Bethesda gets FOOL rights, Interplay gets $2 million

[Jabberwok]

I really hate Zenimax Media and Bethesda right now. This, on top of suing Notch for calling a game "Scrolls", makes me not want to buy anything published by Bethesda ever again. I will have a real dilemma if the next Fallout is developed by Obsidian. But if it isn't, definitely not buying it. Pretty sick of cool projects being killed over money.

 

[valcik]

I really hate Zenimax Media and Bethesda right now.

I don't. Interplay have fucked up the Black Isle studio right the same way. Bad karma, boys, huh?

 

[LinkPain]

I really hate Zenimax Media and Bethesda right now.

I don't. Interplay have fucked up the Black Isle studio right the same way. Bad karma, boys, huh?

Karma is what's going to be in the end? Maybe not.

I will always blame studio like Bethesda if they make another crap, because they now have the licence as a whole without the need to go for law suits and big freaking amount of money. Interplay took a critical hit, but these bastards are like Boris the Bullet Dodger.

 

[fedaykin]

Skyrim & RAGE aren't available to quite a few countries in europe, including Estonia where I live.

Does Bethesda publish those worldwide? Because usually the problem is local publishers, not them. They've been all in with Steam since New Vegas, and all in with digital download since day one.

I can confirm that. To this day there is no way to purchase Skyrim and Rage digitally from Steam in Estonia. They won't even appear in the results if I do a search for them. If I get the link elsewhere, it says: This item is currently unavailable in your region. The only way to get it is retail and yes, it's published by Beth globally.

Not that I would buy those anyway, but it's perplexing. Fallout 3 and NV are available, though.

 

[valcik]

I will always blame studio like Bethesda if they make another crap ..

Yup, that's the reason why I don't play any Beth-games anymore. They are a Crapmasters.

 

[Kerr-Plomb]

Skyrim & RAGE aren't available to quite a few countries in europe, including Estonia where I live.

Does Bethesda publish those worldwide? Because usually the problem is local publishers, not them. They've been all in with Steam since New Vegas, and all in with digital download since day one.

I can confirm that. To this day there is no way to purchase Skyrim and Rage digitally from Steam in Estonia. They won't even appear in the results if I do a search for them. If I get the link elsewhere, it says: This item is currently unavailable in your region. The only way to get it is retail and yes, it's published by Beth globally.

Not that I would buy those anyway, but it's perplexing. Fallout 3 and NV are available, though.

So you can get it in retail but not digitally? Sounds more like your local stores have a say in that otherwise it makes no sense at all.

 

[Ausir]

This item is currently unavailable in your region. The only way to get it is retail and yes, it's published by Beth globally.

I'm pretty sure 1C/Cenega has publishing rights for Bethesda games in that region, even if they don't actually publish it in a given country.

 

[Dionysus]

PS: shamefully, I would buy a cool repackaging of Fallout 1/2 if Bethesda decides to publish such.

Bethesda will probably just give them away as a DL.

Anyway, this was expected. I hope everyone lands on their feet (except Caen).

 

[Brother None]

Bethesda will probably just give them away as a DL.

I'd be fine with that too. Would remove a barrier people have.

Too bad the odds of them releasing the source code are so low. That would be cool.

I'm pretty sure 1C/Cenega has publishing rights for Bethesda games in that region, even if they don't actually publish it in a given country.

I think Ausir is right (he usually is) and if that's the case there's no point blaming Bethesda.

 

[Korin]

I'm not sure that I'd ever play a Fallout MMO, both because I've already spent more time than I would care to admit playing MMOs and because I'm not sure how much I'd enjoy the Fallout universe being converted to that format. I will say that I'm happy Bethesda won the case.

 

[TheWesDude]

so what happens to those of us who have bought the fallout collection from GOG when IPLY loses publishing rights?


will they be "removed" from our catalog of games ?

 

[Brother None]

so what happens to those of us who have bought the fallout collection from GOG when IPLY loses publishing rights?

will they be "removed" from our catalog of games ?

If Bethesda does not extend the deal, GOG can no longer legally provide them. Knowing GOG, they'd probably give you some free games to replace 'em. But that's casting forward, we have no reason to assume this will be a problem.

Besides, it's very easy to back up your GOG install files. I know I have em all on a separate HD.

 

[Jabu]

so what happens to those of us who have bought the fallout collection from GOG when IPLY loses publishing rights?

will they be "removed" from our catalog of games ?

If Bethesda does not extend the deal, GOG can no longer legally provide them. Knowing GOG, they'd probably give you some free games to replace 'em. But that's casting forward, we have no reason to assume this will be a problem.

Besides, it's very easy to back up your GOG install files. I know I have em all on a separate HD.

There've been a number of games on GOG that were removed because of expired licence agreements or what not and in all the cases the games remain available for re-download to those that bought them beforehand.

I don't know any of the legalese behind it, but it's a precedent that's been established across other digital distributors (Steam, PSN) as well. So I take it there's gotta be some clause protecting original customers.

 

[Brother None]

Ah, is there? That's awesome, and very reasonable.

 

[Kerr-Plomb]

I don't know any of the legalese behind it, but it's a precedent that's been established across other digital distributors (Steam, PSN) as well. So I take it there's gotta be some clause protecting original customers.

Now that you say it, that's true. All the EA titles taken from Steam are still available to those who bought the beforehand.

 

[Mrxknown]

so what happens to those of us who have bought the fallout collection from GOG when IPLY loses publishing rights?

will they be "removed" from our catalog of games ?

If Bethesda does not extend the deal, GOG can no longer legally provide them. Knowing GOG, they'd probably give you some free games to replace 'em. But that's casting forward, we have no reason to assume this will be a problem.

Besides, it's very easy to back up your GOG install files. I know I have em all on a separate HD.

There've been a number of games on GOG that were removed because of expired licence agreements or what not and in all the cases the games remain available for re-download to those that bought them beforehand.

I don't know any of the legalese behind it, but it's a precedent that's been established across other digital distributors (Steam, PSN) as well. So I take it there's gotta be some clause protecting original customers.

Think again, Sony and Microsoft had to stop making the Marvel Ultimate Alliance content available once Activision's contract was turned null and void by Disney's purchase of Marvel.

They were later able to bring the ocntent back, but only for a 6 month period. Now people cannot get that content on consoles via the platforms' online service anymore.

 

[Jabu]

That sucks but seems to be the exception. In any case, with GOG so far they never took away the ability to download delisted games. We'll see come 2013.

Edit: Reading up on it just now, it seems that at least for PlayStation users, the content was downloadable as long as it was purchased ahead of time. Only new buyers couldn't access it. I believe this is a system wide policy for PSN; anything you buy you can download anytime later.

 

[WorstUsernameEver]

To be honest, I don't see what Bethesda would have to gain from taking the games down from GOG.

 

[Lexx]

Killing them off, wiping them out of history, making people forget +evilplan+

 

[Gnarles Bronson]

No sure if theres any reason for me to come back to nma now.