Wikipedia

Fallout Online

Fallout Onlinewas a canceledmassively multiplayer online role-playing gamedeveloped byInterplay EntertainmentandMasthead Studios.It was intended to be the first online game in theFalloutseries before its cancellation in 2012. Little information exists about what gameplay or plot would have entailed. According to dialogue writer Mark O'Green,Fallout Onlinewould have been set along theWest Coast of the United States,in parts ofArizona,California,Nevada,Oregon,andUtah.The story would have revolved around a long series of disasters, and one storyline would have involved the player going back in time to experience moments from previousFalloutgames.

Fallout Online
The logo for Fallout Online. It features a drawing of a man smiling, winking, and giving a thumbs up with his right hand. The text FALLOUT ONLINE is displayed to the right of the drawing.
Developer(s)Interplay Entertainment
Masthead Studios
Publisher(s)Interplay Entertainment
Director(s)Jason D. Anderson
SeriesFallout
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
ReleaseCanceled
Genre(s)Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Mode(s)Multiplayer

The idea for an onlineFalloutgame was envisioned by Interplay founderBrian Fargoin the late 1990s, although development would not begin for several years.Bethesda Softworkspurchased theFalloutintellectual propertyin 2007, and allowed Interplay to work onFallout Onlinewith the stipulations that they needed to secure $30 million in financing, begin development by April 2009, and release the game within four years of commencement. This contract led to a lengthy legal battle between the two companies. Bethesda sued Interplay fortrademark infringement,multiple counts ofbreach of contract,andunfair competition.Interplay was $2.54 million in debt, and little work had been made on the game, even after they entered a partnership with Masthead. The two companies reached an out of court settlement in 2012, which resulted in the cancellation ofFallout Online.Bethesda released their own onlineFalloutgame,Fallout 76,in 2018.

Premise

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One of the few known screenshots ofFallout Online,which was leaked during the 2011 trial between Bethesda and Interplay[1]

Little information exists about what the gameplay or plot ofFallout Onlinewould have entailed.[2]According to dialogue writer Mark O'Green,Fallout Onlinewould have been set along theWest Coast of the United States,in parts ofArizona,California,Nevada,Oregon,andUtah.[3]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.[3]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.[3]One of the planned storylines centered around nuclear test sites in Nevada, and would have involved the player going back in time to experience moments from previousFalloutgames.[3]One character that would have returned was the Master from the originalFallout,although O'Green does not remember how it would have happened.[3]

The gameplay would have likely included elements frommassively multiplayer online role-playing gamesandthird-person shootergames.[2]Players could choose differentcharacter classes,such as human,ghoul,or super mutant.[3][4]According to aFallout Onlinenewsletter, the ghoul class would have specialized in engineering and trade.[4]Players could formguilds,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.[4][5]Fallout Onlinewould have featured largequeststhat guilds could complete, and the first guild to complete the quest would split a reward pool.[3]O'Green revealed that some of the enemies would have been mutant racoons and psychic children.[3]The game's map was supposedly 65,500 square miles.[3]

History

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Early years

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Interplay founder Brian Fargo proposed the idea of aFalloutMMO in the late 1990s.

In the late 1990s,Interplay EntertainmentfounderBrian Fargosaw aGameSpotpoll that indicated players would like to see aFalloutmassively multiplayer online game(MMO).[1]At the time, MMOs were becoming popular, as evidenced by the success ofEverQuestandUltima Online.[1]Fargo proposed the idea of aFalloutMMO toFeargus UrquhartofBlack 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.[1]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 towardconsole gamingin 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."[1]

After Urquhart's rejection, Fargo proposed the idea to Engage, an Interplay division founded in 1996 to develop online games.[1]Little is known about this period inFallout Online'shistory, although developerTim Cainremembers 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.[1]He also noted thatFallout Onlinewould have the unfortunate acronym of F.O.O.L.[1]As Interplay's financial struggles worsened, the company was acquired byTitus Interactivein 1999.[1]Fargo left the following year, due to disagreements with new owners Hervé and Eric Caen.[1][a]Interplay's finances became so dire, that in June 2004 operations were suspended by theCalifornia Department of Industrial Relationsdue to a lack ofworkers' compensationand unpaid wages.[3][7]Despite these issues, Hervé Caen announced Interplay's intentions of developing MMOs, among them aFalloutMMO.[8]

Deals with Bethesda

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In October 2004, Interplay soldBethesda Softworksthe rights to developFallout 3and two potential sequels, for $1,175,000 minimum guaranteedadvance against royalties.[9]Interplay retained the rights to develop aFalloutMMO.[9]After Bethesda's acquisition, there were no updates on the game until December 2006, when Interplay submitted anfilingto theU.S. Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC) about the proposed sale of the company's stock onEuronextexchanges.[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 theFalloutintellectual property(IP) outright in April 2007 for $5,750,000.[11]As part of the deal, Interplay would keep the rights to theFalloutMMO, with stipulations.[3]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.[1][3]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 todefault.[12]This claim was strengthened when Bethesda holding companyZeniMax MediafoundedZeniMax Online Studios,a studio dedicated to the development of MMOs, the same year.[1]

Initial development

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Jason D. Anderson served as the game's lead director, but left in 2009 due to his frustrations with Bethesda.

Interplay began pre-production in November 2007, and hiredJason D. Andersonas lead director.[1]At the time, the game's codename wasProject V13,a reference to Vault 13 from the originalFallout.[3]Anderson had worked on the originalFallout,and wantedProject V13to closely resemble that game's tone. He also wanted the graphics to mimic the art style of comics likeHard Boiled,which was envisioned for the originalFalloutbut never followed up on due to technical limitations.[1]Artist Caleb Cleveland noted that early concept art revolved around expansiveretrofuturisticenvironments.[3]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 Hallwould be a quarter mile high — it would be gigantic... There would bemonorailtubes everywhere, just to make it look as '50s and crazy as possible. "[3]

Anderson stated thatProject V13'sdevelopment was hampered by Bethesda's refusal to approve any design documents, which was a contract stipulation.[1]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."[1]Frustrated by the lack of work being made on the project, Anderson left for a job withinXile Entertainmentin March 2009.[3]On April 3, just two days before their contractual deadline to begin full-scale development, Interplay announced a partnership with the Bulgarian companyMasthead Studios.[1][13]As per their partnership, the two studios would work together to developProject V13,and Interplay would be given access to thegame engineMasthead was using for their upcoming gameEarthrise.[1][13]

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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.[1][14]In September 2009, Bethesda filed a lawsuit against Interplay in theUnited States District Court for the District of Maryland.[15]They accused Interplay oftrademark infringement,multiple counts ofbreach of contract,andunfair competition,and sought a preliminary and permanentinjunctionagainst Interplay's distribution of the first threeFalloutgames as well as production onProject 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 andasset purchase agreementstated in the 2007 contract, and had acted in bad faith in its dealings with business partners.[17]Interplay sought adeclarationto retain the rights toProject V13or 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 thatProject V13would be officially namedFallout Online,and published a website about the game.[19]The website included a brief teaser trailer, and a sign-up page for abeta test.[3]In response to the news, Andy Chalk ofThe Escapistjokingly said, "Fallout Onlineis clearly going to be the best MMOG ever, towering over evenWorld 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]

After the website was published, Bethesda amended their lawsuit against Interplay, claiming the company was only given the rights to use the nameFallout,but not any material associated with theFalloutseries.[20]Interplay described the lawsuit as "absurd", and amended their countersuit by claiming Bethesda had attempted to cancel the 2007 contract.[20][21]Bethesda's amended lawsuit and temporary restraining order against Masthead were denied by a judge in theUnited States District Court for the Central District of California,who stated, "Indeed, [Bethesda] was aware as early as February 2011 that Masthead was potentially infringing its copyrights... Yet, Plaintiff waited seven months to apply forex parterelief. "[21]An appeal of the ruling was also denied.[22]

The lengthy legal battle ended in January 2012, when the two companies reached an out of court settlement.[23]As per the settlement,Fallout Onlinewas canceled, and the rights to develop aFalloutMMO would revert to Bethesda.[23]Each company would pay their litigation costs, and Bethesda would pay Interplay $2 million.[23]Interplay would be allowed to sell copies ofFallout,Fallout 2,andFallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steeluntil December 31, 2013.[24]Interplay briefly attempted to repurpose theFallout Onlineassets into a single-player game, but acrowdfundingeffort only raised a few thousand dollars, and the new game was also canceled.[3]Bethesda released their own onlineFalloutgame,Fallout 76,in 2018.[3]

Notes

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  1. ^According toGamesTM,the Australian studioMicro Fortéwas contracted to develop aFalloutMMO sometime after Fargo's departure, although the project went nowhere.[1]

References

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  1. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstAnon. (2012). "Apocalypse When?".GamesTM.No. 124. pp. 76–81.ISSN1478-5889.
  2. ^abMiszczyk, Maciej (November 6, 2016)."Fallout Online".Hardcore Gaming 101.Archivedfrom the original on May 6, 2024.RetrievedMay 8,2024.
  3. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrsRobertson, Adi (August 9, 2018)."The rise and fall of Project V13, the online Fallout game that never was".The Verge.Archivedfrom the original on May 1, 2022.RetrievedMay 8,2024.
  4. ^abcBradford, Matt (November 22, 2010)."Fallout Online's first playable race revealed via 'Pip-Pad'".GamesRadar+.Archivedfrom the original on February 20, 2024.RetrievedMay 8,2024.
  5. ^Voecks, Krystalle (February 28, 2011)."Fallout Online newsletter tells stories and shows off new weapons".Engadget.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2024.RetrievedMay 8,2024.
  6. ^abBailey, Kat (November 24, 2017)."The Last Days of Black Isle Studios".VG247.Archivedfrom the original on April 21, 2024.RetrievedApril 25,2024.
  7. ^Thorsen, Tor (June 7, 2004)."Interplay offices closed by state officials".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on January 11, 2024.RetrievedMay 8,2024.
  8. ^Adams, David (June 25, 2004)."Interplay Making Fallout MMO Title?".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on May 8, 2024.RetrievedMay 8,2024.
  9. ^abBurnes, Andrew (October 14, 2004)."Interplay In Trouble; Assets Sold & Optioned".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on April 13, 2024.RetrievedMay 8,2024.
  10. ^abcdAndrich, Shawn (December 12, 2006)."Interplay Grasps At Fallout MMORPG".The Escapist.Archivedfrom the original on May 8, 2024.RetrievedMay 8,2024.
  11. ^McLaughlin, Rus; Kaiser, Rowan (July 21, 2010)."IGN Presents the History of Fallout".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on July 19, 2019.RetrievedApril 26,2024.
  12. ^abPearson, Dan (October 22, 2010)."Interplay: Bethesda wouldn't pay $50m for full Fallout rights".GamesIndustry.biz.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2024.RetrievedMay 8,2024.
  13. ^abThorsen, Tor (April 6, 2009)."Earthrise studio arming Fallout MMORPG".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on May 8, 2024.RetrievedMay 8,2024.
  14. ^Plunkett, Luke (April 15, 2009)."Bethesda To Take Action Against Interplay Over Fallout MMO?".Kotaku.Archivedfrom the original on January 18, 2024.RetrievedMay 9,2024.
  15. ^abGraft, Kris (September 10, 2009)."Bethesda Sues Interplay Over Use Of Fallout License".Game Developer.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2024.RetrievedMay 9,2024.
  16. ^Thorsen, Tor (October 21, 2009)."Bethesda sues Interplay over Fallout".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on May 10, 2024.RetrievedMay 9,2024.
  17. ^abAnon. (October 22, 2009)."Interplay countersues Bethesda over Fallout".GameSpot.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2024.RetrievedMay 9,2024.
  18. ^Haynes, Jeff (December 15, 2009)."Bethesda Loses First Round of Fallout Court Battle".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on May 8, 2024.RetrievedMay 9,2024.
  19. ^abChalk, Andy (June 16, 2010)."Interplay Launches Fallout Online Teaser Site".The Escapist.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2024.RetrievedMay 9,2024.
  20. ^abGraft, Kris (December 23, 2010)."Bethesda Amends Interplay Suit, Attempts To Restrict Use Of Fallout IP".Gamasutra.Archived fromthe originalon September 28, 2011.RetrievedMay 14,2024.
  21. ^abRose, Mike (September 23, 2011)."Bethesda Denied Restraining Order Against Fallout MMO Co-Developer Masthead".Gamasutra.Archived fromthe originalon September 25, 2011.RetrievedMay 14,2024.
  22. ^Handrahan, Matthew (October 27, 2011)."Bethesda's Fallout MMO appeal denied".GamesIndustry.biz.Archivedfrom the original on May 14, 2024.RetrievedMay 14,2024.
  23. ^abcGallegos, Anthony (January 9, 2012)."Bethesda, Interplay Reach Fallout Settlement".IGN.Archivedfrom the original on March 28, 2023.RetrievedMay 14,2024.
  24. ^Fahey, Mike (January 9, 2012)."The Great Fallout Legal Battle Ends Without a Fallout MMO".Kotaku.Archivedfrom the original on January 11, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 10,2012.
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