ZeniMax forms Online division

Brother None

Brother None

This ghoul has seen it all
Orderite
From their press release:<blockquote>ZeniMax Media Inc., parent company of Bethesda Softworks, announced today the creation of ZeniMax Online Studios. The division will be headed by Matt Firor, a well-known expert in the field of online gaming, and will focus on the Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMO) market segment.

Firor was one of the founders of Mythic Entertainment, where he worked for over 10 years on MMO titles. At Mythic he was the producer of the worldwide #1 smash hit Dark Age of Camelot, a MMORPG considered one of the most influential online games of all time. When he left Mythic in 2006, Firor was responsible for all development projects at the company. For the past year, he has been a consultant in the online gaming industry, advising leading publishers interested in entering the online market. </blockquote>Link: ZeniMax online website
Link: interview with Matt Firor
 
Maybe they're thinking about creating ES:OL.

That would be obviously be of great renown for it's RPG elements and Radiant AI. And mudcrabs.
 
Suddenly I have the horrifying vision of Zenimax buying out Herve's remaining rights to a Fallout MMO (since there's no way that loser's ever going to pull that off) and making it themselves.

Oh the humanity!
 
ZeniMax doesn't have to buy FOOL. When Herve fails to gather the necessary amount of fundings (30 million) in 2 years (I think), the license automatically reverts to ZeniMax/Bethesda.
 
I have a strong feeling it'll be The Elder Scrolls Online we'll be seeing from them. Unless Fallout 3 sells like hotcakes (meaning substantially better than Oblivion) on PC, that is. Which it probably won't.

God, I hope it won't.
 
"It's not online" was often one of the lone complaints reviewers had of Oblivion. It's pretty smart marketing to produce a seperate MMO for it. Triple the money!
 
AlteredEgo said:
Well, as Brother None hinted at, it certainly wouldn't be Fallout Online- we don't own the rights to that right now.
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Well, if you think we dislike the thought of Fallout being an FPS/RPG hybrid, wait until you see us react to Fallout online. There's a reason we had to ban the discussion on our forums.

Though I guess we're growing a thicker skin towards spin-offs these days. Resignation slowly creeps into even the most passionate of fans *he says with a sigh*
 
AlteredEgo said:
...we don't own the rights to that right now.
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Does it mean you'll have sometime? And that when you do (if you do), you at least have in mind the possibility of doing FOOL? Brother None stated that:

Brother None said:
When Herve fails to gather the necessary amount of fundings (30 million) in 2 years (I think), the license automatically reverts to ZeniMax/Bethesda.
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Anyone even vaguely in the know is not expecting Herve to be able to gather the funds for FOOL. *If* he does and manages to get the project on track, indeed, then he keeps the FOOL license, at least for that one game. But while Bethesda certainly won't be admitting it, I seriously doubt any of them are counting on that, they're just patiently waiting their few years to get the full license.

PS: the details of this deal are public, Makenshi. If you haven't read up on it, search NMA's news archive
 
Will do, Sir!

Edit: Ok, i did read. That's one precisely updated article... is the one responsible for it a British? Tea absolutely 5 o'clock, you know... :P
 
Brother None said:
The word has yet to be invented to describe how much I hate you, Ausir.

Lulz :crazy:
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Hey, you should be happy, the article cites NMA as a reference!
 
Brother None said:
Ausir said:
Hey, you should be happy, the article cites NMA as a reference!
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Not sure why, since that is a Total Video Games interview.

Still, internet fame yay!
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Oh, yeah. I copied that bit from Wikipedia and didn't look at it closely. Fixed, then. You got what you wanted, no NMA references there!
 
Specific requirements were stated in the agreement that if not met, Interplay would immediately lose and forfeit its license rights for Fallout. Development must begin within 24 months of the date of the agreement (April 4, 2007), and Interplay must secure $30 million within that time frame or forfeit its rights to license. Interplay must furthermore launch the MMOG within 4 years of the beginning of development, and pay Bethesda 12 percent of sales and subscription fees for the use of the IP. Neither the filing nor the exhibit specifies just how Interplay will start development within 24 months of April 2007 or how it will be able to acquire the minimum financing requirement of US$30,000,000.00 seeing that Interplay still is in dire financial straits.
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So even if BethSoft loses the license, they still get their cut of the share? What a deal! These guys are as hard-core in business as we are hard-core Fallout fans!
 
Makenshi said:
So even if BethSoft loses the license, they still get their cut of the share? What a deal! These guys are as hard-core in business as we are Fallout fans!
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That's pretty standard. Well, the timelimits aren't very standard, but the percentage is. It is Bethesda's trademark, Interplay is just licensing it.
 
Brother None said:
Though I guess we're growing a thicker skin towards spin-offs these days. Resignation slowly creeps into even the most passionate of fans *he says with a sigh*
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*expects NMA to be overrun by Fallout 3 fans in foreseeable future*
 
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