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Dhruin
Stranger In A Strange Land
Joined: 20 May 2002
Posts: 1825
Location: Sydney, Australia |
| The End of Black Isle Studios |
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Sources close to Black Isle Studios let us know today that Interplay has effectively closed BIS and laid off around 14 staff. Here's a quote from our source:<blockquote><em>I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but the "good" folks at Interplay have laid off everyone at BIS. Van Buren has been "shelved," as tha geniuses at IPLY have put it. Console only is the word of the day now. Even though Van Buren was half-way finished, the 'tards in
<br>charge have decided they want to do Exalted console and FOBOS 2. The simple fact they are making FOBOS2 even when FOBOS hasn't shipped and is hated by the
<br>Fallout community says a lot about their intelligence. Not to mention Van Buren would be the only game they could possibly ship by X-mas next year.
<br>
<br>So, BIS is no longer. Anytime you see the BIS logo on a future product, know that no one who was associated w/ BIS actually worked on it. BIS is nothing more than a sticker that IPLY slaps on their future product.</em></blockquote>Damien "Puuk" Foletto subsequently <a href="http://forums.interplay.com/viewtopic.php?t=35616" target="_blank">posted</a> on the Interplay boards:<blockquote><em>Today was my last day at the (former) BIS, as it was for my whole team. I just wanted to say farewell to the best fans in the industry, and thanks for all the great feedback and support. I don't know where I'll end up, but know that we were all avid gamers and wanted to make the PC games that not only we wanted to play, but also the fans. But this isn't goodbye. Puuk will still flow through various boards (even this one, but without the BIS logo), and I still look forward to shooting ideas back and forth with my fellow gamers.
<br>
<br>All of you take care and have a great holiday.
<br>
<br>Damien Foletto.</em></blockquote>It's our understanding the following staff may have been laid off:<blockquote><em>Scripters:
<br>* Chad Nicholas
<br>* Chris French
<br>* Chris Heidari
<br>
<br>Designers:
<br>* John Deiley
<br>* Damien Foletto
<br>* Jeff Husges
<br>
<br>Artists:
<br>* Dany Martinez
<br>* Vera Milosavich
<br>
<br>Programmers:
<br>* Jake Devore
<br>* Yuki Furumi
<br>* Mark Murakami
<br>* Dave Vodhanel
<br>
<br>Producers:
<br>* Tom French
<br>* Kevin Osborn</em></blockquote>We certainly wish all of them and their families the best and hope they go on to bigger and better things. |
Tue Dec 09, 2003 3:29 am |
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Val
Risen From Ashes
Joined: 18 Feb 2002
Posts: 14724
Location: Utah, USA |
GAH!!!! 
_________________
Freeeeeeedom! Thank heavens it's summer!
What do I have to show for my hard work? A piece of paper! Wee!
=Guardian, Moderator, UltimaDot Newshound=  |
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Tue Dec 09, 2003 3:50 am |
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Guest
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Why lay off BIS?!? They're the only team making money/good games there! No more fallout3, IWD3 or BG3. I hope Interplay sells off the titles to Inforgrams and get Bioware/InXile to continue the projects. |
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Tue Dec 09, 2003 5:06 am |
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billoute
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 21 May 2003
Posts: 28
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sad day for us, RPG fans.
between BIS dying, Bioware going consolish (even if KOTOR is a really good game) and most so-called RPGS todays wich are just FPS/action with more or less RPG elements...
time to fire up the goold ol' Gold Box and launch DosBox. future is soooo dark |
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Tue Dec 09, 2003 5:17 am |
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Cm
Sentinel of Light
Joined: 26 Jan 2003
Posts: 5209
Location: Missouri USA |
I hope they find somewhere to land more or less as a group. What gets into these so called business men that run some of these companies. It's beyond me.. 
_________________
=Member of the Nonflamers Guild=
=Member of Worshippers of the Written Word=
A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.
Mark Twain
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Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:02 am |
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Ammon777
Warrior for Heaven
Joined: 20 Apr 2002
Posts: 2011
Location: United States |
nnnnNNNNNOOOOOOOoooooooo !!! |
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Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:12 am |
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OctarineDragon
Head Merchant
Joined: 28 Nov 2003
Posts: 57
Location: The Void |
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! 
This is a sad day indeed. I guess we should have seen that one coming, but as the only part of IPLY actually producing good games I hoped they would persevere. With Van Buren dead, I really don't know what to look forward to in the RPG genre anymore - except for fan mods of existing games, that is.
I mourn for Black Isle Studios - I've got to know them as a bunch of brilliant creative minds with the right idea of what this genre was all about when almost everyone else was just swimming along with the unthinking masses. As for the IPLY execs, I'm hard pressed not to use any expletives, but I do wish tremendously bad things to happen to them.
What is left? Troika, even though they screwed up quite a bit with TOEE... Bethsoft - I sure hope MW was as successful as it had to be to warrant a TES:4... Bioware if they ever get back to doing PC stuff... Firaxis, since I consider Pirates! an RPG... hmmm... maybe the future is not totally bleak, but I sure can't see the sun shine right now  |
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Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:14 am |
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corwin
On the Razorblade of Life
Joined: 10 Jun 2002
Posts: 8376
Location: Australia |
With JS leaving, I'm not really surprised. CM, the problem is that most/all? of those business men, are not gamers; they're religious fanatics who worship the Holy $. With where their noses are located, it's no wonder they can't see either very far, or very clearly!! RIP BIS I for one will miss you.
_________________
If God said it, then that settles it!
I don't use Smileys, I use Emoticons!!
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Tue Dec 09, 2003 6:15 am |
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methusala
Tempered Warlord
Joined: 06 Jun 2003
Posts: 281
Location: Odinwald |
Have faith. Theres alot of loose talent out there now and all they need is someone with leadership qualities to step to the fore and guide them abit.The money is out there to be made.Its up to the good developement teams still alive,or the new ones forming to exert themselves to produce high quality rpgs for the computer.Bethsoft made money off of Morrowind because it was a great rpg for the comp.Bioware the same with KotOR,Pyranna Bytes with the Gothic series.There might be fewer good rpgs on the horizon,but I would rather have 4 great games to play every year than 10 mediocre ones. |
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Tue Dec 09, 2003 7:25 am |
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Garrett
Joined: 13 Jul 2001
Posts: 74
Location: Munich, Germany |
I can't believe it...on the good side, two new companies have emerged from BIS, with Obsidian and inXile.
Did they sack BG DA 2 as well? |
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Tue Dec 09, 2003 7:50 am |
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the mighty stamar
High Emperor
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Posts: 602
Location: arcata ca, humboldt county |
The last game the irvine bis made was more than a year ago... IWD2. Before that it was IWD, planescape torment... its been a LONG time since they made anything actually.
So really thats a lot of paychecks that already went into a design place that wasnt really making anything.
Its really weird. There are so many small companies making games today but the one that made probably the most successful crpgs ever cant make money?. Something is wrong here. |
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Tue Dec 09, 2003 8:02 am |
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Dhruin
Stranger In A Strange Land
Joined: 20 May 2002
Posts: 1825
Location: Sydney, Australia |
@the mighty stamar - saying it's a "LONG time since they made anything" is a bit harsh. One dev team was moved over to console development (BG:DA2), which they have completed. The other team worked hard on developing a new 3D engine to support future titles and Jefferson was well underway before legal problems shelved it. They switched to Van Buren which was "half way done". It's not their fault management pulled two projects from under them.
@Garrett - it's my (unconfirmed) understanding that the BG:DA2 team is still there but they won't exist as part of an an RPG-exlusive division. They'll simply be an internal Interplay dev team working on whatever console title is next.
_________________
Editor @ RPGDot |
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Tue Dec 09, 2003 8:56 am |
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Remus
Overgrown Cat
Joined: 03 Jul 2002
Posts: 1657
Location: Fish bowl |
Finally, the end of Black Isle. Very soon the link to "Interplay forums" will drop from my bookmarks too.
The Black Isle logo. That logo has always been associated with excellent games. It makes me remember the days when i was playing Baldur's Gate or Planscape: Torment. But not anymore now, it only associating with games that i don't even want to care about. And that tell us how much things have been changed since then.
 
*Ahem*
Anyway, good luck and farewell to Puuk and his whole team there. Looking forward to see them in other company or at Troika, Obsidian, Bioware or InXile.
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Tue Dec 09, 2003 9:26 am |
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rrreese
Guest
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Today is a sad day for the RPG world. Black Isle was associaed with the finest RPG's in the industry. Fallout was one of the best RPGs to date and Blackisles demise leave the fans in grief. With a catalouge of games that included the fallout series, baldurs gate, planescape torment, lionheart and isewind dale, we will have to look to other game houses for our future games. It is a dark day when one of the great game producers passes into the tombes of history. |
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Tue Dec 09, 2003 9:34 am |
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the mighty stamar
High Emperor
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Posts: 602
Location: arcata ca, humboldt county |
quote:
Originally posted by Dhruin
@the mighty stamar - saying it's a "LONG time since they made anything" is a bit harsh. One dev team was moved over to console development (BG:DA2), which they have completed. The other team worked hard on developing a new 3D engine to support future titles and Jefferson was well underway before legal problems shelved it. They switched to Van Buren which was "half way done". It's not their fault management pulled two projects from under them.
@Garrett - it's my (unconfirmed) understanding that the BG:DA2 team is still there but they won't exist as part of an an RPG-exlusive division. They'll simply be an internal Interplay dev team working on whatever console title is next.
Well I didnt make my point clear, but what I was getting at was...
Why would they do that? Make nothing for years and pay people. And many of them resign in the interim?
It doesnt make sense. So its pretty obvious there was something seriously wrong with BIS to put them to work and cancel their projects. Thats what it says to me. Whatever they made was not good enough according to someone at least.
So far as I know, every single bis game made money except this lionheart one probably wont. So how does it add up? All I can figure is whoever was left in BIS couldnt make functional games according to someones opinion... |
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Tue Dec 09, 2003 9:53 am |
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