oh, no!

Alex · December 8, 2003, 23:23

sad news...

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/fallo...s_6085243.html

Quote:

Interplay shuts down Black Isle Studios

After months of bad omens, the end has finally come for the veteran RPG developer.

It looks like role-playing gamers will have a boulder of coal stuffed in their holiday stockings this year, as GameSpot has received reliable reports that Interplay has shut down Black Isle Studios.

While nothing has been confirmed by official sources as of press time, Damien "Puuk" Foletto, a member of BIS' art department, broke the news on the Interplay forums late this afternoon. "Today was my last day at the (former) BIS, as it was for my whole team," he said. To date, Foletto's posts have been one of the most reliable sources of news on the development of Fallout 3 (aka Van Buren) including the departure of his former co-worker J.E. Sawyer.

Black Isle's closure is a sad end for the once-great developer. BIS had a hand in some of the most acclaimed PC RPGs of the late 1990s, including the Fallout and Baldur's Gate series. Recently, though, the studio fell on hard times. Its forthcoming Dungeons & Dragons title, code-named "Jefferson," was canned earlier this year, reportedly a casualty of a legal tangle with D&D rights-holders Wizards of the Coast. A host of top-quality talent has fled the studio, including legendary producer Feargus Urqhart.

However, it looks like the financial woes of BIS' parent Interplay finally did the developer in. Interplay has lost over $20 million so far this year. Its two main holiday releases, the console RPGs Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II (which was developed by BIS), were pushed back to next January as a result of another legal dispute, this time with distributor VU Games. Interplay's refocusing on console games may have also been a factor in the decision to shutter its more PC-centric subsidiary.

Regardless of the reasons, the closure of BIS will hit many gamers hard. Foletto's final post seemed particularly depressing. "I don't know where I'll end up," he said, "but [people should] know that we were all avid gamers and wanted to make the PC games that not only we wanted to play, but also the fans."

By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot (POSTED: 12/08/03 06:56 PM)

Dis · December 8, 2003, 23:25

vovan · December 8, 2003, 23:41

Man, old companies are dying off like flies.

DarkCloud · December 9, 2003, 00:15

Oh no! First 3DO and now Black Isle Studios!

--
BTW Black Isle isn't that old, vovan

Nubclear · December 9, 2003, 01:19

13 years.
Old enough.

General Ludd · December 9, 2003, 01:29

meh, they where nothing special. They basically just made hack'n'slash versions of bioware games.

Imran Siddiqui · December 9, 2003, 02:15

Quote:

meh, they where nothing special. They basically just made hack'n'slash versions of bioware games.

FALLOUT?! Definetly not!

Bioware was always second to BIS.

Asmodean · December 9, 2003, 02:54

NOW you see what console gaming is doing to the PC game industry??

Within a few years all the money in the industry will be earmarked for developing second rate games for second rate consoles.

Death to all consoles

Asmodean

vmxa1 · December 9, 2003, 03:20

Its never good to see devs closing.

Rasputin · December 9, 2003, 03:44

too many computer companiesa formed in 80s and early 90s, they had to go eventually.... the big boys just buy the best talent till the rest are left... the last to leave turn out the lights please

Jamski · December 9, 2003, 04:07

Quote:

Bioware was always second to BIS.

INDEED SO!

Bioware know how to make good engines and that's about it. BIS were a team of real ARTISTS. If they had only made the BG games they would still be one of the greats.

BAH!

Should have seen this coming as Jefferson(BG3?) and Van Buren(FO3?) failed...

-Jam

General Ludd · December 9, 2003, 08:26

Quote:

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui

Quote:

meh, they where nothing special. They basically just made hack'n'slash versions of bioware games.

FALLOUT?! Definetly not!

Bioware was always second to BIS.

meh, I was never that interested in Fallout anyways.

Traianvs · December 9, 2003, 08:40

I don't understand how they can lose so much money so quickly, somebody explain this to me!

I mean these guys were the top!
On what is all that cash wasted I really wonder.. jacuzzis and swimming pools for management and PR ****ers??

ps: death to console!

General Ludd · December 9, 2003, 09:04

Quote:

Originally posted by Osweld

meh, I was never that interested in Fallout anyways.

But, alright, I can see it as a loss now.

I hadn't thought abotu Fallout - I was just thinking about icewind dale and baldur's gate. What other games have they made?

DrSpike · December 9, 2003, 09:22

Personally I blame the Sunday gamers.

Asmodean · December 9, 2003, 09:30

Quote:

Originally posted by DrSpike
Personally I blame the Sunday gamers.

LOL...I am one of them. I buy as many games as the next man, but I only seem to find time to play them on Sunday.

Well you try fitting a full time job with taking care of an 18 months old - and finding time for gaming as well.

Asmodean

DrSpike · December 9, 2003, 09:41

Ah, but you are not a Sunday gamer, just a gamer who often only has time to play on Sundays. There is a huge difference. The Sunday Gamer (TM) concept speaks about who you are, not when you play.

lord of the mark · December 9, 2003, 09:52

Quote:

Originally posted by DrSpike
Ah, but you are not a Sunday gamer, just a gamer who often only has time to play on Sundays. There is a huge difference. The Sunday Gamer (TM) concept speaks about who you are, not when you play.

console gamers or people who occasionally buy a PC game?

lord of the mark · December 9, 2003, 09:56

Quote:

Originally posted by Trajanus
I don't understand how they can lose so much money so quickly, somebody explain this to me!

I mean these guys were the top!
On what is all that cash wasted I really wonder..

You spend alot of resources on developing a game and then dont have anything you can bring to market, so you get not a penny of revenue on it.

While this could be seen as a "deathknell of PC gaming story" it could also be "a what the f**k are they thinking at Wizards of the Coast" story.

I admit to occasionally feelling queasy getting so much enjoyment from a game (BG1) produced in cooperation with the evil people who destroyed SPI.

lord of the mark · December 9, 2003, 09:59

"A host of top-quality talent has fled the studio, including legendary producer Feargus Urqhart"

So where did he go? Remember the real deathknell is NOT when firms go belly up - in an industry dominated by small firms with few capital assets, thats going to happen all the time - the question is "Is talent leaving the industry" - particularly is the design talent going to console games instead.

Of course black isle was already doing console games IIUC - the console versions of BG and Fallout. SO this may be seen equally as a loss for console gaming.

lord of the mark · December 9, 2003, 11:51

Quote:

Originally posted by lord of the mark
"A host of top-quality talent has fled the studio, including legendary producer Feargus Urqhart"

So where did he go? Remember the real deathknell is NOT when firms go belly up - in an industry dominated by small firms with few capital assets, thats going to happen all the time - the question is "Is talent leaving the industry" - particularly is the design talent going to console games instead.

Of course black isle was already doing console games IIUC - the console versions of BG and Fallout. SO this may be seen equally as a loss for console gaming.

Good news - urqhart is at a startup, that will be making RPG's.

http://www.obsidianent.com/

lord of the mark · December 9, 2003, 11:55

"HomeLAN - Why did Obsidian Entertainment wish to ally themselves with BioWare?

Feargus Urquhart - What Bioware and Obsidian like about working together is that we have known each other for coming up on ten years and we have built up a lot of trust and respect. I think our talents really complimented each other.

HomeLAN - In terms of support and help, what exactly will BioWare's support of Obsidian be like?

"Feargus Urquhart - We are still talking about things, so there really isn't much in the way of details yet.

HomeLAN - How many people are currently on board at Obsidian and are some of them from your Black Isle Studios days?

Feargus Urquhart - As of next Monday we will have twelve people working for the company and I'm sure that people would recognize some familiar names and faces. However, we are doing our best to review any applicants that come our way, so we can build a new studio that is not a version of Black Isle just down the street."