According to Yahoo Finance, Interplay Entertainment Corp. announced yesterday that it had signed a “binding letter of intent” to develop an MMO with Masthead Studios, the company behind the upcoming MMORPG, Earthrise.

This new MMO, codenamed “Project: V13”, will make use of the tools and technology that the studio is using to develop Earthrise.

It seems to be widely agreed upon around the web that interplay’s Project V13, which has been in development by that studio since November of 2007, is in reality an MMO based on the wildly successful Fallout franchise.

The agreement, it is reported, will result in Interplay and Masthead co-developing the upcoming game with interplay taking the lead.

Interplay Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Herve Caen had this to say about the deal:

“We are looking forward to turning the vision of our game designers into a compelling online gaming experience. The planning and design completed for Project: V13 thus far, combined with Masthead's resources, tools, and growing team of dedicated MMOG developers, will bring this unique game to reality.”

Not surprisingly, Atanas Atanasov, the President of Bulgaria-based Masthead Studios was similarly enthusiastic:

"This arrangement is ideal because it leverages the technology our professionals have specifically built for advanced Massively Multiplayer Online Games into what we expect will be a groundbreaking Interplay gaming title."

Already, speculation is beginning to surface that this new project might curtail or even bury the company’s plans to release their post-apocalyptic MMO Earthrise in 2009.

"Earthrise's development and launch will continue as planned", answered Atanasov when questioned by MMORPG.com. We were also told that more information should be forthcoming at some point next week.

I'll believe it when I see it.

This seems like an odd thing to do.  Developing two post-apoc MMO's at the same company?  Fallout is a huge IP to work with, and as the article states, the game could potentially bury Earthrise upon release.  Interesting to say the least. I suppose it keeps them paying the bills though, and the ultimate goal is to stay in business....

It's odd, on one hand the it's great to see that FO might be giving the loving touch of a comptent developer, but on the other Earthrise was my solution to the idea of the Fallout MMO being fail.   I think Interplay is far too financially strapped to be capiable of launching an un-comprised MMO, if FO is anything but a brutal/open ended game it will be crap, I was thinking that whoever made it was going to end up creating Apocalypse WoW

My prediction:  Earthrise will be morphed/combined into Fallout.

You heard it here first.

I thought they were one and the same.

Originally posted by Kyleran

My prediction:  Earthrise will be morphed/combined into Fallout.

You heard it here first.

 

That makes the most sense. As why would they develop two very similar MMORPGs?

Just happy it's getting done...finally.

Now, if someone not infatuated with the way Blizzard does things will get to work on a Shadowrun MMO I will have recovered my high level of interest in this genre that I lost a few years ago.

Originally posted by Kyleran

My prediction:  Earthrise will be morphed/combined into Fallout.

I agree.  The MMOG industry really likes tying games into well-known IPs.  I don't necessarily think that philosophy provides any assurance of success but it is very popular nonetheless.

Originally posted by AlienShirt

Originally posted by Kyleran

My prediction:  Earthrise will be morphed/combined into Fallout.

You heard it here first.

 

 

That makes the most sense. As why would they develop two very similar MMORPGs?

I suppose, but I'd hate to be in their art department b/c I don't beleive any of their current assets would fit into the look of fallout that was created in the first 2 games. Unless that is what interplay has been working on since Nov. 2007. If all Interplay has to do is lay a Fallout "skin" over the Masthead game engine then alpha/beta test, well, we could be seeing this game soon(tm).

Oh, and a question for Stradden. Is Bethesda ok with you using their art assets for a game that isn't their? Same for Interplay/Masthead?

My prediction: Masthead Studios continues with making Earthrise and contine the Closed beta release in may.

Why I think that? Because I doubt at this time it would be a good idea to combine EArthrise and FO into one. That would require more money and also would upset a lot of the community. Well the Earthrise Community... They also would pretty much scrap a lot of Earthrise to have to combine the FO skin.. FO and Earthrise are totally different setting, style and time. FO is more normadic while Earthrise is more technology and stuff.

Also just knowing Masthead Studios, I doubt they would change Earthrise and make it FO.

My prediction:

Bethesda will launch Fallout 4 at the same time as Interplay/Masthead launch the Fallout mmo.

Fallout 4 will sell more boxes than the mmo.

Fallout 4 will live a longer life with mods and expansions than the Fallout mmo.

Interplay went to dogshit a long time ago. To expect anything different from Interplay now or ever again would be foolish, to say the least. It'd be like expecting Atari to publish bug-free quality games.

Edit:

I'd also like to know why a screenshot from Bethesdas' Fallout 3 expansion The Pitt is being used in the OP in reference to the Interplay mmo?

I think its more a deparate attempt by Interplay to get a fallout mmo released while they still hold the rights. They have to release it within 4 years of starting development or the rights fall back to Bethesda i believe. A rushed mmo is a potential failed mmo.

With Earthrise and Fallen Earth releasing before any Fallout mmo and assuming they are successful a rushed release would not be a good start.

 Not quite sure what to make of this. Mind you the deal hasn't happened yet.

Originally posted by WisebutCruel

My prediction:

Bethesda will launch Fallout 4 at the same time as Interplay/Masthead launch the Fallout mmo.

Fallout 4 will sell more boxes than the mmo.

Fallout 4 will live a longer life with mods and expansions than the Fallout mmo.

Interplay went to dogshit a long time ago. To expect anything different from Interplay now or ever again would be foolish, to say the least. It'd be like expecting Atari to publish bug-free quality games.

 

Edit:

I'd also like to know why a screenshot from Bethesdas' Fallout 3 expansion The Pitt is being used in the OP in reference to the Interplay mmo?

Interplay went to dogshit a long time ago. To expect anything different from Interplay now or ever again would be foolish, to say the least.

Interplay has seen this remark and are working their best to prove it wrong

Don't forget Fallen Earth, the postapocalytic skill-based MMO with FPS elements and multiple factions. Seems very similar to Fallout when you discard the retro radiation theme.

Originally posted by WisebutCruel

Interplay went to dogshit a long time ago.

You are correct sir.  And putrid money-grubbing dogshit at that.

Unless the original Black Isle Studio team is resurrected to do the DESIGN, a Fallout MMO would be "Fallout" in name only.

Depth-of-Design-wise Earthrise isn't even =close= to the glory of Fallout. 

Bulgaria?  Bulgaria... Bulgaria  ...  Ohhh now i get Interplay CEO Herve's interest in Masthead :

1 Lev (BGL) = 0.67636 US Dollar (USD)

Cheap labor.

I guess we should be thankful he didn't turn it over to the Koreans and add an Item Shop.

NICE. earthrise is going to become Fallout3