Interplay signs MMO deal with Masthead Studios

Per

Per

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With just a couple of days to go until their Fallout MMOG funding deadline, Interplay has entered into a deal with Masthead Studios as reported on EarthTimes:<blockquote>Interplay Entertainment Corp. (OTC Bulletin Board: IPLY) announced today that the company has signed a binding letter of intent with Masthead Studios to fund the development of a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG), code named "Project: V13."

Commenting on the announcement, Interplay Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Herve Caen said, "We are looking forward to turning the vision of our game designers into a compelling online gaming experience. The planning and design completed for Project: V13 thus far, combined with Masthead's resources, tools, and growing team of dedicated MMOG developers, will bring this unique game to reality."

Masthead Studios President Atanas Atanasov said, "This arrangement is ideal because it leverages the technology our professionals have specifically built for advanced Massively Multiplayer Online Games into what we expect will be a groundbreaking Interplay gaming title."</blockquote>Since the details of the agreement are not known, it's too early to say whether this means the game is now sufficiently funded as stipulated in the licensing deal between Interplay and Bethesda. We should know in the next couple of days.

Spotted by Corith.
 
New Perk!

Interplay Door Slider: Regardless of how bleak the circumstances are, you still manage to survive, just barely - perhaps it's sheer luck, perhaps you are a brilliant unknowing tactician, or maybe a guardian angel has your shoulder -- one thing is for certain, you know how to cut a deadline.

+11 to Luck on all defensive rolls.
 
Given the fact that Taylor is working on it, I really do hope this game get's made, and is worthy of the Fallout name.
 
Masthead Studios' MMO game: Earthrise (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthrise_(video_game)) looks pretty good.
It will come out soon, so we can see how good Masthead is with MMOs.

If they can make a believable Fallout universe with those graphics, that would be great.
 
Sounds like a decent fit from quickly reading about Earthrise (which is also post-apoc) with the major exception being:
Some actions will require proper targeting of the opponent, while others will require only having it in sight and then there will be actions that can be executed even if the player doesn’t have its target in sight but within range.
Click to expand...

We'll see once Earthrise comes out how good they are but it doesn't give me any added confidence besides there now being people who seemed to have played EVE (some features listed in Earthrise that remind me of EVE) involved (I believe that Taylor had said he'd never played EVE in the past, though I could be mistaken.
 
Masthead Studios is a Bulgarian company. Having the game be developed in Eastern Europe sounds reasonable, cheaper than the US.

Wonder if they're going to work on FOOL after Earthrise, or whether they'll rework Eathrise into FOOL.
 
Just when you thought they couldnt pull it of....they might just make it.

Earthrise seems okay.
I am not going to guess too much, the project might stil break apart.

Do they have 30m or dont they ?
Well know within a day or two day.
 
Reading/Inhaling The Leaves

Reading/Inhaling The Leaves



Not that MMO's are vehicles for professional writers.
Maybe the exclusive FO content could facilitate another game industrial complex 'best writer' award.


Interesting how much of the FO 'local color' might translate into FOOL.

Consider that the 'Trait' and 'Perk' game mechanics are known altered reality expediters.
'Perks' could accumulate like achievements and add a touch of -->magical<-- realism that could sell well.
Might get *trendy*.

Yeah. ;)



4too
 
There is now way of Herve Caen not making the deadline. He knows how much money went into this, and everything is money about this guy. He gets up with money, he has money for breakfast, he shits money in his toilet and he was dreaming about money while destroying Interplay.
 
Per said:
Since the details of the agreement are not known, it's too early to say whether this means the game is now sufficiently funded as stipulated in the licensing deal between Interplay and Bethesda. We should know in the next couple of days.
Click to expand...

I would wager that is only partially relevant. Masthead is not a publicly traded company, they could claim to have 30 million invested in Interplay without that number being represented as actual cashflow to Interplay because they're partners, and one could argue that holds up Interplay's part of the deal. I don't know if that argument would hold up in court, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did.

Eh. It is what it is.
 
Bn: Let me get this straight (I'm a bit rusty on US/International/Whatever financial laws):

Interplay's possesion of FO:Online rights could be shown as a non-liquidable asset of 30M (As it is written in their agreement with B.soft.

So to enter 50/50 partnership with I. Masthead needs to pay the cash on paper. Then this virtual cash can be taken out of the joint company as payment to something... I believe the proper procedure for this is called Con-Job in English?

If only they would use such creative solutions in their games....
 
Don't forget that since this is a Bulgarian company any lawsuit would involve it and thus, potentially, not just US financial law. That always gives extra elbow room.

Anyway, the wording of the Bethesda-Interplay deal; by the MMOG Development Commencement Date, Interplay will have secured financing for the FALLOUT MMOG in an amount no less than US $30,000,000.00.

It doesn't say anywhere Interplay has to have a briefcase holding 30 million in large bills by April 4th, just that they have to have "secured financing" for a 30 million USD project.
Much like you said, I don't see any reason why Masthead could not argue their part of the partnership represents a certain investment which they then finance from their own coffers. Again, they're not a public company, so they're under no obligation to make their operations public, but on the other hand Interplay is, which is a big hole in this lil'....heh...con-job.
 
Shit. I'm Bulgarian. I know much about that place and it's a bad bad bad strategical move. People who worked there weren't sure, that Earthrise would ever come out. There was even a ban for the artists to communicate with progammers. The place is run by morons with no idea of management, big plans and no cover. The good net programmers all work elsewhere and the artists . . . there's two relatively good ones I know of . . . and that's it. There's just a handful of people who know what they're doing in there, but they're cocky as hell. Not only, that it's a Bulgarian company, but it isn't the best one. I mean . . . they don't have a single game out and were supposed to be out with the title over a year or so ago.

One thing is for sure, though - there's bound to be a lot of people who have actually played fallout. More then Beth, at least. I will apply for a job, if they start hiring, that's for sure.
 
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