Bethesda Decides Those Newfangled MMOs Just Might Work

by Scott Jennings on August 1, 2007

Press release. Headed up by Mythic co-founder Matt Firor, whom we’ve discussed hereabouts in the past.

No mention about what projects they’d be working on. Gee. I wonder if there’s any IP they have access to. (Sadly Interplay is still holding onto Fallout’s MMO license with cold, undead fingers.)

(Note to Matt: DARK BROTHERHOOD ONLINE. You know you want to.)

{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }

Sanya August 1, 2007 at 2:27 pm  (Quote)

Jerk. One MINUTE ahead of me. No fair. I’ll bet the tools are rigged.

Anyway. Can I get a big ol’ SQUEE?

Rasputin August 1, 2007 at 3:11 pm  (Quote)

Hey, lady, join the club. We all got the email, didn’t we? :P

Tom H. August 1, 2007 at 3:31 pm  (Quote)

Your shacknews article is from 2004. As I am given to understand, Bethesda was previously licensing the license from Interplay, but a few months ago bought the license outright.

Tom H. August 1, 2007 at 3:38 pm  (Quote)

Ah! And the coworker who knew that gives me more details, just too late: Bethesda owns the license, but the MMO rights are licensed back to Interplay. http://kotaku.com/gaming/top/bethesda-buys-fallout-ip-fanboys-moisten-251966.php

M Grey August 1, 2007 at 3:50 pm  (Quote)

They do own the license outright, but Interplay was allowed to retain the rights for an MMO based on the IP. If Interplay doesn’t live up to their end of the agreement, the MMO rights will go back to Bethesda. I don’t think they’d be betting this heavily that Interplay will forfeit. TES seems to be the most likely existing license, and we can always hope for something entirely new.

Apache August 1, 2007 at 4:55 pm  (Quote)

Nice gig!

ajeba August 1, 2007 at 5:27 pm  (Quote)

I’d be squirting like a 12 year old girl at a Daniel Radcliffe autograph signing if they made a Fallout MMO.

Hellfire August 1, 2007 at 5:54 pm  (Quote)

A Fallout MMO executed with the care and polish of a WoW (not gameplay, don’t be a douche) vs the “care” and “polish” of say an AO, would indeed be the greatest thing since the invention of crack cocaine.

Tony H. August 1, 2007 at 7:27 pm  (Quote)

Is the assassin’s guild thing a joke because Matt doesn’t like Stealthers as they work in typical MMO fashion? Or was that someone else who worked at Mythic? I remember someone said that Warhammer Online was never going to have the Invisibility Stealthers as we typically see today due to how they disliked them in MMO’s, I just don’t remember if that was Matt. And yah, an Elder Scrolls MMO does seem likely.

Apache August 1, 2007 at 8:02 pm  (Quote)

^
Sounds more like Jacobs

tinman_au August 1, 2007 at 10:41 pm  (Quote)

I hope they bought, or otherwise, the rights to a Fallout MMO from Interplay, otherwise it’s just:

Oh. Great. Another fantasy MMO…

BloodyViking August 2, 2007 at 2:48 am  (Quote)

If Bethesda signs up for a Fallout MMOG then I will cry IRL. I’m already worried as it is for the Fallout 3 game they are developing. Although I would love to see a Fallout MMOG I -do- want it to stay faithfull to the first games.

Fallout 1 & 2 were mature games with a lot of dark humor and among my personal oldtime favorites.

I would say Elder Scrolls MMOG would be more natural for Bethesda.

I think I will have nightmares tonight after envisioning a Blizzardish version of Fallout MMOG with endless repgrinds and endgame raiding.

Abalieno August 2, 2007 at 3:48 am  (Quote)

Can I have a job?

At least I like more Firor than Mark Jacobs.

J. August 2, 2007 at 9:00 am  (Quote)

He could have done worse, I guess.

Heartless_ August 2, 2007 at 9:11 am  (Quote)

I seriously don’t believe The Elder Scrolls would translate at all into an MMORPG. They could develop an MMORPG with the namesake, but it would not be a true TES type game. TES only works when you are the only person buggering around the world.

What I would like to see from the new studio is a new idea: sci-fi or fantasy, or a combination of the two, but done differently than the Diku style. I already figure I will be playing fantasy and sci-fi games for the rest of my life, so there truly can never be too many :P

Nicademus August 2, 2007 at 10:09 am  (Quote)

Fallout OL would suck, if you can’t be a complete dick to the world, and if they can’t allow player prostitution or drug dealing or half the other morally wrong things Fallout builds into the world then you really don’t have the freedom of choice that makes the series. For once the anti-Care Bear brigade would have a valid gripe.

Making a functioning social environment within the Fallout world would completely ruin the whole point of the game.

Now if they pitched it as a “yeah people get to be dicks, and no your not the vault dweller, but if you REALLY have always wanted to be an online smack dealer, then this is the game for you” I would sign up for life just on principle.

Sadly economics are unfair to some.

BloodyViking August 2, 2007 at 12:58 pm  (Quote)

“sci-fi or fantasy, or a combination of the two”

Shadowrun RPG turned into an MMOG…now THAT could be cool. Would love to play a huge Troll street-samurai with a Panther Assault Cannon in his hands shooting elves in Tir :-)

From the Hole August 2, 2007 at 3:03 pm  (Quote)

I’d pretty much bet the farm it’ll be elder scrolls. They have the attitude that they can kick WoW’s ass with their IP. I’m also under the impression that they really don’t think much of the Fallout franchise as a MMO, which seems odd that they then turn around and pretty much give Interplay so many insane milestones that it is all but guaranteed that the license will go back to them.

Hellfire August 2, 2007 at 3:28 pm  (Quote)

@Nicademus: See, I look at it in completely the opposite way. The fallout IP and mythos would allow a studio the freedom to put a game out there that isn’t a shinyhappyworld.

It’ll never happen. But I enjoy thinking that a studio might be crazy enough to try.

kyan August 2, 2007 at 3:35 pm  (Quote)

Sounds like it could be a good fit for Firor. Assuming he’s north of where Mythic is, the 25 or so mile distance between it and Zenimax should shave a chunk off the massive commute that was plaguing him before.

Georgia August 2, 2007 at 4:00 pm  (Quote)

Good for Matt!

And yeah, the commute he had to Mythic’s offices was insane. I don’t know how he withstood it.

Andrew Crystall August 2, 2007 at 4:17 pm  (Quote)

Well, I hope it’s not fallout because I’d not consider it as things stand (see: Glutton Creeper games).

Apache August 2, 2007 at 7:02 pm  (Quote)

I think some broke Russians are making Fallout Online for Interplay. Wouldnt be too shocked if they took it over.

Andrew Crystall August 3, 2007 at 12:30 pm  (Quote)

I think Interplay’s bankrupt (again) after they were told they actually had to y’know, pay the workers for their last few months from the last real incarnation.

Soulflame August 3, 2007 at 2:41 pm  (Quote)

Sweet, we’ll be able to fall through dungeon floors ONLINE. That should make everything better.

Leave a Comment


You can now leave comments using your Facebook or Twitter account, or you can supply your name/handle/jolly pirate nickname and email here.
Emails are used in the (very unlikely) event I need to contact you and are never disclosed to third parties for any reason.

Connect with Facebook

{ 1 trackback }

Previous post:

Next post: