I thought interplay couldn't even pay their rent.

This kind of "press release" serves two functions. It informs potential buyers for Interplay's remaining IP not to expect bankruptcy, fire-sale prices-- at least just yet, anyway, the idea being, "So if you want this stuff you might as well ante up and pay our price, otherwise no telling when you might get it." It also serves as a "sucker lure" to dangle in front of existing creditors and other investors to make them feel better about risking even more capital with the company so as to hopefully recoup the money they're owed by Interplay presently but stand to lose in full in case of an Interplay bankruptcy.

Precisely. WaltC knows what he's talking about.

There were both, with the accent on the old turn based system from the other FO RPGs. I worked on the unofficial faq, i remember it had great things, and things that created doubts on the diehard fans. Overall it was shaping up to be an interesting one, with more replayability and freedom than what is standard on the current RPGs, but there was still many things to setup, so things could go wrong. We`ll never know probably.

Interplay is without offices, workers are home, without pay, it owes taxes, can`t get a new lease, it owes money to Monte-Cristo, Bioware and others, lost the D&D backcatalogue and STILL Herve tries to put up these stunts. Crazy.

Not from what I remember.


In all the post-mortem interviews they were adamant about their real-time with pausing technique. So there were no turns...

As for Fallout 3, it would have sucked anyway. Real time Fallout? What kind of moronic decision was that?

It was never going to be in real time, it was turn based, but the results of the actions taken during the turn were then performed simultaneously in real time.

With idiotic ideas like this no wonder Interplay almost went belly up

Not sure what you mean about "almost". Interplay is quite belly up at the moment, floating dead in the water. It's just a tad too early for this particular deceased fish to start smelling profusely yet, is about the size of it...:) This reminds me of the proverbial General who unfortunately isn't aware that the war is over, and who fights on, oblivious.

This kind of "press release" serves two functions. It informs potential buyers for Interplay's remaining IP not to expect bankruptcy, fire-sale prices-- at least just yet, anyway, the idea being, "So if you want this stuff you might as well ante up and pay our price, otherwise no telling when you might get it." It also serves as a "sucker lure" to dangle in front of existing creditors and other investors to make them feel better about risking even more capital with the company so as to hopefully recoup the money they're owed by Interplay presently but stand to lose in full in case of an Interplay bankruptcy. Such people will have to decide whether to cut and run and take their losses, or whether to take the bait and pour more money into the black hole and hope for a miracle...;) Oddly enough, sometimes the choice is not as easy for them as might be believed. A lot depends on the degree and type of their present exposure with Interplay, from a variety of aspects.

My thought is that if Interplay's "answer" to the situation for present creditors and investors is:

"Eureka! We have the answer, and it's to throw more of your money at an MMORPG! Gosh, if only we'd thought of this four years ago...man, wish we had! What a coincidence that just when we need a great idea--wham!--we get one, and just in the nick of time, too! Please make you checks payable to...," then obviously it's not going to accomplish anything, except possibly with a group of fuzzy investors who don't know what an "MMORPG" is, but who are dimly aware that the acronym is supposed to represent something positive in relation to the prospects of game publishing and development companies--but I doubt it will serve to convince even them (investors capable of understanding computer technology only through symbolic acronyms), at this stage.

Last, such a press release serves to mitigate the liability, at least theoretcially, of the corporation in terms of "maximizing Interplay shareholder value" in the event the business is officially declared dead and then buried. The corporate officers must at least attempt to "maximize Interplay shareholder value," in the event the company fails, so as to minimize the actual loss to investors. As I said earlier, in this situation this is investor-directed code for: "If you want to get your Interplay stock money back, the only way to do that is to give us more of it so that we can execute our MMORPG plan, or you can say 'hasta la vista, baby'--to your Interplay investment dollars as it's lights out--curtains--for good, without your further investment!"

I doubt it will work, but I think we'll know shortly.

The world can only handle so many MMORPGs.

So damn true. Especially at $15 a month, and with the knowledge that if you stop paying that you lose everything you had and would need to pay again to start again, so replayability dies if you lose interest for a few months. Most of my better games I play for a month or two then let gain dust for six months, then come back to. Can't do that with MMORPGs.




As for Fallout 3, it would have sucked anyway. Real time Fallout? What kind of moronic decision was that?

You would think by now Interpaly would have learned from their mistakes with the cancelation of several MMOG in the past months. This is just a bad ideal, Interpaly stick with Fallout 3 for the PC where your real money is at. MMOG Suck! I wont pay and I know most others feel the same way about a market thats over saturated with them now.

Dismayed!

Both red factions sucked they have not done a good game since FreeSpace 2

This comment was edited on Jun 26, 09:13.

/comicbookguyvoice
Worst Idea *Ever*

Reuters
Interplay says lacks enough funds for rest of qtr
Friday June 25, 6:52 pm ET

LOS ANGELES, June 25 (Reuters) - Troubled video game publisher Interplay Entertainment Corp. (OTC BB:IPLYE.OB - News) lacks the funds to cover expenses through the current quarter, it said in a quarterly report to securities regulators on Friday.

"The company anticipates its current cash reserves, plus its expected generation of cash from existing operations, will not be sufficient to fund its anticipated expenditures through the second quarter of fiscal 2004," Interplay said in the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

"Consequently, the company expects that it will need to substantially reduce its working capital needs and/or raise additional capital," Interplay said. "However, no assurance can be given that alternative sources of funding could be obtained on acceptable terms, or at all."

Earlier this month, California labor officials shut down Interplay's headquarters when it learned the company had failed to carry workers' compensation insurance for 79 employees. It has lost its lease on those offices for failing to pay rent.

Interplay's French parent, Titus Interactive, (TITP.LN) was placed under judicial administration earlier this month as the company and an administrator jointly seek to sell its assets.

In the report, Interplay also said it was unable to meet its May 15, May 31 and June 15 payroll obligations.

http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/040625/media_interplay_1.html
http://www.nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7562
http://www.nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7559

Comments for what, it`s Caen...

This comment was edited on Jun 26, 07:32.

Um has anyone read any of the reviews for Red Faction 2? Not to mention Red Faction 1 had the most lack luster anti climatic ending I've every played in a game?

Been thinking on it all day...it makes no sense, and is massive risk, to try and revive a company with an MMO that is going to take 3+ years of development and millions of dollars.

Sell off some intellectual property to fund 2 or 3 singleplayer games. New Descent, Fallout and Freelancer would be guaranteed money makers to begin rebuilding the company.

With idiotic ideas like this no wonder Interplay almost went belly up.

This just doesn't seem like a good idea. Fallout was essentially a single player experience. Why mess with that?

Warcraft 3 is a decent multiplayer game so WOW makes sense.

Fallout Tactics was a multiplayer game criticised for not being true to the Fallout ideal (personally I loved it but I seem to be in a minority.) MMO of the FO RPG doesn't make sense.

FOOL (loving that..) could be deep and engaging (a la Anarchy Online) but wwould more likely be an Asherons Call 2. It's all bollox anyway.

Look at what Laser Squad Nemesis is planning in the MMO area. Now that sounds interesting.

"As outlined in our 10-Q filing"

is not 10 years, 1Q is 3 months, 4 quaters in a year, so 10/4 = 2.5 years.

I don't think any high risk company small company can project out 10 years.

X

Yeah man, fuck 10 years. I got no time for 10 years.

Fuck 10 years, it just takes a developer who's willing to take a risk. Nothing more. There's a mold right now that's apparently pretty tough to break. Any new MMO has the potential to break that mold, including a Fallout MMO.

As soon as details are released about any new MMO in development, it's always very apparent whether it's going to be the "same old thing" or not.

FOOL (Fallout Online) would blow hard, what was great about fallout was the dialog, the reputation system, multiple solutions to quests, and skill system. Fallout would not survive the transition from single player to MMO the dialog and NPCs would be streamlined, a class system would probably inserted, combat would be real time repetition, level tread milling would be added, there would be no true reputation system, quests would become simple (kill this, collect this, etcetera), and as you know a sizeable majority of gamers are pubescent that is just what we all need a power gaming mutant to kill us then to tell us “Humans suck F@G”.

MMORPGS have potential but I cannot foresee any company out there tapping said potential for at least 10 years.

FOMMORPG? Color me there! Long overdue!



"In this dirty-minded world you are either somebody's wife or somebody's whore - or fast on your way to becoming one or the other. If you don't fit either category, then everybody tries to make you think there is something wrong with you."
- John Irving