Bethesda Softworks to Develop and Publish Fallout 3
July 12, 2004 (Rockville, MD) -- Bethesda
Softworks® announced today that it will develop and publish
Fallout® 3 -- a sequel to the highly popular Fallout®
role-playing game franchise. Bethesda licensed the rights
to the Fallout® franchise from Interplay Entertainment
Corp. (OTC Bulletin Board: IPLY) in a deal that awards Bethesda
exclusive worldwide rights to the Fallout® franchise
on the PC, home consoles, handhelds, and other media, with
the option to develop and publish additional sequels.
“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 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.”
Originally released in 1997, Fallout
places a player in the role of a Vault-dweller, who ventures
from his secluded, underground survival Vault into a post-apocalyptic
world of mutants, radiation, gangs and violence. The game
has been widely hailed as one of the outstanding role-playing
games and video games of all time with its unique gameplay,
style, and setting.
Commenting on this development, Interplay
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Herve Caen said, “This
is a good agreement for both companies and for gamers. Although
several parties had a high level of interest in licensing
Fallout, we are most impressed by Bethesda’s execution
of role-playing titles. Bethesda is an ideal steward of the
Fallout franchise.”
Fallout 3 will be developed by Bethesda
along with the next chapter of The Elder Scrolls, both
under the direction of Todd Howard, executive producer of
The Elder Scrolls. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind®
won every national and international award of note in 2002,
including Game of the Year and RPG of the Year, and is one
of the best-selling games ever released on Xbox.
“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.”
Future announcements about the release of
Fallout 3 will be made as work on the title progresses.
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