Wikipedia

Fallout Online

Fallout Online is a cancelled massively multiplayer online game (MMO) set in the Fallout universe that was being developed by Masthead Studios and was to be published by Interplay, with members of the Interplay team providing creative control and design. Chris Taylor and Mark O'Green, two of the creators of the original Fallout, were among the developers; Jason Anderson, one of the other makers of Fallout, was involved in the project between 2007 and 2009, but then left the team. Interplay's rights to develop and publish this game have been the subject of legal disputes between Interplay and Bethesda Softworks, the current owner of the Fallout franchise. An out-of-court settlement was reached in 2012 as Bethesda received full rights to the Fallout online game for two million dollars, eventually releasing its own online game, Fallout 76, six years later.

Fallout Online
Developer(s)Masthead Studios
Interplay Entertainment
Publisher(s)Interplay Entertainment
Designer(s)Chris Taylor
Mark O'Green
Jason Anderson
Artist(s)Serg Souleiman
Jeff Clendenning
SeriesFallout
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
ReleaseCancelled
Genre(s)Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Premise edit

 
A leaked screenshot of Fallout Online

Little information exists about the gameplay or plot of Fallout Online.[1] According to dialogue writer Mark O'Green, Fallout Online was set along the West Coast of the United States, in parts of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Utah.[2] At the beginning of the game, an event would occur that would initiate a long series of disasters, such as volcanos, tsunamis, and a deadly virus called the Forced Evolutionary Virus.[2] O'Green said the disasters were intended to provide new storylines, and showcase that the world was still chaotic centuries after the series' inciting nuclear war.[2] One of the planned storylines centered around nuclear test sites in Nevada, and would have involved the player going back in time to experiences moments from previous Fallout games.[2] One character that would have returned was the Master from the original Fallout, although O'Green does not remember how it would have happened.[2]

The gameplay would have been similar to a standard massively multiplayer online role-playing game with third-person shooter elements.[1] Players could choose different character classes, such as human, ghoul, and super mutant.[2][3] According to a Fallout Online newsletter, the ghoul class would have specialized in engineering and trade.[3] Players could form guilds, and there were in-game stores that sold items like a handgun called the 9mm Burreyetta Model 86d or a healing item called the Chemblaster 3000 CDS.[3][4] Fallout Online would have featured large quests that guilds could complete, and the first guild to complete the quest would split a reward pool.[2] O'Green revealed that some of the enemies would have been mutant racoons and psychic children.[2] The game's map was supposedly 65,500 square miles.[2]

History edit

Early years edit

 
Interplay founder Brian Fargo proposed the idea of a Fallout MMO in the late 1990s

In the late 1990s, Interplay Entertainment founder Brian Fargo saw a GameSpot poll that indicated players would like to see a Fallout massively multiplayer online game (MMO).[5] At the time, MMOs were becoming popular, as evidenced by the success of EverQuest and Ultima Online. Fargo proposed the idea of a Fallout MMO to Feargus Urquhart of Black Isle Studios, but Urquhart rejected the proposal as he felt it did not match the style of games Black Isle made, and that Interplay lacked the resources to finance such a large project.[5] At the time, Interplay was undergoing a period of financial hardship, an issue that would persist for several years.[6] Journalist Kat Bailey credits their struggles to the increased cost for game development, and the industry shift toward console gaming in the late 1990s.[6] When asked about the decision to suggest an MMO amidst the company's financial struggles, Fargo said, "MMOs did not cost 100 million dollars in the late Nineties, but regardless we were not in a good financial position to take advantage, so no doubt the timing was bad."[5]

After Urquhart's rejection, Fargo proposed the idea to Engage, an Interplay division founded in 1996 to develop online games.[5] Little is known about this period in Fallout Online's history, although developer Tim Cain remembers warning members of Engage that it might not be a good idea to make a multiplayer game in a series defined by its single-player games.[5] He also noted that Fallout Online would have the unfortunate acronym of F.O.O.L.[5] As Interplay's financial struggles worsened, the company was acquired by Titus Interactive.[5] Fargo left in 2000, due to disagreements with new owners Hervé and Eric Caen.[5][a] Interplay's finances became so dire, that in June 2004 operations were suspended by the California Department of Industrial Relations due to a lack of workers' compensation and unpaid wages.[2][7] Despite these issues, Hervé Caen announced Interplay's intentions on developing MMOs, among them a Fallout MMO.[8]

Deals with Bethesda edit

In October 2004, Interplay sold Bethesda Softworks the rights to develop Fallout 3 and two potential sequels, for $1,175,000 minimum guaranteed advance against royalties.[9] Interplay retained the rights to develop a Fallout MMO.[9] After Bethesda's acquisition, there were no updates on the game until December 2006, when Interplay submitted an filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission about the proposed sale of the company's stock on Euronext exchanges.[10] The filing shed light on the game's development, such as an estimated budget of $75 million, and an expected release date in July 2010.[10] Interplay projected one million subscribers with its first year of release, and $160 million in revenue per year starting in its second year.[10] By this point, Interplay had not released a game in two years.[10]

Bethesda purchased the Fallout intellectual property (IP) outright in April 2007 for $5,750,000.[11] As part of the deal, Interplay would keep the rights to the Fallout MMO, with stipulations.[2] According to the contract, Interplay would need to secure $30 million in financing, begin development by April 2009, and release the game within four years of commencement.[5][2] Interplay originally attempted to sell the IP for $50 million with the inclusion of the MMO, although Bethesda opted to purchase everything other than the MMO.[12] Eric Caen claimed that Bethesda had little confidence in Interplay's ability to uphold their contractual obligations, and were waiting for the rights to the MMO to default.[12] This claim was strengthened when Bethesda holding company ZeniMax Media founded ZeniMax Online Studios, a studio dedicated to the development of MMOs, the same year.[5]

Initial development edit

Interplay began pre-production in November 2007, and hired Jason D. Anderson as lead director.[5] At the time, the game's codename was Project V13, a reference to Vault 13 from the original Fallout.[2] Anderson had worked on the original Fallout, and wanted Project V13 to closely resemble that game's tone. He also wanted the graphics to mimic style of comics like Hard Boiled, an art style that was envisioned for the original Fallout but never followed up on due to technical limitations.[5] Artist Caleb Cleveland noted that early concept art revolved around expansive retrofuturistic environments.[2] According to Cleveland, "[Anderson] wanted to create individual skylines for metropolitan areas so you would emerge from a tunnel, and you would go, 'Oh, this is nuked New York,' and there would be this giant crater you’d have to navigate. Radio City Music Hall would be a quarter mile high — it would be gigantic ... There would be monorail tubes everywhere, just to make it look as '50s and crazy as possible."[2]

Anderson stated that Project V13's development was hampered by Bethesda's refusal to approve any design documents, which was a contract stipulation.[5] According to Anderson, "They would ignore our requests and not respond at all. It felt to me that they had no intention of allowing the game to go forward."[5] Frustrated by the lack of work being made on the project, Anderson left for a job with inXile Entertainment in March 2009.[2] On April 3, just two days before their contractual deadline to begin full-scale development, Interplay announced a partnership with the Bulgarian company Masthead Studios.[5][13] As part of the partnership, the two studios would work together to develop Project V13, and Interplay would be given access to the game engine Masthead was using for their upcoming game Earthrise.[5][13]

Legal disputes and cancellation edit

Bethesda did not believe Interplay had begun full scale development before the deadline or secured the necessary funding, and submitted a notice of their intent to reclaim the rights to the project.[5][14] In September 2009, Bethesda filed a lawsuit against Interplay in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.[15] They accused Interplay of trademark infringement, multiple counts of breach of contract, and unfair competition, and sought a preliminary and permanent injunction against Interplay's distribution of the first three Fallout games as well as production on Project V13.[15] As part of their suit, Bethesda used an SEC filing from June 30 that showed that Interplay was $2.54 million in debt with only $16,000 in cash assets.[16] Interplay countersued, and claimed Bethesda had violated the terms of the trademark licensing agreement and asset purchase agreement stated in the 2007 contract, and had acted in bad faith in its dealings with business partners.[17] Interplay sought a declaration to retain the rights to Project V13 or return the rights to the entire series.[17] The District Court judge denied Bethesda's preliminary injunction, and Interplay was allowed to continue work.[18]

In June 2010, Interplay announced that Project V13 would be officially named Fallout Online, and published a website about the game.[19] The website included a brief teaser trailer, and a sign-up page for a beta test.[2] In response to the news, Andy Chalk of The Escapist jokingly said, "Fallout Online is clearly going to be the best MMOG ever, towering over even World of Warcraft. How do I know this? Because the only way the game could even exist at this point is through some pretty determined divine intervention."[19]

Bethesda then sued Masthead Studios and asked for a preliminary injunction against the company. The Court denied Bethesda's motion before Masthead Studios had even had an opportunity to file a response in opposition.[20] Bethesda's attempt to appeal the unfavorable decision was quickly denied.[21] Bethesda later filed a motion in limine against Interplay in an attempt to suppress evidence that would have supported Interplay at trial, namely that Interplay had satisfied the conditions of the original contract. In response, Interplay filed its own motion in limine the day after in an attempt to prevent Bethesda from producing a previously-undisclosed expert witness, who was expected to offer expert testimony regarding the meaning of contract terms contained in the Trademark License Agreement.[22] The jury trial requested by Bethesda was canceled due to the language of the APA contract (contract that sold Fallout to Bethesda), which stated that all legal disputes could only be resolved by a bench trial, leaving the outcome of the case in the hands of a single judge. It is unknown if this was a simple oversight by Bethesda or something brought to the court's attention by Interplay.[23]

Per an out of court settlement, Fallout Online was cancelled. However, Interplay through its Black Isle division continues to work on Project V13 but will remove any and all references to Fallout to honor the settlement.[24] The terms of the settlement forced Interplay to surrender to Bethesda all property pertaining to the Fallout MMO.[25] Interplay was still able to sell copies of Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel, but its permission to do so ended on December 31, 2013.[26] Bethesda's own Fallout online game, Fallout 76, was released in 2018.[27]

Notes edit

  1. ^ According to GamesTM, the Australian studio Micro Forté was contracted to develop a Fallout MMO sometime after Fargo's departure, although the project went nowhere.[5]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Miszczyk, Maciej (November 6, 2016). "Fallout Online". Hardcore Gaming 101. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Robertson, Adi (August 9, 2018). "The rise and fall of Project V13, the online Fallout game that never was". The Verge. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Bradford, Matt (November 22, 2010). "Fallout Online's first playable race revealed via 'Pip-Pad'". GamesRadar+. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  4. ^ Voecks, Krystalle (February 28, 2011). "Fallout Online newsletter tells stories and shows off new weapons". Engadget. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Anon. (2012). "Apocalypse When?". GamesTM. No. 124. pp. 76–81. ISSN 1478-5889.
  6. ^ a b Bailey, Kat (November 24, 2017). "The Last Days of Black Isle Studios". VG247. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  7. ^ Thorsen, Tor (June 7, 2004). "Interplay offices closed by state officials". GameSpot. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  8. ^ Adams, David (June 25, 2004). "Interplay Making Fallout MMO Title?". IGN. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Burnes, Andrew (October 14, 2004). "Interplay In Trouble; Assets Sold & Optioned". IGN. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d Andrich, Shawn (December 12, 2006). "Interplay Grasps At Fallout MMORPG". The Escapist. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  11. ^ McLaughlin, Rus; Kaiser, Rowan (July 21, 2010). "IGN Presents the History of Fallout". IGN. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Pearson, Dan (October 22, 2010). "Interplay: Bethesda wouldn't pay $50m for full Fallout rights". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Thorsen, Tor (April 6, 2009). "Earthrise studio arming Fallout MMORPG". GameSpot. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  14. ^ Plunkett, Luke (April 15, 2009). "Bethesda To Take Action Against Interplay Over Fallout MMO?". Kotaku. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Graft, Kris (September 10, 2009). "Bethesda Sues Interplay Over Use Of Fallout License". Game Developer. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  16. ^ Thorsen, Tor (October 21, 2009). "Bethesda sues Interplay over Fallout". GameSpot. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Anon. (October 22, 2009). "Interplay countersues Bethesda over Fallout". GameSpot. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  18. ^ Haynes, Jeff (December 15, 2009). "Bethesda Loses First Round of Fallout Court Battle". IGN. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Chalk, Andy (June 16, 2010). "Interplay Launches Fallout Online Teaser Site". The Escapist. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  20. ^ "Bethesda's Restraining Order Denied". Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  21. ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (October 26, 2011). "Bethesda Denied its Appeal". IGN. Retrieved 27 October 2011.[dead link]
  22. ^ "Bethesda Files Motion In Limine". Archived from the original on 12 November 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  23. ^ "Trial By Court Ensued". Archived from the original on 29 November 2011. Retrieved 11 November 2011.
  24. ^ "Interplay Loses Rights to Make a Fallout MMO". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 31 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  25. ^ Jones, David K. (2012-01-10). "All Fallout IP Rights Restored to Bethesda & New Vegas Ultimate Edition Announced". WouldYouKindly.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-13. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  26. ^ "The Great Fallout Legal Battle Ends Without a Fallout MMO". Kotaku. 9 January 2012. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  27. ^ Morton, Lauren (10 April 2020). "The humans of Wastelanders bring some much-needed soul to Fallout 76". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2020.

External links edit

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