No Mutants Allowed

Odin · Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2004 8:22 Post subject: IPLY still afloat?

I have been following the latest postings of the investors over at Raging Bull forums and earlier on they were having problems contacting Luke Haas, but they knew where IPLY had put up office:

The offices they are now in at 1682 Langley is an executive suite office building. There are many small offices in that building that are rented out monthly to many different businesses. There will be lots of people there working, but you won't easily know just which company they are working at, unless you talk to the receptionist.

Last night frymuchan got a reply from Luke:

Interplay does have a staff at their new offices working in a variety of functions, including management, financial/legal, programming and more. Hope and expect earnings to be announced very soon. It has been delayed considerably due to the amount of work that needs to be done to compile and prepare these reports. What was previously being handled by a full staff is now being handled by a much smaller core group of people. The company remains in business and hard at work finalizing earnings, working on the litigation front and pursuing options to improve cashflow, but still faces significant legal and financial hurdles. Earnings report will provide more detail on these issues.

Corith (former IPLY employee) followed up with this:

Don't belive it.

I suspect that it is typical corporate spin, since I know better. I suspect they have 4 people. Herve (CEO), Phil (pres), an HR person to function as secretary/receptionist, and an accounting person. None of their former I.T. personal have been called in, other than the director to set up the accounting software so they can pay back payroll.

Meh, haven't everyone given up already? And why hasn't Herve been put in jail yet?
Link: Raging Bull IPLY Thread
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SumsoluS · Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2004 16:49 Post subject:

"on and on and on and on and on and on" x infinity.

theres only one thing left to do...plant 50 nuclear bombs in the core of earth and detonate them all..we ll all die but at least we ll get the herve fucker!!!! Twisted Evil

Macaco · Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2004 18:46 Post subject:

Well, you've got to admire herve's tenacity, in having both interplay still away from bankrupcity and his ass away from jail.
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Egis · Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2004 19:15 Post subject:

Man herve is one persistent fucker if it goes on we mith see the fallout online game Crying or Very sad

Man i hope some terorist woud bomb his ofice with Herve in it with a napalm bomb and herve woud jump out a window screaming in agony Twisted Evil

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Corith · Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2004 19:47 Post subject:

Interplay still owns a handful of intellectual properties that Herve might still think he could produce games for. I suspect that he is using the money from the Bethesda license deal to pay off bad debt on the hopes he can get some delusional investor who doesn't know his past and fund another spin-off of the Dark Alliance engine for FO:BOS II, or Dark Alliance III. How many times will be allowed to run a company into bankruptcy before he is stopped?

In regards to a MMORPG, Herve has no clue as to the incredibility deep pockets necessary for the creation of MMORPG. Since he never ever played the games Interplay made, or any other games for that matter, he really doesn't have a decent point of reference other than his own arrogance. The logistics of creating a MMORPG are mind-boggling in scope. A decent recurring billing system, not to mention the security protocols to prevent cheaters, are vast.

Since he has utterly alienated so many former employees, and possible employees (a bad rep is very hard to shake), he will not be able to hire enough help to create the complex code needed for a MMORPG, design the world, and play test balance issues regardless of how much money he gets. The only path to FO:OL is to outsource the whole thing (as an unemployed I.T. worker, I'll refrain from commenting on outsourcing at this time).
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Briosafreak · Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2004 22:24 Post subject:

Another two MMORPGs compamies died last week, it`s definitely not a good path to be taken these days...

Hey Corith did you knew Herves wife business went bankrupt last year too? What`s with that family, geez...

PsychoSniper · Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 0:37 Post subject:

Die allready, you french bastard!.

Seriously, Im not that suprised that Ipky is still 'officaly' at leat still afloat, Herve is simply milking it for a paycheck for as long as he can.

Corith · Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2004 20:18 Post subject:

After over 5 months of being kept in a odd kind of limbo, Herve and his handfull of hand-picked drones have finally managed to send out notices of temrination to the former members of this once proud game publisher.

Sadly, he is now refusing to pay acrued vacation money. I guess it means more lawsuits. The court date for the post mortum stealth change from salary to wage hasn't even been set yet, and here is more litiigation for him.

You'd think he learn, huh?
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Briosafreak · Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2004 22:49 Post subject:

He`ll never learn, he lost in the courts to other gaming companies, saw his wife business going through the drains again in courts, but he`ll never give up. Keep the pressure on him, at least until he`s forced to sell the cars to pay you guys.

PsychoSniper · Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2004 23:37 Post subject:

Yeah, rip im for all you can.

Lost Metal · Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 0:18 Post subject:

To have any sort of competitive MMORPG you have to spend millions of dollars.

If you are going to create a competitive MMORPG that is DIFFERENT (turn based and Mature rating)... I'm talking atleast 5-8 million after everything is said and done. At the very least.

If you are going to create a competitive MMORPG that is relatively the same (real time with some kiddy rating) but better than the best MMORPGS out on the market. Your talking 15-20 million after everything is said and done. Again, at the very least.

If they are just planning to make a non-competitive game and get a couple thousand subscriptions (which for Fallout, is a pretty good estimate.) they might be looking at around 1-2 million dollars (give or take).

The problems?
1: They don't have the money.
2: They won't have the money.
3: They will try to make a competitive MMORPG vs. a non-competitive one. Because they aren't gamers, they are a business. The problem? Unless you have a massive bankroll and/or a great reputation and/or a fantastically different idea, Competitive MMORPG's fail.
4: They don't have a massive bankroll or a great reputation.
5: They do have a fantasically different idea. A turn-based mature rated, post apocalyptic/nuclear adventure! The problem? They won't use this idea because the statistics probably say: It won't sell.

There are a billion reasons on how this will fail, and only a few possible ways it could succeed.

v01dy · Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 5:24 Post subject:

letting a non-gaming businessman run interplay its kinda like letting a drug store owner direct brain surgery doncha think?

Ozrat · Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 5:38 Post subject:

Thanks for the good/sad update, Corith.
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-=Dec=- · Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 16:57 Post subject:

The California State Labor Board has been absolutely no help at all as well. They don't return phone calls, they don't send out any sort of documentation or confirmation, etc. It's a terrible situation all the way around.

-Dec

Claw · Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 18:40 Post subject:

Die Interplay die. Good or bad, just be gone.
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Briosafreak · Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2004 21:15 Post subject:

-=Dec=- · Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 16:56 Post subject:

As far as the OC Register is concerned, been there done that. Even the Register seems uninterested in the story nowadays.

-Dec

Odin · Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2004 21:18 Post subject:

PsychoSniper · Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2004 1:07 Post subject:

hmmm, just a thought.

He owes numerous people money.

Prehaps a labor lean ?

Roshambo · Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2004 3:19 Post subject:

Put a lean on the fucker's car.

Chlorine bleach balloon throw, anyone? Only $1 a balloon. Twisted Evil

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