Original article: http://www.gamespot.com/news/6207361.html?tag=latestheadlines;title;3

Earthrise studio arming Fallout MMORPG
Interplay enlists Bulgaria-based Masthead Studios to work on still-gestating massively multiplayer "Project V13."

In 2007, Interplay Entertainment sold ZeniMax Media the Fallout game IP, which the latter's subsidiary Bethesda Softworks had licensed since 2004. The result of that deal was the critically lionized Fallout 3, which has sold nearly 2 million copies in the US and shipped 4.7 million units worldwide. The postnuclear role-playing game also took top honors at last week's Game Developers Choice Awards, held in conjunction with the 2009 Game Developers Conference

As Fallout 3 hogged the headlines, Interplay used the cash it got from the IP sale to fund its massively multiplayer Fallout project, code-named Project V13. And for a time, it appeared the once nearly bankrupt publisher would develop the game internally. It restarted its internal development studio and even hired original Fallout developer Chris Taylor to work on the project, which has been in development since November 2007.

Now, though, it seems that Interplay has deemed Project V13 too big a title to handle on its own. This morning, the Irvine, California-based company announced it has "signed a binding letter of intent" with Masthead Studios "to fund the development of Project V13." Under the terms of the deal, Interplay will oversee a collaboration between its own dev team and Masthead's on the title, using the Bulgarian studio's toolset. Currently Masthead is working on Earthrise, another postapocalyptic MMOG also set after World War III, slated for release later this year.

If Project V13 is a success, it will prove a remarkable reversal of fortune for Interplay. A leading publisher during the 1990s, it fell on hard times during the current decade, with its parent company, Titus Interactive, declaring bankruptcy in 2005. In 2004, the publisher suffered a series of misfortunes and was temporarily shut down by state labor officials, threatened with eviction, and had its Web site go offline. The previous year, it closed down its award-winning Black Isle Studios, the refugees from which went on to form Alpha Protocol developer Obsidian Entertainment.

That would be great. I hope you can go and explore the west coast again.

Wonder where it would fall in the grand scheme of the Fallout timeline. Also, it would be awesome if they let you scavenge your own vehicles somehow. Maybe make your own towns too. Wonder of they'd let you play as something besides a human, like maybe a ghoul or super mutant.

I doubt you could be super mutant, but more then likely they might bring back the talking Deathclaws if it's between F1 and 2.

Updates:

Fallout MMO In Trouble?

The folks over at No Mutants Allowed noticed something fishy from Interplay reagrding their Fallout MMO.

According to Interplay's annual SEC report, the Fallout MMO, widely speculated to be under development at Interplay under the code name Project V13, may be in trouble.

Interplay had sold the rights to the Fallout property to Bethesda, but retained the rights to develop a Fallout MMO in an agreement signed back in April 2007. As part of the license agreement, Interplay had to meet certain development and funding milestones.

Now, two years on, Bethesda claims these targets haven't been met and that Interplay is in breach of the license agreement. Despite posting losses in 2008 and current difficulties gaining a credit agreement, Interplay disputes these claims, having recently entered into an agreement with Earthrise developer Masthead Studios to work on Project V13.

Interplay recently received notice that Bethesda Softworks, LLC ("Bethesda") intends to terminate the trademark license agreement between Bethesda and Interplay which was entered into April 4, 2007 for the development of FALLOUT MMOG. Despite the fact that no formal action is currently pending, Bethesda claims that Interplay is in breach of the trademark license agreement for failure to commence fill scale development of same by April 4, 2009 and to secure certain funding for the MMOG. Interplay adamantly disputes these claims. Although the potential damages are currently unknown, if Bethesda ultimately prevails and cancels the trademark license agreement, Interplay would lose its license back of the "Fallout" MMOG and any damages resulting therefrom are unknown at this time.

Fallout MMO On, Claim Headed To Court

Interplay has confirmed that development of their V13 project - better known as the Fallout MMO - continues. This is despite a note from their quarterly report - by way of No Mutants Allowed - that Bethesda planned to pull the Fallout license.

Interplay had no comment on ongoing legal action, save to say, "that Interplay adamantly disputes Bethesda's claim."

Kind of sad. They don't have the IP anymore, and now they can't even finish the MMO. I hope that Bethesda continues making it on their own, rather than scrapping the idea altogether.

i still wish that the development of the game would still continue... i really want to see the Fallout universe be represented online...

That makes me hate Bethesda even more. First they make Fallout 3 okay at best, now this?

This is kinda bad news for me...

Bethesda terminating Fallout MMORPG deal - Interplay

SEC filing reveals that the Fallout 3 maker and IP holder is ending fallen publisher's massively multiplayer licensing agreement due to "failure to commence full-scale development."

After years of silence, the Fallout massively multiplayer role-playing game has suddenly become major headline fodder. Two weeks after the once-mighty publisher announced that it had entered into a partnership with Earthrise publisher Masthead Studios to codevelop Project V13, the game's code name, its once-nearly-bankrupt publisher Interplay announced that the project is in jeopardy.

In an April 15 10-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Interplay reports that Bethesda Softworks has announced its intent to cancel the deal that gave Interplay rights to make a Fallout massively multiplayer game. The deal was struck in 2007, when Bethesda--after having licensed the right to make Fallout 3 from Interplay in 2004-- bought the Fallout intellectual property (IP) outright. The Maryland-based company then licensed the Fallout MMORPG rights back to Interplay, provided that the latter company began developing such a project within two years.

Now, according to the 10-K, Bethesda and Interplay's deal is unraveling. "Interplay recently received notice that Bethesda Softworks, LLC ('Bethesda') intends to terminate the trademark license agreement between Bethesda and Interplay which was entered into April 4, 2007 for the development of a Fallout MMOG," states the filing. "Despite the fact that no formal action is currently pending, Bethesda claims that Interplay is in breach of the trademark license agreement for failure to commence full-scale development of same by April 4, 2009 and to secure certain funding for the MMOG."

"Although the potential damages are currently unknown, if Bethesda ultimately prevails and cancels the trademark license agreement, Interplay would lose its license back of the 'Fallout' MMOG and any damages resulting therefrom are unknown at this time."

When asked for comment, Bethesda vice president of marketing Pete Hines declined to elaborate. "As it's a legal matter, none of that is stuff we can comment on," he told GameSpot.

Hines also declined to comment on what would happen if the Fallout MMORPG license were to revert to Bethesda and its parent company, ZeniMax Media. However, it's unlikely that such a prized property would lie fallow for long. In August 2007, ZeniMax announced that it was opening its own MMOG studio, rumored to be working on a massively multiplayer spin-off of Bethesda's popular fantasy RPG series, The Elder Scrolls. In October of that year, the division scored $300 million in funding, although little has been heard about its project--or projects--since.

I wouldn't blame Bethesda for this or for Fallout 3. They're a business first and made Fallout 3 in the best way that would make it a success in terms of high sales. Considering the first Fallouts weren't the biggest games in the world, they seemed fine with disappointing them to appeal to the masses.

Even if Interplay didn't have constraints on their rights to make a Fallout MMO, it's pretty obvious that they still wouldn't be pulling it off.

It's sad I would have really liked to play Fallout with hundreds of other people.

:( Sad news.
And an Elder Scroll MMO? That sounds pretty boring to me, as most of the fun came from hacking the game.

I wouldn't have played it anyway. Fallout 3 was okay but I've never really gotten into any of Bethesda's games, this or The Elder Scrolls, and since I'm a bit of a recovering MMOaholic I wouldn't be going anywhere near it even if I had.

Chris B Chikin:
I wouldn't have played it anyway. Fallout 3 was okay but I've never really gotten into any of Bethesda's games, this or The Elder Scrolls, and since I'm a bit of a recovering MMOaholic I wouldn't be going anywhere near it even if I had.

InterPlay was making it, if you would've read the thread you would've not look like an ass.

Thank God!!!!

Saved another great name(Fallout)from being associated with a sh-tty MMO.

AoC = Boo!
Warhammer = Boo!

We don't need another hero, just come up with a halfway original idea and make a quality game. Don't try to sucker us with hype and a namebrand.

Dang. Might have been a pretty good MMO.

This is a little old, isn't it? V13 was opened, cancelled, opened, and then left alone... maybe Duke Nukem is getting a replacement?

Hell, I'd play a Fallout MMORPG! It's mythos would fit an online gaming community perfectly.

That would be a nice game to play, sure id prefer a TES mmorpg but il take what i can get, id buy either. Two thumbs up for Fallout mmorpg

Please no Fallout MMO.. I like the universe the way it is.. Sparse.

Can you really have a post-apocalyptic world with millions of people in the Washington DC area?

I really personally don't think it would work. I dunno why I think that really and I am a really big fan of Fallout.

Phyroxis:
Please no Fallout MMO.. I like the universe the way it is.. Sparse.

Can you really have a post-apocalyptic world with millions of people in the Washington DC area?

True friend. Very true.

Phyroxis:
Please no Fallout MMO.. I like the universe the way it is.. Sparse.

Can you really have a post-apocalyptic world with millions of people in the Washington DC area?

Great point.

They probably have to do it like a stand-alone continent set in the Fallout 3 universe where a load of survivors herded together and then couldn't migrate.

It does seem like it might be a bad idea... but I kinda want it in case it's not.

The only way a Fallout MMO would work is if there was nobody in the universe to start with (so it wasn't too over populated, or if they had REALLY small servers... I'd still play it though =)

Would of been a nice to have in the game :\

I have to run more faster than before.. lol