Interplay's Fallout MMO Close to Being Autoaxed

Interplay's Fallout MMO Close to Being Autoaxed by Bethesda

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A giant world of post-apocalyptic intrigue – bombed and obliterated to perfection by Fallout lead designer Chris Taylor, no less – seems like an excellent setting for an MMO, no? So it's with a heavy heart that we bring you word of said MMO's potential cancellation, courtesy of the dream-destroyers over at Bethesda – who may or may not be within their rights to drop the axe.

See, back when Bethesda first nabbed the Fallout property from Interplay's hobbling, not-quite-dead-yet form, Interplay retained the right to develop a Fallout MMO – but only under the condition that it somehow amass $30 million and enter full scale development within two years. That agreement was made two years ago. Unfortunately, Bethesda's calendars seem to be in working order.

"Interplay recently received notice that Bethesda Softworks, LLC ('Bethesda') intends to terminate the trademark license agreement between Bethesda and Interplay which was entered into April 4, 2007 for the development of FALLOUT MMOG. Despite the fact that no formal action is currently pending, Bethesda claims that Interplay is in breach of the trademark license agreement for failure to commence full scale development of same by April 4, 2009 and to secure certain funding for the MMOG," reads an Interplay performance report.

"Interplay adamantly disputes these claims. Although the potential damages are currently unknown, if Bethesda ultimately prevails and cancels the trademark license agreement, Interplay would lose its license back of the 'Fallout' MMOG and any damages resulting therefrom are unknown at this time."

According to a recent SEC filing, Interplay entered 2009 with little more than tumbleweeds in its bank account, so things aren't exactly looking good. Then again, the potentially penniless publisher recently entered into a partnership with Masthead Studios, so at least something's brewing over there.

Here's hoping – and really, this is about the only time we'll ever come to our deity of choice with this particular wish – this terrifying vision of the nuclear apocalypse eventually sees the disheartening, gray light of day.

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Reposted from Maximum PC MMORPG

MMO Roundup: Massively's week in review

[reposted from Massively]

When it comes to MMO news and special features, Joystiq sister site Massively.com has you covered. Whether you're looking for info on the hottest new MMO, or you're just curious about an old favorite, you'll find it at Massively. Check out our biggest features of the week:

Star Trek Online lifetime subs now available
Cryptic has revealed the lifetime subscription offer for Star Trek Online, which comes with playable Borg (not as a faction, but as liberated Borg) and is only available to those who've pre-ordered the game. Oddly enough, the price of the LS is $40 higher than Champions Online's was when it was announced August of last year.

Exclusive Allods Online dev tour: Astral Ships and the end game explained
Earlier this week, the team at Allods Online were kind enough to sit down and walk me through some of the highest-level areas in the game. Knowing that I'm already an avid fan of the game, it was exciting for us both to "talk shop" for a bit. It was especially exciting to see some features of the end game that not too many North American players have seen up to this point. Of course, I'm talking about Astral Ships and the end game.

Bioware confirms 2011 SWTOR release
Yesterday we talked about a rumor that had been floating around thanks to Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello, who had mentioned the spring 2011 launch of an unnamed MMO on a recent conference call. Of course, the Star Wars: The Old Republic rumor mill sprang into action, with good cause as it turns out.

Funcom threatening to delete noob Age of Conan characters
When it comes to character deletions, just about every MMO out there has a clause in their Terms of Service that indicates they have the right to delete your characters at any time and for no reason whatsoever. With that said, there are very few companies that choose to exercise that right.

MMO Roundup: Massively's week in review originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 16 Jan 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/16/mmo-roundup-massivelys-week-in-review/

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Free! Star Trek Online beta keys

1500 keys, right here, right now!.
Star Trek Online, the new space-borne MMO from Cryptic Studios, has finally entered its open beta phase and we've teamed up with publishers Namco Bandai to offer you one of 1500 beta keys, so you can explore the very outer limits of the Star Trek universe.

Click here to read the full article

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=231716?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS

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MMO Roundup: Massively's week in review

When it comes to MMO news and special features, Joystiq's sister site, Massively.com, has you covered. Whether you're looking for info on the hottest new MMO, or you're just curious about an old favorite, you'll find it at Massively. Check out their biggest features of the week:

Massively interview with Aion's new community manager
Aion is easily one of the biggest MMOs of the year, so when a new North American community manager took over recently we decided it was the perfect time for an interview with the new team member, Andrew Beegle -- known as Tamat to community members.

Massively's complete coverage from GameX
GameX 2009 was insane this weekend and we were all over the place, but one of the first groups that we set a chunk of time aside for was Jeff Lewis (Vork), Sandeep Parikh (Zaboo), and Robin Thorsen (Clara) from The Guild. We weren't missing out on catching up with those three.

Checking up on Fallen Earth: One month later
It's been a little over a month since Fallen Earth launched, and we think it's safe to say that quite a bit has changed since then -- but what, exactly? For those who may have found themselves unhappy with the game's state at launch, this article is for you. For those of you who may have tried the game during a beta stage or stress test event, and come across some technical issues that made the game completely unplayable, this article is for you, too.

LotRO: Siege of Mirkwood developer tour
If you've been faithfully following along with the Lord of the Rings Online: Siege of Mirkwood beta, you may be excited by what you've heard -- or even seen yourself -- so far. The new expansion, which is set to launch on December 1st of this year (December 3rd for EU), centers around the forest of Mirkwood, just to the east of Lothlorien. It introduces us to a large new map of Mirkwood, the skirmish system, five new instances and much more.

Continue reading MMO Roundup: Massively's week in review

MMO Roundup: Massively's week in review originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lego MMO Being Worked On By Lego ZEALOTS ['Lego]

[Reposted from Kotaku]

NetDevil - the guys behind the upcoming Lego MMO Lego Universe - are taking the game seriously. Very seriously. So seriously that they've made some changes to the normal development process by making use of a team of die-hard, adult, "purist" Lego fans. Lead producer Ryan Seabury explains:
"We've been working with about 50 of them -- and now up to 68, and it's only going to keep expanding. We've brought them out to Denver twice... the first time, it was more about getting them up to speed on the concept and what was going on and hearing a lot of feedback and opening a dialogue, and the next time we brought them back out, they actually got hands-on with the tools and the technology."

Conceptually, think of them as developers helping us build the game...You never hear about a community being involved in an MMO besides coming in at the beta test at the end. Those people that can be the most influential... [are] heavily involved and tell us what their expectations are.

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/401643802/lego-mmo-being-worked-on-by-lego-zealots

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Study: Gold Farming Employs 400,000

[reposted from Kotaku]

Manchester University have published another study looking at developing nations where the poor earn money by gold farming or powerlevelling in MMOs. The estimate is half a million people do the work for pay, a supermajority of them in China. Of the online toilers, 400,000 are involved in gold farming, the rest powerlevelling and other services.

The study's author admits that precise estimates are not possible because of the underground nature of the activity. But it's at least a $500 million global industry as of now, with organized crime snaking its tendrils into the business.

The growth is entirely predictable and not really a new phenomenon, when you think about it. "When you get people with more money than time and time than money the two will find a way to meet," said Stephen Davis, of game security firm Secure Play.

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/372869009/study-gold-farming-employs-400000

Square To Revise "'Lets Make FFXI Bosses Unkillable In Under 24 Hours With A Minimum Of Two Vomiting Players" Policy [Final Fantasy XI]

After one of the world's best Final Fantasy XI guilds had to throw in the towel after a marathon 18 hour plus battle left them exhausted, physically ill and -- most importantly -- non-victorious, Questions Were Asked.

Clearly concerned that their customers might be in danger of A) doing themselves a mischief and B) not having fun anymore, Square Enix has responded with a series of changes to the MMO "to prevent such battles from exceeding a certain predetermined length of time"

In a post to the official site entitled "Regarding Specific Notorious Monsters" Square has announced that the major league bosses Pandemonium Warden, Absolute Virtue and Jailer of Love (all of whom would make excellent Emo album titles) and their associated pets will be modified in the game's September update.

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/372169595/square-to-revise-lets-make-ffxi-bosses-unkillable-in-under-24-hours-with-a-minimum-of-two-vomiting-players-policy

Stargate Worlds Beta Signup Lottery For mmolecule Members [Stargate Worlds]

[reposted from Kotaku]

Anyone itching to try out Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment's Stargate Worlds MMORPG could do worse than get themselves over to mmolecule.com.

The MMO knowledgebase is holding an exclusive Stargate Worlds Beta Key Giveaway, open to its members.

Just sign up with the site (new members aren't excluded, don't fret) and then sit back -- nervously fingering your James Spader action figure is optional -- until September 20th, when 200 names will be drawn from the inverted pseudo-Egyptian headdress and each awarded one Beta signup key.

If by some chance you are also a member of a Stargate Worlds Command (a gaming clan, in other words) and host a website in mmolecule's Guild Services Open Beta (a sort of clan-management service) you will get a second chance to win.

mmolecule Launches Stargate Worlds Beta Key Giveaway [mmolecule]

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/kotaku/full/~3/371960545/stargate-worlds-beta-signup-lottery-for-mmolecule-members

Warhammer Online cinematic trailer

[reposted from joystiq]

There's a war going on. No, we're not talking about the one between the Armies of Order and the Armies of Destruction depicted in the recently released cinematic trailer for EA's upcoming MMO Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning. Nope, we're talking about the war being waged on blogs and in forums over which fantasy MMO-themed video is better: this one or the Wrath of the Lich King opening. Since it's a war, you all have to watch both and pick a side. Apathy is not a choice!

Download it in high-def from BigDownload at http://www.joystiq.com/2008/08/21/warhammer-online-cinematic-trailer/

http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/371313390/

Anatomy of a disaster: Flagship Studios founder speaks

[reposted from Joystiq]

Flagship Studios' founder Bill Roper recently spoke with 1Up about how the Hellgate London developer ended up becoming another cautionary tale for young developers out there. Roper explains that the revenue model on Hellgate was broken and much of the money coming in went into keeping the game online, instead of expanding content like it should have.

Roper also admits the quality of the title wasn't great. He blames the PC market for being "lousy last year" and concedes Flagship didn't have unlimited money to hold on to Hellgate any longer. He also confesses that the company overreached trying to make "an MMO and an RPG and a shooter," attempting to please everyone and (obviously) satisfying very few at the end. Roper explains the Flagship Studios disaster in 1Up's interview in detail -- definitely worth a read for any aspiring studio head.

http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/369055073/

Warhammer Online open beta starts Sept. 7

[reposted from Joystiq]

If you can't wait to get your hands on Warhammer Online, EA announced today that an open beta for the game will kick off Sept. 7, giving you a whole 11 days to play before the general populace sullies it on Sept. 18.

So, how do you get in? Just pre-order the game with one of EA's "select retail partners." (We don't know who they are yet, but even money says GameStop is one of them.) Also, those who are already in the closed beta will automagically be invited. So, are you getting in on the ground floor? Or have you been burned one too many times by start-up MMOs?

http://feeds.joystiq.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/368201864/