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Dhruin
Stranger In A Strange Land
Joined: 20 May 2002
Posts: 1825
Location: Sydney, Australia |
| Interplay Titles Disappear |
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In an unexpected turn of events, every D&D-related <a href="http://www.interplay.com/" target="_blank">Interplay</a> title has disappeared from the company's website. There's no Baldur's Gate, no Icewind Dale, no Planescape Torment. Most surprisingly, there's no BG: Dark Alliance or Dark Alliance 2 - the only real hope for Interplay's current sales.
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<br>You'll recall that during Interplay's recent investor conference call (reported <a href="http://www.rpgdot.com/index.php?hsaction=10077&newsid=27499" target="_blank">here</a>), Herve Caen said they had relinquished any rights to BG3 and other future D&D games in return for full ownership of the "Dark Alliance" trademark. He also said they retained the rights to Interplay's back catalogue.
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<br>With all these titles missing from Interplay's <a href="http://www.interplay.com/games/index.asp" target="_blank">catalogue</a>, including the valued Dark Alliance products which underpinned Interplay's future, we can only guess the whole box of dice has been lost or sold. Thanks to <a href="http://www.name-fallout.com" target="_blank">NMA</a> and <a href="http://www.nma-fallout.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6447" target="_blank">this thread</a>. |
Sun May 02, 2004 1:03 am |
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Kharn
Guest
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It's almost certainly tied to something reported in the 10-K. Remember this bit:
On or about February 23, 2004, we received correspondence from Atari Interactive alleging that Interplay had failed to pay royalties due under the D&D license as of February 15, 2004. If we are unable to cure this alleged breach of the license agreement, we may lose our remaining rights under the license, including the rights to continued distribution of BALDUR'S GATE: DARK ALLIANCE II. The loss of the remaining rights to distribute games created under the D&D license could have a significant negative impact on our future operating results. |
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Sun May 02, 2004 1:04 am |
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Rendelius
Critical Error
Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 16
Location: Austria |
Goodbye, Interplay 
_________________
Rendelius
former Senior Editor RPGDot
now at http://www.theastronomers.com |
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Sun May 02, 2004 6:47 am |
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the mighty stamar
High Emperor
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Posts: 602
Location: arcata ca, humboldt county |
WEll on further investigation....
The forums are down. The Black isle studio site is down.
The only games advertised on the front page are lionheart, fallout bos, and um 20th aniversary freespace? ( WTF is this?)
I dont understand why theyre even paying someone to design websites.
What sort of product do they have in development? |
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Sun May 02, 2004 10:47 am |
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Garrett
Joined: 13 Jul 2001
Posts: 74
Location: Munich, Germany |
It is sad to see an old and good company going down. I'play had problems for a couple of years now, and now it seems, it is settled (it seems!!!)
But frankly, the last great RPG they did was IWD2...a good title...others titles were juist lukewarm received.
You can't afford a weak year as I'play had it in 2003 in thesse times |
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Sun May 02, 2004 10:53 am |
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Jay
Fearless Paladin
Joined: 07 Jul 2001
Posts: 245
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Considering that in the previous 2 years nearly all their games were released on COnsole (Run like hell, the 2 hunter games, BG:DA2, Fallout:BOS) and their PC game Lionheart was awful, maybe the console maeket wasn't the huge gold mine they expected.
They still have the films and manuals of BG2, Icewind dales etc. |
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Sun May 02, 2004 11:30 am |
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Saint_Proverbius
Head Merchant
Joined: 08 Dec 2001
Posts: 61
Location: Shady Sands |
quote:
Originally posted by Jay
Considering that in the previous 2 years nearly all their games were released on COnsole (Run like hell, the 2 hunter games, BG:DA2, Fallout:BOS) and their PC game Lionheart was awful, maybe the console maeket wasn't the huge gold mine they expected.
It wasn't, and never has been for Interplay. They've only had a few console games that did well relative to their PC games.
And Lionheart sold better than the Fallout console game IPLY released, if that tells you anything.
quote:
They still have the films and manuals of BG2, Icewind dales etc.
Quick, someone email Atari legal!  |
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Sun May 02, 2004 11:48 am |
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Wolfgarou
Guards Lieutenant
Joined: 29 May 2003
Posts: 163
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quote:
The only games advertised on the front page are lionheart, fallout bos, and um 20th aniversary freespace? ( WTF is this?)
Well, how long was I in deep cryogenic sleep aboard the Von Braun??? 20 years? I remember playing freespace in 1997! I guess the fact that computer years are like dog years are true after all 
And Interplay going down, that's sad. That means no Fallout 3 or Descent 4 for me
_________________
The world is small, nasty and complicated, and everybody dies alone... - Sam Fisher |
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Sun May 02, 2004 12:51 pm |
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OctarineDragon
Head Merchant
Joined: 28 Nov 2003
Posts: 57
Location: The Void |
quote:
Originally posted by the mighty stamar
What sort of product do they have in development?
click on their 'upcoming games' button for a short, dry laugh...
I guess the case here is pretty much the same as with Origin's demise a few months ago (or NWC's for that matter) - a legendary game developer who has been floating aimlessly around as a hollowed-out husk for years finally sinking below the surface to a well-deserved rest among the fishes, taking its few remaining treasures down with it.
Except that the case here is somewhat more cheerful, 'cause our favourite licenses likely wont be locked away in the vaults of a greedy publisher never to be seen again but hopefully auctioned away to an innovative, hungry, independent developer. Ahhh - one can always dream...  |
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Sun May 02, 2004 2:10 pm |
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Guest
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It's good to see Interplay die after they gutted Black Isle Studios and Fallout 3. Life is good. |
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Sun May 02, 2004 4:20 pm |
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Remus
Overgrown Cat
Joined: 03 Jul 2002
Posts: 1657
Location: Fish bowl |
It's not that big deal really; most good developers at Interplay (Black Isle) already went to Troika, Obsidian, etc. What going down now only the name Interplay. |
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Sun May 02, 2004 4:58 pm |
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Guest
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Hopefully fewer companies will be lulled by the console siren song now. IPlay gutted both BG3 and FO3 for mediocre console titles and paid for it by losing about 19 million in profits and sinking thier company. Despite their recent foibles, I will miss Interplay. Back in their heyday, they published alot of great PC titles stateside (Descent, Freespace, FO, Starfleet Command, Bard's Tale, Neuromancer, BG, Hardwar, JA2, PS:T, IWD, Normality, etc etc - the list goes on). I hope another company steps up on the PC front that is willing to fund titles that push boundries and appeal to something other than the mass market. |
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Mon May 03, 2004 7:37 am |
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Guest
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*edit..actually, they didnt publish JA2 I dont think just the so-so expansion. Still, alot of great titles came from them until about the turn of the century. |
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Mon May 03, 2004 7:42 am |
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Wolfgarou
Guards Lieutenant
Joined: 29 May 2003
Posts: 163
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Don't forget that Interplay also distributed Warcraft: Orcs and Humans
_________________
The world is small, nasty and complicated, and everybody dies alone... - Sam Fisher |
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Mon May 03, 2004 10:04 am |
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Guest
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I guess this means no Descent to Undermountain II. |
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Mon May 03, 2004 5:39 pm |
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