Company News Bethesda buys the Fallout IP

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Interplay

Bethesda has bought the Fallout intellectual property from Interplay for $5,750,000, so now uncle Todd is the rightful owner of the setting.
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<blockquote>As of April 4, 2007, the Company entered into, an Asset Purchase Agreement (the "APA") and a Trademark License Agreement (the "License Back") with Bethesda Softworks LLC, a video game developer and publisher ("Bethesda"), regarding "FALLOUT", an intellectual property which was owned by the Company (the "IP"). Although such agreements were signed on April 4, 2007 they were agreed not to be binding until closing which occurred on April 9, 2007.
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Under the APA, the Company sold all of its rights to the IP to Bethesda for a total amount of $5,750,000.00 payable to the Company, subject to various conditions, in three cash installments. The first installment of $2,000,000.00 was paid following closing when $200,000.00 was paid to the Company and $1,800,000.00 was deposited into an escrow account to satisfy various liabilities. The Company expects to have fulfilled its obligations under the APA and to receive full payment during the third quarter of 2007. The Company had previously, on June 29, 2004, entered into, an exclusive licensing agreement with Bethesda, regarding the IP which was superseded by the APA.
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Under the License Back the Company obtained an exclusive license, under certain conditions, to use the IP for the purpose of developing an Interplay branded Fallout Massively Multiplayer Online Game ("MMOG").</blockquote>Now the rape of Interplay by Herve Caen is complete.
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Many thanks to Briosafreak and his <a href=http://fallout3.wordpress.com/>premiere source of Fallout news & thoughts</a>.

 

[Admiral Rimjob POOBUM]

Please tell me those "certain conditions" are that it doesn't happen.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Interplay pledges to obtain funding for and start the development of the MMOG within two years and to successfully launch it within six (which entails securing the continual patronage of a minimum of 10,000 paying subscribers), or else forfeit this license. Some additional excerpts:

2.6 RESERVATION OF RIGHTS. Any and all rights not explicitly granted to Interplay hereunder are reserved by Bethesda.

5.3.2 Interplay shall not offer or provide any products or services whose nature or quality does not comply with the quality standards of Bethesda.

7.0 PAYMENT OF ROYALTIES. Interplay agrees to pay Bethesda a Royalty of twelve percent (12%) of the Net Cash Receipts derived from the sale and distribution of the FALLOUT MMOG, including sales of subscription fees or access fees to the FALLOUT MMOG or any other revenues generated by the FALLOUT MMOG, in the Territory during each calendar quarter following the commercial launch of the FALLOUT MMOG.

 

[Ahzaruuk]

They're Making it an MMO? :shock:

 

[sportforredneck]

so now uncle Todd is the rightful owner of the setting.

Shit.

 

[JarlFrank]

They're Making it an MMO? :shock:

As far as I understand it, Interplay wants Bethesda to give them funds so they can make the MMO. If they fail to help Interplay make the game and get it at least 10 000 subscribers, the deal of selling the IP is obsolete and Interplay owns it again.

I might have totally misinterpreted it, but that's what I can read out of these sentences.

 

[MountainWest]

$5,750,000.00

Isn't that a hell of a lot of money for a game IP? Even more so for one which Bethesda, no doubt, will rape it into an unrecognizable heap of crap?

But seriously, anyone have any numbers on what some of the big names are worth?

 

[Vault Dweller]

@ JarlFrank:

Uh, no. Bethesda now owns the IP. Interplay licensed the rights to make a Fallout MMO within a certain timeframe and under other conditions. Should Herve fail, the MMO rights go to Bethesda automatically.

 

[Zomg]

What does this mean? What's the point?

 

[Texas Red]

This Herve fellow just doesnt have a limit, does he? He just keeps raping and raping...

 

[Sovy Kurosei]

They're Making it an MMO? :shock:

As far as I understand it, Interplay wants Bethesda to give them funds so they can make the MMO. If they fail to help Interplay make the game and get it at least 10 000 subscribers, the deal of selling the IP is obsolete and Interplay owns it again.

I might have totally misinterpreted it, but that's what I can read out of these sentences.

If Interplay doesn't produce an MMOG they lose all rights to the Fallout license which will now belong to Bethesda.

2.3 MMOG DEVELOPMENT. To retain its license rights under this
Agreement, Interplay agrees that (i) full-scale development of its FALLOUT MMOG
will commence within twenty-four (24) months of the Effective Date of this
Agreement (such commencement date defined herein as the "MMOG DEVELOPMENT
COMMENCEMENT DATE") and (ii) 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 ("MINIMUM Financing"). In the event that within this
24-month period Interplay has failed to commence full-scale development of its
FALLOUT MMOG or has failed to secure the Minimum Financing, Interplay will
immediately lose and permanently forfeit its license rights under this Agreement
and the license rights automatically shall end, be void and otherwise terminate
on the anniversary date of the second year after the Effective Date and this
Agreement shall no longer remain in effect.

Although my legalese sucks too.

 

[Higher Game]

If Fallout is worth so fucking much, why did interplay kill Van Buren?

 

[Vault Dweller]

So that Herve could sell the license.

 

[Sovy Kurosei]

If Fallout is worth so fucking much, why did interplay kill Van Buren?

So that they could fund Chuckie's FalloutoS.

 

[User was nabbed fit]

Bethesda aren't retarded. They're bastards, but they're not retarded. They know how to take the real retards' cash; just look at Oblivion.
If they're spending so much money, then they've definitely got plans. Be afraid, very afraid...

Edit: does this mean Interplay is closer to getting back in business now? That's a nice amount of money, non?

 

[Amasius]

Fallout: The Final Rape.

 

[Sovy Kurosei]

Fallout: The Final Rape.

There will be no final rape of the Fallout license.

 

[Nicolai]

Unleaked

 

[Jim Kata]

Fallout: The Final Rape.

There will be no final rape of the Fallout license.

Exactly.

"Imagine a boot stomping on a face, forever and ever."

That is what the future holds.

 

[Amasius]

Fallout: The Final Rape.

There will be no final rape of the Fallout license.

Nah, Fallout is finally dead (Dead, DEAD! Roofles!!!) now. Bethesda is only raping a rotting corpse. But I've heard they are great at necromancy. :evil:

 

[stargelman]

I hate to say "I told you so" but I did tell you so. I said they wouldn't let go of it, and now you have it, black on white.

 

[Fez]

Nah, Fallout is finally dead (Dead, DEAD! Roofles!!!) now. Bethesda is only raping a rotting corpse. But I've heard they are great at necrophilia. :evil:

Fixed.

 

[M0RBUS]

Many thanks to Briosafreak and his <a>premiere source of Fallout news & thoughts</a>.

See brios? I told you you were t3h man!

Anyway, so this all means that Bethesda has the right to do as many Fallout # as they please right? Not like before, when they only could do up to Fallout 5.

 

[Cthulhugoat]

I can't wait for someone to say that Hervie is better than Toddie.

 

[taxacaria]

Open Season in the Wastlands

Fallout MMO?

What a terrible idea - 10.000 lonely heroes are wandering through the Wastelands, are building clans and guilds, are cheating with scripts and selling accounts at ebay...