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Interplay Entertainment

Interplay Entertainment

Overview
Interplay Entertainment Corporation is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 video game publisher
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....

 and developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Sony's PlayStation 3, PSP, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Nintendo's Wii, Nintendo DS, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Some...

.

The company was founded as Interplay Productions, Inc. in Southern California
California
California is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...

 in 1983 with Brian Fargo
Brian Fargo
Brian Fargo is a computer game developer and notable game industry figure.In 1984 Fargo founded Interplay Productions, where he worked on most of Interplay's early games...

 as president and three programmers, Jay Patel, Troy Worrell and Bill Heineman. Its original staff came from former employees of a small video game developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Sony's PlayStation 3, PSP, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Nintendo's Wii, Nintendo DS, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Some...

 called Boone Corporation. Interplay made a name for itself as a quality computer game developer with the role-playing games
Computer role-playing game
A computer role-playing game is a broad video game genre originally developed for personal computers and other home computers. While technically not a separate genre, and sharing the same defining characteristics as console RPGs there are nonetheless general tendencies that make them distinct...

 The Bard's Tale
Bard's Tale (1985)
The Bard's Tale is a fantasy computer role-playing game created by Interplay Productions in and distributed by Electronic Arts...

and Wasteland
Wasteland (computer game)
Wasteland is a post-apocalyptic computer role-playing game first released in 1988. The game was designed by Alan Pavlish, Brian Fargo, Michael A. Stackpole and Ken St...

, which were published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts is an international developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers responsible...

.

Interplay started publishing its own games, starting with Neuromancer and Battle Chess
Battle Chess
Battle Chess is a computer game version of chess in which the chess pieces come to life and battle one another when capturing. It was released for the Commodore Amiga and subsequently on the 3DO, MS-DOS, Apple IIgs, Commodore 64, Amiga CDTV, CD32, Atari ST, Apple Macintosh, Acorn Archimedes, FM...

, in 1988, and then moved on to publish and distribute games from other companies, while continuing internal game development.
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Encyclopedia
Interplay Entertainment Corporation is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 video game publisher
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....

 and developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Sony's PlayStation 3, PSP, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Nintendo's Wii, Nintendo DS, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Some...

.

History


The company was founded as Interplay Productions, Inc. in Southern California
California
California is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...

 in 1983 with Brian Fargo
Brian Fargo
Brian Fargo is a computer game developer and notable game industry figure.In 1984 Fargo founded Interplay Productions, where he worked on most of Interplay's early games...

 as president and three programmers, Jay Patel, Troy Worrell and Bill Heineman. Its original staff came from former employees of a small video game developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Sony's PlayStation 3, PSP, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Nintendo's Wii, Nintendo DS, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Some...

 called Boone Corporation. Interplay made a name for itself as a quality computer game developer with the role-playing games
Computer role-playing game
A computer role-playing game is a broad video game genre originally developed for personal computers and other home computers. While technically not a separate genre, and sharing the same defining characteristics as console RPGs there are nonetheless general tendencies that make them distinct...

 The Bard's Tale
Bard's Tale (1985)
The Bard's Tale is a fantasy computer role-playing game created by Interplay Productions in and distributed by Electronic Arts...

and Wasteland
Wasteland (computer game)
Wasteland is a post-apocalyptic computer role-playing game first released in 1988. The game was designed by Alan Pavlish, Brian Fargo, Michael A. Stackpole and Ken St...

, which were published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts is an international developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers responsible...

.

Interplay started publishing its own games, starting with Neuromancer and Battle Chess
Battle Chess
Battle Chess is a computer game version of chess in which the chess pieces come to life and battle one another when capturing. It was released for the Commodore Amiga and subsequently on the 3DO, MS-DOS, Apple IIgs, Commodore 64, Amiga CDTV, CD32, Atari ST, Apple Macintosh, Acorn Archimedes, FM...

, in 1988, and then moved on to publish and distribute games from other companies, while continuing internal game development. In 1993, Interplay published the hit game Descent
Descent (computer game)
Descent is a 3D first-person shooter video game developed by Parallax Software and released in 1995. The series has a strong following due to its unique six degrees of freedom gameplay. It is still cherished by a strong community of fans, particularly for its online multiplayer, and new levels...

, developed by startup Parallax Software
Parallax Software
Parallax Software was a video game developer best known for creating the Descent series of computer games. Parallax Software was started in 1993 by Matt Toschlog and Mike Kulas. After the release of Descent II in 1997, the company was split to form Volition, Inc. in Champaign, Illinois, and...

.

The company published several notable Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series.The original Star Trek was an American television series, created by Gene Roddenberry, which debuted in 1966 and ran for three seasons, following the interstellar adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Federation...

games, including Star Trek: 25th Anniversary
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary (computer game)
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary is a computer game by Interplay, based upon the Star Trek universe. The game chronicles various missions of James T. Kirk and his crew of the Enterprise.-Background and gameplay:...

and Star Trek: Judgment Rites
Star Trek: Judgment Rites
Star Trek: Judgment Rites is a computer game first produced by Interplay in 1993, featuring the original cast of the classic Star Trek in a series of new adventures, including one featuring Trelane, the omnipotent child from the original episode "The Squire of Gothos"...

. These games had later CD-ROM
CD-ROM
CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback, the 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data. CD-ROMs are popularly used to...

 editions released with the original Star Trek cast providing voices. Interplay also published the significant Starfleet Academy
Starfleet Academy
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet Academy is where the future members of Starfleet are trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded. The Academy's motto is "Ex astris, scientia" - "From the stars, knowledge". This is derived from the...

and Klingon Academy games, and Starfleet Command series, beginning with Star Trek: Starfleet Command
Star Trek: Starfleet Command
Star Trek: Starfleet Command is a computer game based on the table-top wargame Star Fleet Battles. It simulates starship operations, and ship-to-ship combat and fleet warfare in the Star Trek universe....

. Another game, Star Trek: Secret Of Vulcan Fury, was in development in the late 1990s, with a script written by Star Trek writer Dorothy Fontana; however this title was never completed.

In 1997, Interplay developed and released
Fallout
Fallout (computer game)
Fallout is a computer role-playing game produced by Tim Cain, developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay in 1997. On August 19, 2009, the Fallout series was released on Valve's Steam download service...

, a successful and critically-acclaimed role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines...

 set in a retro-futuristic post-apocalyptic setting. Black Isle Studios
Black Isle Studios
Black Isle Studios was a division of the computer and video game developer and publisher Interplay Entertainment, created specifically for the development of computer role-playing games. It was based in Orange County, California, USA. The division was formed during 1996, adopting the name "Black...

, an in house developer, followed with the sequel,
Fallout 2
Fallout 2
Fallout 2 is a computer role-playing game published by Interplay in 1998. The second game takes place in the year of 2241, 80 years after the first Fallout...

. The most successful subsequent Interplay franchise was probably Baldur's Gate
Baldur's Gate series
Baldur's Gate is a popular series of computer role-playing games that take place on Faerûn, the main continent from Dungeons & Dragonss Forgotten Realms campaign setting, set in the years following the cataclysmic Time of Troubles ....

, a Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game is currently published by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro...

game that was developed by Bioware
BioWare
BioWare is a Canadian electronic entertainment company founded in February 1995 by Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip. It is based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada...

 and spawned a successful sequel and several expansion packs.
Over the years, Interplay's most successful titles were PC
IBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...

 games. The company published a few notable console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or electronic device that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...

 games, such as
ClayFighter
ClayFighter
ClayFighter is a fighting game released for the Super NES in 1993, and later ported to Mega Drive/Genesis in 1994. It has been re-released on Nintendo's Virtual Console along with the two Earthworm Jim games and Boogerman, which are also by Interplay....

, Rock 'N Roll Racing, The Lost Vikings
The Lost Vikings
The Lost Vikings is a side-scrolling puzzle/platform video game series which was developed by Blizzard Entertainment . The first game, The Lost Vikings, was released in 1992 by publisher Interplay Entertainment...

, and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance series
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is a series of action role-playing games developed exclusively for game consoles. The first game in a series, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, was developed by Snowblind Studios for the PlayStation 2 in 2001, with versions for the Xbox and Nintendo GameCube released in 2002...

, but Interplay was never quite able to establish a long-lasting console franchise.

Another popular franchise was the
FreeSpace series.

Financial troubles


Interplay went public, with shares sold on the NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations, known as NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. It is the largest electronic screen-based equity securities trading market in the United States...

 Stock Exchange, in 1998, changing its name to "Interplay Entertainment Corp." The company then reported several years of losses, as titles such as
Descent³
Descent³
Descent 3 is the third game in the line of Descent computer games, well known for the use of six degrees of freedom and true 3D rendering technology....

and FreeSpace 2
FreeSpace 2
FreeSpace 2 is a 1999 space combat simulation computer game developed by Volition, Inc. as the sequel to Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War. It was completed ahead of schedule in less than a year, and released to great critical acclaim...

 had lackluster sales, despite being critically acclaimed.

In 2001, French publisher Titus Interactive
Titus Software
Titus Software, later known as Titus Interactive S.A., was a long-running French software publisher that produced and published video games for various formats over its lifetime....

 completed its acquisition of majority control of Interplay. Immediately afterwards, they shed most of its publisher functions and signed a long-term agreement by which Vivendi Universal would publish Interplay's games. Founder Brian Fargo
Brian Fargo
Brian Fargo is a computer game developer and notable game industry figure.In 1984 Fargo founded Interplay Productions, where he worked on most of Interplay's early games...

 eventually departed. However, Titus went through financial and legal difficulties, culminating in a close of business in 2004. Titus left many of its employees, both local and the international wholly owned developers, without redundancy or owed back-pay, and left creditors with large debts. Titus CEO Herve Caen then assumed the same capacity at Interplay.

In 2002, Interplay's shares were delisted from the NASDAQ due to the company's low share price.

On December 8, 2003, they laid off the entire Black Isle Studios staff.

Shutdown


In 2004, the company was given an eviction
Eviction
Eviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord.Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, eviction may also be known as unlawful detainer, summary possession, summary dispossess, forcible detainer, ejectment, and repossession, among other terms...

 notice by its landlord
Landlord
Landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...

 for non-payment of rent, and was briefly shut down by the California
California
California is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...

 government for non-payment of workers' paychecks. This, combined with sketchy and sporadic information from Interplay representatives, led many in the game industry to speculate that Interplay had shut down. In fact, the company relocated to a small office and continued to operate, issuing occasional press releases about new publishing deals or the sale of an IP
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a number of distinct types of legal monopolies over creations of the mind, both artistic and commercial, and the corresponding fields of law...

 to another publisher. The company's web site shut down around this time.

In Summer 2005, the Interplay website re-launched with a logo and three links: "About Interplay", "SEC Filings/Financial", "Investor Relations".

In Interplay's 10-K SEC filing made on June 3, 2005, it was revealed under the "Internal Product Development" section that in May 2004, Interplay was forced to close all of their internal development studios due to their inability to meet their payroll obligations in a timely manner. All internally-developed titles were canceled and there are no internally-developed titles being produced. However, under "External Product Development" it was revealed that on December 31, 2004, Interplay had one title being developed by an unnamed third party developer. The title is tentatively being called Ballerium. Majorem
Majorem
Majorem is a games' studio creating online computer games and technology in the field of Massively Multiplayer Real-Time Strategy .MMORTS combines real-time strategy with a large number of simultaneous players over the Internet...

, the apparent developer of the title, has since revealed that development of Ballerium
Ballerium
Ballerium was a massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game in development by Majorem. Ballerium had been in beta testing when in November 2004 Majorem suspended development due to loss of funding. Interplay signed on as publisher in December and planned to launch the game in summer 2005...

 (which was intended to be a MMO-RTS) has been suspended as the agreement that was to provide Majorem with the means to launch the title in the summer of 2005 could not be realized. Majorem also noted that this was "apparently due to Interplay's inability to raise the required funding to turn Majorem's technology into a game." Majorem is currently accepting new offers for the licensing of its MMO-RTS technology as well as its almost finished game.

In Interplay's 10-Q SEC filing made on June 21, 2005, it was revealed that under "Commitments and Contingencies" that Interplay Productions has multiple legal proceedings filed against it and has nearly USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...

$11 million in debt. Of interest is that Interplay received a notice from the IRS stating that they owe approximately $117,000 in payroll tax penalties and that Interplay was fined by the California Labor Board $10,000 for failure to meet payroll obligations and that an August 2005 trial date was set, and that Interplay's "general liability, auto, fiduciary liability, workers compensation and employment practices liability, have been canceled, however Interplay has entered into a new workers compensation insurance plan, Interplay is appealing a separate California Board of Labor fine of $79,000 for having lost their workers compensation plan for a period of time". Under "Contractual Obligations" it is revealed that Interplay does not have a headquarters at present because Interplay, in 2004, forfeited its lease and vacated its office space in Irvine, California
Irvine, California
Irvine is an incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the 69.7 square mile city has a population of about 212,793...

.

Fallout online game


In a securities
Security (finance)
A security is a fungible, negotiable instrument representing financial value. Securities are broadly categorized into debt securities ; equity securities, e.g., common stocks; and derivative contracts, such as forwards, futures, options and swaps. The company or other entity issuing the security...

 filing with the U.S. government made on November 30 2006, an attached presentation proposed a massively multiplayer online game
Massively multiplayer online game
A massively multiplayer online game is a video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on personal computers...

 based on the
Fallout
Fallout (computer game)
Fallout is a computer role-playing game produced by Tim Cain, developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay in 1997. On August 19, 2009, the Fallout series was released on Valve's Steam download service...

 computer game franchise, which the company previously published. The presentation projected that the company would need investment of $75 million U.S. to complete the project, with production intended to begin January 2007 and a launch date of 2010. The filing did not address the proposal in the context of the company's financial debt. In April 2007 Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, LLC, a ZeniMax Media Company, is a developer and publisher of video games. The company is based in Rockville, Maryland, in the United States...

 announced that they had purchased the rights to the Fallout franchise for a reported $5.75 million. The deal made Bethesda the sole owner of the Fallout intellectual property with Interplay becoming a licensee so they can continue to pursue a Fallout MMO.

In Interplay's latest 8-K filing with the U.S. Government made on April 12, 2007, an attached exhibit 10.49 has more updated information on Interplay's planned Fallout MMOG. Specific requirements were stated in the agreement that if not met, Interplay would immediately forfeit its license rights for Fallout. Neither the filing nor the exhibit specifies any details of how Interplay will start development within 24 months of April 2007 or how it will be able to acquire the minimum financing requirement of US$30 million, seemingly a difficult task for a company in such dire financial straits.

As part of a 2007 quarterly report Interplay CEO Herve Caen said that the company is "focused on securing funding for development of a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) based on the popular Fallout franchise."

As part of one of their 2007 quarterly reports Interplay announced that their revenues had risen astronomically due almost entirely to the sale of their Fallout
Fallout
Fallout or nuclear fallout is the residual radiation hazard from a nuclear explosion.Fallout may also refer to:*Fallout , a 1997 post-apocalyptic computer role-playing game released by Interplay Entertainment...

 intellectual property to Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, LLC, a ZeniMax Media Company, is a developer and publisher of video games. The company is based in Rockville, Maryland, in the United States...

 back in mid-April. With the sale and other changes the company is now almost debt free, with its debt at a reported $3 million today compared to the $59 million from 2001.

Re-emergence


GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which purchased...

reported on November 13, 2007 that Interplay, using money from its sale of the Fallout IP
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a number of distinct types of legal monopolies over creations of the mind, both artistic and commercial, and the corresponding fields of law...

 to Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, LLC, a ZeniMax Media Company, is a developer and publisher of video games. The company is based in Rockville, Maryland, in the United States...

, is going to restart its in-basement game development studio and Interplay has plans on developing sequels to some of its classic IPs contingent on if it can secure financing.
Gamespot stated:
Interplay Entertainment Corp. (OTC Bulletin Board: IPLY) recently announced its earnings for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, and its plan for the company going forward.

Near the end of March 2008, a controlling interest of stock was reportedly sold to Luxembourg based Financial Planning and Development S.A.

On April 9, 2008, Interplay confirmed that they will undertake sequels for Dark Alliance, Earthworm Jim, Descent and MDK series. They have also announced production of a Fallout MMO
MMO
The abbreviation MMO can stand for any of several things:*Marine Mammal Observer*Massively multiplayer online game*Means, motive and opportunity*Melton Mowbray railway station, England; National Rail station code MMO.*Methane Monooxygenase...

.

They later announced that they would support the Wii
Wii
The is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of both...

 Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...

, with Sega Genesis (aka Mega Drive) versions of Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim is a run and gun platform video game starring an earthworm named Jim in a robotic suit who battles evil. The game was developed by Shiny Entertainment, released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1994, and subsequently ported to the SNES, Game Boy, Game Gear, Sega Master System, and...

, Earthworm Jim 2
Earthworm Jim 2
Earthworm Jim 2 is a platform video game released in 1995. It is a sequel to the original Earthworm Jim. The music was composed by game music veteran Tommy Tallarico. Earthworm Jim 2 follows the exploits of annelid superhero Jim and his new sidekick Snott as they try to rescue Jim's beloved...

, Boogerman and Clayfighter
ClayFighter
ClayFighter is a fighting game released for the Super NES in 1993, and later ported to Mega Drive/Genesis in 1994. It has been re-released on Nintendo's Virtual Console along with the two Earthworm Jim games and Boogerman, which are also by Interplay....

, as well as the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often abbreviated as N64, is Nintendo's third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released on June 23, 1996 in Japan, September 29, 1996 in North America, March 1, 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1, 1997 in France and December 10,...

 game Clayfighter 63 1/3
ClayFighter 63 1/3
ClayFighter 63⅓ is a fighting game released for the Nintendo 64 by Interplay in 1997. Its title is a parody of other games released for the Nintendo 64 at the time, many of which were popular franchises with "64" suffixed.-Gameplay:...

.

On April 22, 2008 Interplay announced that
Earthworm Jim 4 is in development with original creator, Doug TenNapel
Doug TenNapel
Douglas TenNapel is an American musician, animator, and Eisner Award-winning artist. He is best known for creating Earthworm Jim, a character that spawned a famous video game, cartoon series, and toy line.-Biography:...

, as a creative consultant. No platform or release date has been set. In addition to the new game, TenNapel will also develop a new animated series and a feature film based on the property.

On September 23, 2008 Interplay relaunched its website, announcing that Chris Taylor
Christopher Taylor (game designer)
Christopher "Chris" Taylor is a computer, board and card game developer originally from Southern California. Taylor is most famous for designing the original Fallout title for Interplay Entertainment, along with Tim Cain, Leonard Boyarsky and Jason Anderson. While at Interplay, Taylor contributed...

, another member of the original Fallout development team, has joined Jason Anderson
Jason Anderson (artist)
Jason D. Anderson, often credited as merely Jason Anderson, started out as a contract artist for Interplay on the USCF Chess project. He was later hired to design the engine, game world and interface for Fallout. After working on the prototype design for Fallout 2, Anderson left with fellow...

 on the team working on a game codenamed
Project V13, which is assumed to be Interplay's Fallout MMORPG, however if Interplay does not produce the game by 2011, it will lose the MMO license to Bethesda.

As of 2008, Interplay's headquarters is located at 100 North Crescent Drive, Suite 324 in Beverly Hills, California according to this USPTO listing for the Descent trademark, status dated on October 21, 2008.

Defunct

  • Black Isle Studios
    Black Isle Studios
    Black Isle Studios was a division of the computer and video game developer and publisher Interplay Entertainment, created specifically for the development of computer role-playing games. It was based in Orange County, California, USA. The division was formed during 1996, adopting the name "Black...

     in Orange County, California
    Orange County, California
    Orange County is a county in Southern California, United States. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2000 census, its population was 2,846,293, though a July 2008 estimate placed the population at 3,010,759, making it the second most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and...

    , started in 1996, closed in 2003.

Sold

  • Shiny Entertainment
    Shiny Entertainment
    Shiny Entertainment was an American video game developer based in Laguna Beach, Southern California, and the creator of several popular titles such as Earthworm Jim, MDK, Sacrifice and The Matrix: Path of Neo. Shiny was founded by David Perry in October 1993...

     in Laguna Beach, California
    Laguna Beach, California
    Laguna Beach is a seaside resort and artist community located in southern Orange County, California, approximately southeast of the county seat of Santa Ana. Its population was 23,727 at the 2000 census. It is known for having some of the most beautiful beaches in southern California...

    , founded in October 1993, acquired 1995, sold to Atari
    Infogrames
    Infogrames Entertainment SA is an international French holding company headquartered in Villeurbanne, Lyon, France. It is the owner of Atari, Inc., headquartered in New York City, and Atari Europe. It was founded in 1983 by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet using the proceeds from an...

     in 2002.

Upcoming games

  • Earthworm Jim 4
  • Descent 4
    Descent 4
    Descent 4 is a planned fourth installment in the Descent series published by the re-emerging publisher, Interplay Entertainment. While the game has had a troubled development history, Interplay Entertainment recently confirmed that they have plans for developing the game after raising funds for the...

  • MDK3
  • Fallout MMO
  • Earthworm Jim 2
    Earthworm Jim 2
    Earthworm Jim 2 is a platform video game released in 1995. It is a sequel to the original Earthworm Jim. The music was composed by game music veteran Tommy Tallarico. Earthworm Jim 2 follows the exploits of annelid superhero Jim and his new sidekick Snott as they try to rescue Jim's beloved...

     (Virtual Console
    Virtual console
    A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...

    , Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Version)

External links

  • Official website
  • Interplay at MobyGames
    MobyGames
    MobyGames is a website which catalogs computer and video games, both past and present. The site contains an extensive database of video game information...