Quote:July 12, 2004 - In an move sure to bring sizzling joy to PC gamers everywhere, Bethesda Softworks has just announced that it has obtained the rights to develop and publish Fallout 3, as well as additional games in the Fallout franchise, on the PC and across all consoles. The company obtained the rights from Interplay, the original home of the lauded post-apocalyptic RPG series.

Very few details on Fallout 3 have been revealed, but it's tantalizing to speculate on what Bethesda can do with the license, given their success with The Elder Scrolls series. A Bethesda spokesman clarified that the company has been looking at acquiring the Fallout license for some time. Additionally, Bethesda explained that the only definite platform for Fallout 3 is the PC, though given that the new license rights allow for development and publication on all consoles, it's safe to assume Bethesda has plans in this space as well.

"We're extremely excited about this opportunity and what it means both for Bethesda and for Fallout fans around the world," said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. "Fallout is one of the great RPG franchises. Millions of Fallout games have been sold worldwide, and fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of a Fallout 3 title. Bethesda's proven expertise in this genre, building on our experience and the tremendous success we have enjoyed with our cutting-edge Elder Scrolls series, will enable us to create the next chapter of Fallout that is worthy of the franchise."

Bethesda will develop Fallout 3 alongside the next Elder Scrolls title, both under the direction of Todd Howard.

"We are overjoyed," said Howard. "Fallout is one of my favorite games, and we plan to develop a visually stunning and original game for Fallout 3 with all the hallmarks of a great RPG: player choice, engaging story, and non-linearity."

As these things usually go, Bethesda's big announcement of course leaves plenty of questions to be answered, and the company is keeping most details under wraps for now, including game details and possible release schedule. Information is sure to be revealed as development progresses, and you can bet we'll be bothering the good folks at Bethesda for more tasty details in the meantime. Stay tuned.

Quote:July 12, 2004 - As our readers likely already know, Bethesda Softworks has just announced that it will develop and publish Fallout 3, as well as possible future Fallout titles, finally reinvigorating a PC RPG franchise which had too long remained dormant.

Fallout and Fallout 2, released in 1997 and 1998 respectively, quickly became two of the most acclaimed RPG titles created for the PC. Their gritty post-apocalyptic setting, compelling story, and superb art direction gained plenty of enthusiastic fans while raising the standard for the RPG genre in general.

Since the release of Fallout 2, hopes and speculation for a third title in the series have been rampant. Original developer Black Isle was allegedly at work on a third game, with many assuming that its mysterious "Van Buren" project was indeed Fallout 3. With that studio's closure, however, the fate of Fallout 3 became uncertain, with the only hope being Interplay's assurance that the Fallout franchise was far from dead.

Today's announcement should give Fallout fans -- and fans of RPGs in general -- plenty to be excited about. With the acclaimed Elder Scrolls series, and Morrowind in particular, the folks at Bethesda have proved themselves more than capable of developing masterful RPGs.

What does a Bethesda-produced Fallout entail? We caught up with the company's Pete Hines for more details.

IGNPC: We'll just start with the tough questions first. Exactly what is the game and when is it coming out?

Pete Hines: When it's coming out we're way too far out to talk about. What is the game? The real answer I can give is that we're intending to make Fallout 3, the sequel to Fallout 2. We've licensed the rights to Fallout, which includes everything except the MMO project Interplay announced a few weeks ago. Our intention is to do Fallout 3, and whatever you would think that to mean is probably exactly what it is.

IGNPC: Fallout 3 as a sequel to the PC titles, as opposed to Interplay's action-RPG titles.

Pete Hines: Right. We're not doing a follow-up to Brotherhood of Steel.

IGNPC: Interplay is still working on the Fallout MMORPG it had announced. Does this mean Interplay still owns the Fallout intellectual property?

Pete Hines: Yes. We've licensed the rights to Fallout 3 as well as sequels -- Fallout 4, Fallout 5.

IGNPC: Can you tell us how long Bethesda has had its eye on Fallout?

Pete Hines: A pretty long time. For the majority of five years we've said, internally, that if we could pick another game to develop internally, it's been that we could do a great Fallout game. It's something we've talked about internally for a very long time.

IGNPC: Is Fallout 3 something that Bethesda is making its own?

Pete Hines: Absolutely. It's being developed by us, by Bethesda Softworks. It isn't being developed externally. It's being managed by Todd Howard, who is also the executive producer of The Elder Scrolls.

IGNPC: So we can assume that whatever work was done over at Black Isle on Fallout 3 -- the "Van Buren" project -- is not being used?

Pete Hines: It's a little too early to talk about whether we'd be using any assets.

IGNPC: But gamers can assume this will be a continuation of the Fallout storyline.

Pete Hines: Yes.

IGNPC: Can we expect something similar to the work done on Morrowind, in terms of that style of game experience?

Pete Hines: Again, it's early to say, but it wouldn't be a leap of faith to say that we plan to use technologies in development otherwise. You could make some fairly safe leaps of faith that it would be similar in style. We're not going to go away from what it is that we do best. We're not going to suddenly do a top-down isometric Baldur's Gate-style game, because that's not what we do well.

IGNPC: You've confirmed that Fallout 3 is definitely coming to PC. Can you clarify console plans?

Pete Hines: Our intention is to do a multiple platform title. Which platforms that will be, it's too early to say.

IGNPC: I assume you also can't say whether we're talking about current- or next-generation consoles.

Pete Hines: Yes, that would be premature.

IGNPC: What does this mean for Bethesda going forward?

Pete Hines: We've got another very cool role playing license to work with, and we plan to continue to strengthen our position as one of the leading creators of cool role-playing games for multiple platforms. That's our desire, and we think that Fallout 3 points us in the right direction to do that.

IGNPC: Can you give us an idea of when we can expect more details?

Pete Hines: It's going to be a ways out. We haven't even announced the next Elder Scrolls project yet. Obviously we've been doing something for a while. From a development standpoint, from a gamers-making-Christmas-lists standpoint, it's very early at this stage to be talking specifics. When we have more info, we'll certainly let people know.

Quote:Q&A: Fallout 3 executive producer Todd Howard
Bethesda Softworks' veteran developer talks about the future of the legendary postnuclear role-playing game series.
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The past year has been miserable for Fallout fans. 2003 ended on a low note with Interplay's closure of Black Isle Studios and the cessation of development on "Van Buren," the company's code name for Fallout 3.

2004 opened with the ignominious release of the Xbox and PlayStation 2 game Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel. Hardcore PC gamers greeted it with hostility, critics were lukewarm, and console gamers reacted with resolute indifference. Sales were even poorer than those of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2, Interplay's other tent-pole release.

Together, the one-two punch of the two games' failures pushed the already listing Interplay closer to financial insolvency. The company was sued by former business partners, threatened with eviction by its landlords, and even temporarily shut down by the California Department of Labor. When Interplay released its last quarterly earnings report two weeks ago, it revealed that it would run out of cash by the end of July if it did not receive outside funding.

Even though Interplay CEO Herve Caen had floated the idea of a Fallout MMORPG, a new console Fallout, and bringing back Fallout 3, Interplay's dire finances caused many to despair that the franchise would die alongside its owners. Others thought Caen would finally be forced to license Fallout, possibly to Troika or Obsidian Entertainment, two studios founded by former developers of the game.

As it turns out, the latter group was right. This week, Interplay announced that Bethesda Softworks would develop and publish Fallout 3 and other Fallout games for PCs, consoles, and all other platforms. Interplay will technically retain ownership of the Fallout brand and still holds the rights to a Fallout MMORPG.

But while the announcement sparked elation in some gamers, others fretted. Many forum-posters worried that Fallout 3 would merely become "Morrowind with guns," while others feared for the game's perk system, its uniquely dark humor, and its unapologetically mature content. Still others expressed concern that Bethesda's intention to develop the game for PCs and consoles could dilute its role-playing elements a la Deus Ex: Invisible War.

To help address Fallout fans' fears and to comment on one of the past year's most surprising publishing deals, GameSpot talked with Bethesda Softworks' Todd Howard. An Elder Scrolls designer since 1996, Howard was project lead of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and has since become executive producer of the award-winning RPG series. He will also oversee development of Fallout 3, upon which preproduction has already begun...

THE DEAL
GameSpot: It's been widely rumored that Interplay has been shopping the Fallout license for months. When did you first hear about it?

Todd Howard: We've been interested in it, well, forever. We just love the work they did on the first two games.

GS: Was it just the Fallout brand that attracted you, or are you a fan of the series itself? Have you played either of the first two games?

TH: I've played the first two many times but only dabbled with Tactics and Brotherhood of Steel. What I really love about the first two is the overall atmosphere, tone, and role-playing. Those two games really let me choose to play a certain character--and the level of immersion was outstanding. I was that guy on the screen wandering the wastelands trying to survive and helping humanity survive. And you could play it so many times and in so many different ways. The character system and the choices you could make were fantastic.

GS: Did you go to Interplay, or did Interplay come to you?

TH: We went to them first.

GS: How long did the negotiations last?

TH: Not long. It seemed like a great fit from the beginning.

GS: Do you know what other companies were in the bidding? Many people thought the Fallout license would end up with its former developers at Obsidian or Troika.

TH: I honestly don't know anything about that.

GS: Are you also vying for rights to the Fallout MMORPG? If not, why not?

TH: Interplay wanted to hold onto those rights, and it doesn't really fit with what we would do anyway, so we all agreed they should keep them.

GS: Will Interplay's retention of "all online gaming rights for the Fallout franchise" affect whether or not Fallout 3 has an online component?

TH: No. They only keep rights for a persistent online massively multiplayer game. We could still have a multiplayer or online component to our titles.

GS: Will Fallout 3 feature the Interplay logo on the box?

TH: I'm not sure. We're a long, long way from worrying about what logos are on the box.

THE GAME
GS: Will Bethesda's Fallout 3 retain any elements of the "Van Buren" game that was in development at Black Isle Studios? Reports are that it was nearly complete.

TH: No, we're going to start fresh.

GS: Will it have the same storyline as the Black Isle Studios’ Fallout 3?

TH: Unknown right now. I doubt it though.

GS: Do you have any plans to involve any former Black Isle Studios developers in the game's development?

TH: No firm plans, but anything's possible at this stage.

GS: Your release said that Fallout 3 will be developed alongside the next Morrowind. Will they be based on the same engine?

TH: We've been developing some new technology for a long time now that could be used in many games, so we plan on using that. It is not the Morrowind engine.

GS: Morrowind was a first-person, real-time, action RPG. Fallout and its sequel were isometric-view, third-person, turn-based RPGs. What will Fallout 3 be?

TH: Too early to say. We're looking at many options.

GS: Fallout had many unique elements for an RPG, including its extensive (and iconic) perk system and darkly comic tone. Will those be present in the sequel?

TH: Oh, yes. Most definitely. "Bloody Mess" is the best perk ever, where your enemies die in ultraviolent ways.

GS: Morrowind is a huge game with a sprawling environment. Will Fallout 3 have a world of similar scale?

TH: Too early to say yet.

GS: What impact will developing Fallout have on continued work on the Morrowind franchise?

TH: We've been working on some new Elder Scrolls stuff for a while now that has yet to be announced, and [we] have been expanding our group and prepping for our "second project," and this is it. It really helps to have multiple projects going for a studio, as it allows us to move staff around at key times. So, if anything, it helps our Elder Scrolls development as well.

GS: Will Interplay have any say in the project's development?

TH: We have total control over it. That being said, I think there are people there who have very good insight into the franchise, and their experience can help.

RELEASE PLANS
GS: Fallout is one of the most beloved franchises of all time. Are you worried about meeting gamers' high expectations?

TH: I worry about meeting our own expectations. We take this stuff as seriously as anyone and are more critical of what we do than the fans. We're very careful in how we handle franchises. I think people can look at how we've treated the Elder Scrolls and know that we'll give the same care to Fallout. We pride ourselves in keeping franchises relevant and bringing something fresh to the market with each game. That being said, I'm sure there's a vocal minority that wants to kill us for even attempting to do it. But they wanted to kill Peter Jackson too, so you have to ignore that and just do something great that you'd love to play.

GS: Pete Hines, your director of marketing, has said that preproduction on the title is already under way. How much work as been done on the game so far?

TH: We're in the "messing with stuff" phase. Nothing is pinned down until we play it. And then we always change it.

GS: Bethesda's license agreement is for PCs, consoles, handhelds, and other media. Which platform will Fallout 3 arrive on first?

TH: Way too early to say. We always like to hit as many as possible at the same time, but that's not always possible.

GS: There is some concern in the PC gaming community that if Fallout 3 is developed for both the PC and consoles, it won't have the same depth as other PC RPGs. What can you say to allay this concern?

TH: Play Morrowind on PC, and then play it on Xbox. Anyone who says a console game can't have depth hasn't played enough of them. The platform is 100 percent irrelevant.

GS: According to your Web site, Bethesda is hiring developers to create RPGs for "future-generation consoles." Given the Elder Scrolls' long development cycle, should we expect to see Fallout 3 on a next-generation console? Or is it far along enough in development to be released on current-generation consoles?

TH: I can't say what platforms it will or won't be on yet. We hope to hit as many as them as we can.

GS: When can we expect to see Fallout 3?

TH: When it's done (trademark of id Software).

Quote:I really want it to stay isometric

Quote:Of course I've played Fallout. Not for very long, but I've played it. Pretty twisted game though...

Quote:IGNPC: Can we expect something similar to the work done on Morrowind, in terms of that style of game experience?

Pete Hines: Again, it's early to say, but it wouldn't be a leap of faith to say that we plan to use technologies in development otherwise. You could make some fairly safe leaps of faith that it would be similar in style. We're not going to go away from what it is that we do best. We're not going to suddenly do a top-down isometric Baldur's Gate-style game, because that's not what we do well.

Quote:Sure, that was a phone interview and he slightly misquoted me. What I said was, "I don't know if we'd suddenly..."

All the other interviews I've done were by email.

It's too early to say because it's too early to say. Nothing's been decided. Sure we have intentions and ideas, but nothing firm yet. There are certainly things we fully INTEND to do, and I could simply and easily answer those questions, but since no team has sat down and decided yet for sure, then it doesn't make sense to give definite answers, even if it's as simple and fundamental as the SPECIAL system.

Quote:And I already told you that I played Fallout.

Quote:im·merse Audio pronunciation of "immerse" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (-mûrs)
tr.v. im·mersed, im·mers·ing, im·mers·es

1. To cover completely in a liquid; submerge.
2. To baptize by submerging in water.
3. To engage wholly or deeply; absorb: scholars who immerse themselves in their subjects.

Quote:And BTW, KOTOR showed that the Baldur's Gate style of game works wonderfully in three dimensions.

Quote:ABF, you are a fucking moron. To immerse yourself into something means to "to plunge into something that surrounds or covers". Obviously, being surrounding by more than just an x and y axis is by definition more immersive. Being immersed into a story is a metaphorical definition of the world, which is most definitely not what I've been talking about.

Quote:Very sorry that the definition of the word included the way I was using it... won't let it happen again...

Seriously, are you saying that 3d is the most important factor for immersion? I'd completely disagree there. Story is, no question. Graphics are very important, but definitely secondary... or have you never been immersed into the world of a book?

Oh, and so you feel this about all console RPGs too? All the ones before 3d are worse because they don't have cool 3d immersiveness? Umm... I thought you were smarter than that... but I guess not.

Quote:In the case of a top-down or isometric 2D game, 3D is definitely better, absolutely. If you wanted to you could just pull the camera back and restrict your POV.

Quote:Metaphor? I wasn't really talking about it that way, no. It's not just a metaphor... it's a form of immersion!

Quote:So are you saying you like Neverwinter Nights' camera better than Baldur's Gate? If so... ...

NWN's character models may be better than BG, but the environments? BG wins hands down (the Infinity engine also easily beats Fallout's and it's tile-based graphics too, imo. There's a reason that it lasted through five titles across five years. It's quite good.). And I vastly prefer the camera in BG, as I said, because of how much of a pain it was in NWN... what about you?

Quote:Hey guess what, Einstein? Just because NWN had a crappy camera does not mean that all 3D games have crappy cameras. Look at KOTOR, it has a great camera.

Quote:YES--the metaphorical form of it!!!

Quote:As I said, the best thing Bioware did in KOTOR was put in a decent camera...

Quote:Not much more metaphorical than 'immersion' based on looking at 2d images pretending to be 3d, I think...

Quote:Yes dork, so your point is moot.

Quote:Nothing drawn on a monitor can be "truly" 3D, but if you can't tell the difference between 2D and 3D games then you're pretty damn retarded.

Quote:Which point, exactly is that? That I like isometric views? That I think it works really well? Oh, and KOTOR DOES follow what I say. Its combat isn't isometric but you also don't just fight in the exact same view that you play the game from the rest of the time...

Quote:My point is that saying that a whole half (two thirds, really, at least) of a genre is bed because of GRAPHICS is incredibly, incredibly stupid, and not something I'd expect from someone like you...