chance to bury themselves here.

from a different thread:


these guys tell it, imo.

it's quite simple: wasteland <-> solitude <-> singleplayer ≠ multiplayer

seriously.. Fallout 1, 2 & 3 is about casting you into an unknown world, where you are totally on your own. you're bound to your origin as you are bound to your goal.
it's about getting to know people in order to get around. not about knowing them already, or getting equipped by your old team mates after you just resurrected.
all of that is for me the fun in fundamental, which I am - in the matter of Fallout 1 & 2 at least...

there's only one rudimental part of the Fallout saga - I don't dare to write out it's name here - that would fit for a mp or mmp concept.
and the result was probably a WoW-CS-retort.
if they ever search for a new name for"project v13".. I'd suggest "falloff tactics - into another waste of time"

I was referring to a Fallout MMORPG. Interplay killed off Van Buren quite a while before Bethesda got the rights to make Fallout 3, 4, and 5. However at that time Interplay was starting pre-production on a Fallout MMORPG.

3, 4, and 5 - YIPEEE !!! That is Awesome news!

I didn't know about them already having started on the MMORG, I thought they had ordered them to quit working on it right before the big break up when all the developers left, and all they ever talked about in the interviews was Van Buren. Thanks for the info! I do hope they do a good job on it.

Bethesda having only the rights to make Fallout 3, 4 and 5 is old news. Now they have the rights to make as many Fallout games as they want.

And it didn't start pre-production on Fallout Online yet at that time. The pre-production didn't really start until they hired Jason Anderson in 2007.

i think that bethesda should do it like i said eailer in the topic..but they should just relax abit and get some ideas from interplay..i mean they did make fallout 1 and 2 so after making this whole world of nuclear-war and devistation the ideas they have should be useful towards the mmo and if interplay has any idea they wanted to make a mmo later on in the decade they should have held on to the rights for a little bit longer but if bethesda stop being so fussy and trying to be the "big man" i think they both could make a really good mmo..and about the idea of you are ment to go in the wasteland on your own..well i dont see any reason where you could have a single player and multiplayer it could suit both types of players and if bethesda did not want to make a mmo let interplay make that part of the game and leave the single player to bethesda

With me it's like this: If Bethesda is putting it out, I know it is going to be epic, awesome, etc. so I just buy it the day it comes out. Since Interplay is doing it, I will probably watch the Youtube for gameplay vids, and read the forums to see what everyone says before I buy it.

If Bethesda were doing it, I wouldn't buy it. If Interplay is, I might.

I think as many times as it's been said, over and over and over, that Bethesda care little for MMOs, I don't think I'd want them to have a bash at it.

Interplay currently have Chris Taylor, and that alone is the unique selling point I appreciate. Names like Tim Cain and Chris Taylor may aswell be a trademark

And more than that, with Masthead on board with the screenshots we have, the current PV13 project is something I'm taking an increasing interest in every day.

I remembered you are a Chris Taylor fan. He did really well on Tactics.

Interplay worries me because part of making a game is then selling it, and in a market as competitive MMOs I dont see them doing a very good job at it.

Chris Taylor had much less to say with Tactics than he does with Fallout Online now, though.

Me too.

It bothers me that IP had access to the kind of talent they had working for them and mis-managed their business to the point where it was folding. They've only hung on by the skin of their teeth. This team was excited about the Van Buren, and they had a cult following - it's hard to understand why IP would cut production on it when they didn't have a solid plan, the only reason they could possibly have would be the cost, and that's why you seek investors - when you know you are onto something big and can't afford it, you go to someone who can afford it.

Another thing, they had a good team - I won't say anywhere near as good as Bethesda's team - but still a good team. When you have that, you have to do some pampering of your genius'. It's like a football coach, they pamper their players because they need that team to win for them. Pamper isn't the word I'm looking for here, but I think you know what I mean.

Bethesda, if they cut production on something, I am sure it would hurt the team working on it, but they would be given the communication needed to handle it. With Interplay they left them hanging for answers while they pulled the rug out from under them; and that lack of communication, organization, and stability is what drove their top teams to abandon them. The teams loyalty was to the game, the idea - but not the company they worked for. That is not good for business; but if the business was conducted differently, I think their team would have been loyal to the company too, and pushed ahead to help the company to succeed. Can't run a business if you can't budget money properly though, or if you don't have the gumption to get up and do something about your situation if you have an asset to peddle to investors.

Ok, my rant is over. All in all, I hope Interplay pulls this one out and gets back on their feet. I think Bethesda showed real class in this whole business with Interplay. They didn't scoop up the IP developers when they all fled Interplay; they really saved IP with this deal.

Also, Jason Anderson says he loves Fallout 3 and what Bethesda did with it. That is a real compliment coming from Jason!

I don't know...I don't trust Interplay even if they do have Chris Taylor and I'm not convinced Bethesda won't force the MMO to conform to their vision of Fallout. Again, it's not like Interplay can do whatever they want with the IP, the agreement says Bethesda still has creative oversight.

Either way, Black Isle is still dead and Black Isle != Interplay in my mind.

Let's not forget that Herve Caen is still in charge of Interplay and he abused the Fallout IP more than Bethesda ever could.