Interplay: Bethesda Turned Down Rights to Fallout MMO

Bethesda Softworks had a chance to buy the full rights to the Fallout IP, including a Fallout MMO, and turned it down, according to an interview with Interplay president Eric Caen in an upcoming issue of Edge.

“Hervé [Caen] started negotiations with Bethesda to sell Fallout to them,” reveals Eric. “My brother said: ‘If you want the full IP, the value of it is $50 million.’ They said: ‘No way. Why $50 million?’ We said: ‘Because the MMOG strength of this universe is huge.’ Bethesda said: ‘We don’t want that. Let’s buy everything else but the MMOG. Do the MMOG.’ They said that Interplay had to start development and by a certain time we had to have a full game in development.”

Bethesda filed a lawsuit against Interplay in 2009 for breach of contract. In the agreement, Bethesda required that Interplay secure $30 million in funding for the Fallout MMO project within 24 months of the deal’s signing, according to Gamasutra. The deal also stated that Interplay would launch the MMO within four years.

Caen says that Bethesda believes his company did not fulfill its obligation. He says it has, and that the Fallout 3 developer is now trying to get the rights to the MMO without having to pay for it.

Bethesda told Gamasutra it has no comment on Caen’s interview.