Company News Interplay's D&D properties bought by Atari

[Elwro]

Tags: Interplay

Yup, Herve continues to successfully convince other people to pay his bills. <a href="http://news.bigdownload.com/2008/08/07/interplay-and-atari-settle-dispute-over-dandd-game-rights/">Read:</a> <blockquote>Under the terms of the agreement, Atari has agreed to purchase all rights that Interplay had on licensing games based on the Dungeons and Dragons franchise (One of Interplay's most popular games in the 1990s was the D&D themed RPG Baldur's Gate, developed by BioWare). In return, a previous agreement by Interplay to pay a promissory note of $1, 050,000 to Atari was cancelled.</blockquote>I'm not sure what it means (e.g. I guess this move would be unnecessary if Atari just wanted to make a new Planescape game - and yeah, that's a big and counterfactual 'if'), but I'm sure you'll be the first person to tell me in the comments. Yes, <b>you</b>.
<br>
<br>
Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.rpgwatch.com">RPGWatch</A>

 

[aries202]

I think (and note that I use the 'think' deliberately, because, I don't know) that this just means that they have done a barter trade.

Atari agrees to Interplay's debts go if Interplay relinquishes all rights to their D&D franchises such as PS: Torment, Icewind Dale and other games.
Or to out it more clearly: 'Give us our rights to games back - and we won't sue for the 1 Million US dollars you owe us- seems what Atari has said to Interplay.

I also think that this means Atari now owns and have the IP rights to all D&D licenses in the world.

I could, of course, be (somewhat) wrong...

 

[Fez]

What does zombie Interplay have left at this point?

 

[fastpunk]

Isn't the Planescape campaign setting officially dead? Anyway, this might mean that in the future we might see another IWD game, maybe by Obsidian too. Which wouldn't be all that bad.

 

[Claw]

I get this strange sense of deja vu reading today's news.

 

[Uz0rnaem]

Does this include the Dark Alliance games? If so, I think it's safer to assume that Atari would try to revive that series than any of the PC exclusive ones. Not that I really care either way, it just seems more likely to me.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Maybe Avellone will remake PS:T after all...

 

[POOPERSCOOPER]

I don't think they got the licenses so they could have planescape.

 

[thesheeep]

What does zombie Interplay have left at this point?

 

[fastpunk]

Is Wasteland still an Interplay property?

 

[Edward_R_Murrow]

Is Wasteland still an Interplay property?

Nope. Fargo and inExile have it now and are supposedly working on a sequel.

 

[denizsi]

Shh, don't remind anyone that there still is another IP to rape! (IP still belongs to Fargo)

Fargo and inExile have it now and are supposedly working on a sequel.

I didn't know that.

 

[fastpunk]

Is it too much to hope that InExile's Wasteland might turn out decent? Their Bard's Tale game wasn't too encouraging though.

edit: InExile seems to be looking for software engineers, char devs, 2d/3d artist etc. Plus check this out, they have a job add for AI engineer which reads: "Unreal Engine 3 experience highly desirable "And the page properties say that it was last modified on "Saturday, August 09, 2008 10:05:18 PM". Something is stirring.

 

[Redeye]

Atari published ToEE, right?

mmmm...

 

[flabbyjack]

Another question : Why did Interplay owe Atari $1 million in the first place?

The additional $50,000 is likely interest owed(5% of $1 million).

 

[Morbus]

Is it too much to hope that InExile's Wasteland might turn out decent?

I don't think it is. At least after what Fargo said. I get the feeling he's going for a honest worthy sequel... But who knows. If it were Their Bard's Tale game wasn't too encouraging though. If it were Warren Specter doing the game though, we'd probably get a first person shooter with bunnies and green robots or something...

edit: InExile seems to be looking for software engineers, char devs, 2d/3d artist etc. Plus check this out, they have a job add for AI engineer which reads: "Unreal Engine 3 experience highly desirable "And the page properties say that it was last modified on "Saturday, August 09, 2008 10:05:18 PM". Something is stirring.

Unreal Engine 3 MAY have many uses, just like Gamebryo... Links plz anyway. Becaus that August 09 + hour seems like it's a php/apx page and it's formed by the server everytime you check it.

 

[Brother None]

Another question : Why did Interplay owe Atari $1 million in the first place?

Dues left over from the original D&D deal, as far as I know. The debt has been around for years now. Atari probably figured they'll never see the money and settled for what they could get instead.

Does this include the Dark Alliance games? If so, I think it's safer to assume that Atari would try to revive that series than any of the PC exclusive ones. Not that I really care either way, it just seems more likely to me.

Yes and yes.

Or possibly a Dark Alliance-type game called Baldur's Gate III.

I get this strange sense of deja vu reading today's news.

That's because this was filed as an 8-K a week ago.

What does zombie Interplay have left at this point?

FOOL, Earthworm Jim, MDK, Descent.

 

[fastpunk]

edit: InExile seems to be looking for software engineers, char devs, 2d/3d artist etc. Plus check this out, they have a job add for AI engineer which reads: "Unreal Engine 3 experience highly desirable "And the page properties say that it was last modified on "Saturday, August 09, 2008 10:05:18 PM". Something is stirring.

Unreal Engine 3 MAY have many uses, just like Gamebryo... Links plz anyway. Becaus that August 09 + hour seems like it's a php/apx page and it's formed by the server everytime you check it.

You're right about the modif date, it's an ASP page. Didn't catch that. Here's a link to their homepage, the jobs section:

http://www.inxile-entertainment.com/jobs.asp

You'll see Unreal Engine 3 mentioned in a couple of places.

 

[elander_]

No big company is going to make a PS:Torment sequel anymore. Maybe they will use the name for credibility and publicity but you can be sure that a game with that amount of text and dialogs won't be made. It's amazing how someone was capable of convincing Interplay to do that game in the first place.

 

[Lurkar]

Another question : Why did Interplay owe Atari $1 million in the first place?

Dues left over from the original D&D deal, as far as I know. The debt has been around for years now. Atari probably figured they'll never see the money and settled for what they could get instead.

Pretty much how I saw it. Atari looked at zombie Interplay and realized they chances of them getting that money was zilch.

 

[obediah]

Another question : Why did Interplay owe Atari $1 million in the first place?

The additional $50,000 is likely interest owed(5% of $1 million).

Doubtful, unless Atari is in the business of giving out loans with a 5% D(ecade)PR, compounded each decade. If so I need to move my mortgage to them.

 

[thesheeep]

Well if a water/energy company can go into the games business...why not?

 

[DraQ]

FOOL, Earthworm Jim, MDK, Descent.

MDK 1 was awesome, MDK 2 overdone and somewhat sucky, but playable, I wonder how would MDK 3 be like.

 

[Darth Roxor]

MDK2 kicked arse.

 

[DraQ]

MDK2 kicked arse.

More like sucked. The (often toilet) humour was too overdone.

MDK 1 was perfect with it's surreal WTF? atmosphere.