Interplay Out of Business?

[Bandus]

Rumour is abound that Interplay has gone out of business. Their website (www.interplay.com) has been down for over a week and no advanced warning was given that it was going to go down.

Gamespot says the rumor is bogus because Interplay's phone system is still working, yet they cannot make contact with any employees. As you all remember undoubtedly, Interplay was faced with being evicted from their headquarters for non-payment of rent. Is this the big goodbye for Interplay? We'll have to keep watching I guess.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/05/28/news_6099586.html

[Supreme Cmdr]

Yeah, its probably curtains. Its been a long time coming actually and I'm surprised that they lasted this long. Sad really.

[jamotto]

Have they not been in financial trouble since the early to mid nineties.

What a shame, some of the better games came out of Interplay.

[MojoOjom]

Long long ago, Interplay sent me a demo cd that included BC3k v2.0, and well, here i am. =) Is a shame, i really did enjoy dealing with Interplay games, never once had any problems myself.

[Supreme Cmdr]

quote:

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Originally posted by MojoOjom:

i really did enjoy dealing with Interplay games, never once had any problems myself.

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Same here.

[jamotto]

Maybe we need a tribute to Interplay, perhaps by listing all the great games we have played that was published by Interplay.

Yes/No?

[Anarchist]

...yes, its a shame. the StarTrek games for instance are miletones in gaming history. I have very fond memories of "Star Trek 25th Anniversery" and I just loved "Klingon Academy". and here is it again, my tendency for complicated simulations

[jamotto]

Well after looking at my games shelf I realized I had more games published by Interplay than I thought, so here goes these are the games that I have and I still like to play.

1.)Star Trek: 25th Anniversary

2.)Star Trek: Judgment Rites

3.)Star Trek: Starfleet Command

4.)Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

5.)Fallout 1 & 2

6.)Sacrifice (Great game!)

7.)Messiah

8.)Star Trek: New Worlds

9.)Powerboat Racing

10.)Whiplash (A very good racing game)

11.)Virtual Pool 1 & 2

12.)Freespace 2

13.)Out of This World

14.)SWIV 3D

15.)Carmageddon

16.)Castles II: Siege and Conquest

17.)Conquest of The New World - Deluxe Edition

18.)Fatal Fury 3

19.)James Bond: The Stealth Affair

20.)Bust-A-Move 4

21.)Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess

22.)USCF Chess

23.)Of Light and Darkness

24.)Borrowed Time

25.)Buzz Aldrin's Race into Space

26.)Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising

27.)Castles

Anybody else have any games by Interplay? What are they?

[LostInSpace]

Most of the ones above and let's not forget REDNECK RAMPAGE (including the cuss pack).

[jamotto]

quote:

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Originally posted by LostInSpace:

Most of the ones above and let's not forget REDNECK RAMPAGE (including the cuss pack).

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Cool, anybody else?

[Guest Fox__Trot]

Of course interplay published the freespace 2 aniversery edition you cant forget that

[Scrivener]

Interplay paid the price of selling out to consoles. They've made some of the most notoriously STUPID decisions in the entire history of buisness. Decisions like cancelling a near-complete Baldur's Gate 3 to renew their console Baldur's Gate licence instead the PC license. Decisions like deciding to focus on development of Fallout Brotherhood of Steel instead of Fallout 3.

Indeed, I miss the heyday of Interplay. But they brought this on themselves. I just hope somebody somewhere *cough* Troika *cough* picks up the Fallout license and does us all proud with a great sequel.

I've noticed something - or rather, noticed something that proves a prediction I made years ago - developing for a simultaneous cross-platform release is stupid and hurts the game. Likewise, trying to sell PC franchises to console markets is ultimately professional suicide.

Obvious Examples:

()Drakan 2

()Fallout BOS

()D&D Heros

()Baldur's Gate DA 2

()MYST

()Red Alert

()Diablo

()Arx Fatalis

Less obvious examples:

()Hitman - now officially on the Tomb-Raider fast-track to videogame hell. One game a year, every other game a 'greatest hits' title, zero evolution. Proof: Hitman Contracts. Also - Hitman 2 is actually technologically inferior to Hitman 1. Graphics do NOT equal technology.

()Morrowind - A relative success on Xbox, the followup GOTYE bombed out hard. Noone knew about it, and those who did didn't care. Because of the simultaneous Xbox development, they nixed features like 'people who follow daily scheduals' and mature content [to appeal to a broader audience]. All the previous Elder Scrolls games were notoriously mature-oriented, and was part of the reason they achieved such cult status.

Consoles and censorship are LITERALLY killing the game industry. If still don't believe me, start paying more attention to the game industry and you'll start noticing what I'm talking about.

[jamotto]

quote:

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Originally posted by Fox__Trot:

Of course interplay published the freespace 2 aniversery edition you cant forget that

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Cool, Anybody got any real old "gems" from Interplay when the company was just starting out back in 1984-1985

[Supreme Cmdr]

Stonekeep

[jamotto]

quote:

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Originally posted by Supreme Cmdr:

Stonekeep :wo-ho:

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I ended up passing on that one.

Anyone else have any games from Interplay?

[LostInSpace]

quote:

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Originally posted by Scrivener

Interplay paid the price of selling out to consoles. They've made some of the most notoriously STUPID decisions in the entire history of buisness...... Consoles and censorship are LITERALLY killing the game industry. If still don't believe me, start paying more attention to the game industry and you'll start noticing what I'm talking about.

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I believe you. Look what happened to poor ol' DUKE NUKEM.

[jamotto]

quote:

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They've made some of the most notoriously STUPID decisions in the entire history of buisness. Decisions like cancelling a near-complete Baldur's Gate 3 to renew their console Baldur's Gate licence instead the PC license. Decisions like deciding to focus on development of Fallout Brotherhood of Steel instead of Fallout 3.

---

No company has operated without some form of a stupid decision. Indeed, their decision to abondon the Startrek game Vulcan's Fury miffed me somewhat. It would have contained the actors real voices and their facial expressions no game has gone this far to date for the Startrek world.

Interplay to me was a risk taker. With all risks sometimes you get burned, sometimes you don't. This is something that seems to be missing from publisher houses these days. When their risks payedoff we got games that pushed the gaming industry forward with new ideas for example: Out of This World, Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising and Messiah.

Their Motto described them best I think "for gamers, by gamers."

[LostInSpace]

quote:

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Originally posted by jamotto:

No company has operated without some form of a stupid decision. Indeed, their decision to abondon the Startrek game Vulcan's Fury miffed me somewhat. It would have contained the actors real voices and their facial expressions no game has gone this far to date for the Startrek world.

Interplay to me was a risk taker. With all risks sometimes you get burned, sometimes you don't. This is something that seems to be missing from publisher houses these days. When their risks payedoff we got games that pushed the gaming industry forward with new ideas for example: Out of This World, Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising and Messiah.

Their Motto described them best I think "for gamers, by gamers."

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Agreed, when ya think they were one of the longest running game companies to date. I was rather miffed about the Vulcan Fury also (although not as miffed as I was with sierra when they canned Space Quest 7). Here's a bit more news RPG CODEX: Interplay is a veteran publisher and used to be one of the biggest and best providers of CRPGs in the world. In the last few years, however, their acquisition by French crapfest Titus and general numbskulled management have brought Interplay to the brink of collapse--and beyond. I personaly think the French should stick with Wine and cuisine.

[ 06-01-2004, 09:04 PM: Message edited by: LostInSpace ]

[Anarchist]

oh, how could I forget this: I still have the original boxes of "The Bard's Tale", "Borrowed Time", "Mindshadow" and "Buzz Aldrin's RiS", which range from 1985 to 1992.

not to forget "Descent", made by Parallax.

[Supreme Cmdr]

Well, its all over folks. Yep, looks like it

[jamotto]

quote:

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Originally posted by Supreme Cmdr:

Well, its all over folks

. Yep,

looks like it

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*sigh*

[jamotto]

quote:

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Originally posted by Capt. Anarchist:

oh, how could I forget this: I still have the original boxes of "The Bard's Tale", "Borrowed Time", "Mindshadow" and "Buzz Aldrin's RiS", which range from 1985 to 1992.

not to forget "Descent", made by Parallax.

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You might want to keep those boxes in good shape. They might be antiques!

[XOR]

just goes to show what happens when you have a fool for a leader

[LordDavid]

Can't forget the classic Descent then:

Descent 2

Star Fleet Academy

Klingon Academy

[Guest Fox__Trot]

Scrivner - You forgot starcraft... rember? Starcraft on the n64? oh wait you didnt play it? well it happened

but the -best- multiplatform game is GTA