Company News Titus to try again to sell Interplay

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: Interplay

<a href="http://gamespot.com/">GameSpot</a> is <a href="http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/news/0,10870,2907938,00.html">reporting</a> that old <b>Herve Caen</b> and <A href="http://www.titusgames.com">Titus</a> are looking to dump off <a href="http://www.interplay.com">Interplay</a> again.
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<blockquote>Financially troubled publisher Titus has revealed plans to sell Interplay, which it took overin August 2001. Interplay's Shiny studio was sold to Infogrames early last year for $47 million, a figure largely based on the fact that Shiny is developing Enter the Matrix. While Interplay doesn't have many current hit franchises to lean on besides Baldur's Gate, Titus doesn't plan to let Interplay go in a fire sale. In the French business newspaper Les Echos, Titus CEO Hervé Caen recently said, "Our priority is to sell Interplay for a good return." </blockquote>
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Good luck finding a buyer, Herve!
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Thanks, <b>M3</b> for the word!

 

[Constipated Craprunner]

Thank god!
Maybe a financially stable company can pick them up!

 

[Spazmo]

I wouldn't be surprised if Infogrames bought IPLY, if only to get Black Isle and increase the rate at which they can milk the D&D liscence.

 

[Constipated Craprunner]

I wouldn't be surprised if Infogrames bought IPLY, if only to get Black Isle and increase the rate at which they can milk the D&D liscence.

That was pretty good.

 

[Walks with the Snails]

I don't think they'd really need to. Interplay only has the rights to Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, and that runs out in a couple of years. If they want to make anything else, they'll have to go to Infogrames, anyway. Since IG has got the license for, what, 15-20 years, they might be taking the longer view, too. They signed up Troika and at least it appears aren't forcing them to make a shallow little trendfest like most D&D games seem to end up as. Maybe PoR2 taught them not to burn any more bridges for a quick buck and taint gamers' attitudes towards later releases. By my count, they've put out or are working on 3 D&D games with as many separate developers, too. No need to tie themselves down with Interplay (not to mention assume their debt), there's plenty of other companies who'd love to make a D&D game.

 

[Spazmo]

Snails, that's my point. Infogra,es has got the liscence and BIS has the ability to rapidly pump out games that get decent review scores and sell (yes, IWD2s numbers are bad, but hey). So I figure that Infogrames buys IPLY and then tells BIS, "here's the Aurora engine SDK. You have nine months to make a game."

 

[Walks with the Snails]

But like I was saying, what's the point? Infogrames already has Interplay refugees working for them, and they're basically taking no financial risk besides development and marketing costs. Interplay would probably be doing Infogrames a favor by going belly-up, the people at BIS could then start over from scratch like Troika did (which would probably be an improvement for them without the lead weight known as Interplay's debt around their necks), and Infogrames could get them to make as many D&D games as they could stomach. Or not, it's not like it takes a genius to make a D&D game that sells. And giving anyone 9 months to make a game with an engine they're probably not familiar with is just asking for another PoR2, I doubt they're going to be itching to make that mistake.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Snails, that's my point. Infogra,es has got the liscence and BIS has the ability to rapidly pump out games that get decent review scores and sell (yes, IWD2s numbers are bad, but hey). So I figure that Infogrames buys IPLY and then tells BIS, "here's the Aurora engine SDK. You have nine months to make a game."

I'm not sure they'd be interested in IPLY, though. Keep in mind, Infogrames is in heavy debt right now, so why would they buy a company that doesn't make money? Just for BIS? Shiny cost them nearly $60,000,000 already and that was just part of Interplay and one license.

Furthermore, why bother with BIS when they have BioWare? And Troilka right now? Troika is making ToEE and BioWare has an in-house and external expansion to NWN on the way. That's a lot of PC D&D products in one year already.

Remember, at about the same time they gave BIS that limited license to make D&D games, they were going across the street to woo Troika by telling them they got to pick what he wanted to make.

 

[Rosh]

Something that Caen and Co. have forgotten. When you try to sell something, make sure it at least looks like something worth buying.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Something that Caen and Co. have forgotten. When you try to sell something, make sure it at least looks like something worth buying.

That actually explains most of the games Titus releases too.