Shutdown rumors swirl around Interplay

[pd2]

Unconfirmed reports say the troubled publisher's staff has been laid off and its office has been shuttered.

In mid-April, Interplay announced its 2003 financial numbers. While the company's income was lackluster, CEO Herve Caen gave an optimistic if guarded outlook for 2004, promising a new Kingpin game and the possible resurrection of Fallout 3.

However, Interplay also filed papers with the SEC which showed it was three months behind in its rent and was facing eviction from its Irvine, CA, headquarters. Two weeks ago, its official site, www.interplay.com, went offline. However, its still-functioning e-mail and phone system pointed to the fact the company was still in existence, even if it wasn't responding to inquiries.

Today, however, unconfirmed reports began to surface that the publisher was indeed shutting down. Several stock- and Interplay-game-related sites claimed to have received reports from Interplay employees that they were told by the company's human resources department to file for unemployment insurance. According to the sites, staffers were also told to collect their belongings by 5 p.m. PDT on Tuesday because the property managers were preparing to lock all Interplay employees out of their Irvine offices.

While numerous in number, none of the reports regarding Interplay have been confirmed by any official sources whatsoever. Calls to Interplay's offices were not returned, and e-mails sent to "@interplay.com" addresses were bounced back. Calls to Interplay's corporate parent, Titus Interactive Group, were also not returned. Representatives for Interplay's landlord, Los Angeles-based Arden Realty, would confirm that the publisher was a tenant, but could not comment on their rental status as of press time.

However, even if the reports if Interplay's demise are greatly exaggerated, the company faces a rough road ahead. Besides its rental woes, the company is facing a battery of lawsuits, including one by Arden Realty for $432,000 in back rent and another by BioWare for $156,000 for unpaid Baldur's Gate royalties. During its financial report mid-April, Interplay declared it only had $1.2 million in cash on hand.

By Tor Thorsen -- GameSpot

 

[guts]

schade, vorallem wegen kingpin 2. aber sicher wird vivendi interplay im fall der fälle aufkaufen

 

[TheProphet]

lol, vivendi hat schon ohne Interplay genug zu tun, nicht total bankrott zu gehn...

 

[Frenck]

Keine Baldurs Gate Hack and Slash Spielchen mehr für Konsolen, es soll ja Fans davon gegeben haben :cry:

Am meisten tut es mir um Fallout leid.

Vielleicht finden ein paar Bioware Spiele die von Interplay gepublisht werden sollten bei MS unterschlupf.

 

[pd2]

Caen on Interplay: "We're still here."
Controversial CEO points to an actively trading stock as evidence of the publisher's existence; meanwhile, office-closure chatter increases.

Earlier this week, rumors began to swirl that Interplay, the once-mighty publisher of the Fallout and Baldur's Gate games, was closing down its Irvine, California, headquarters. Numerous reports from sources around and inside the company said that employees had been advised to collect their personal items, either by the end of the day Tuesday or by the end of the week.

Later, more-detailed reports began to surface, many saying Interplay employees had gone without health insurance or paychecks for weeks. The Orange County Register echoed these allegations last week in an article about two former employees who sued the company after their paychecks bounced.

As far as Interplay's response to these allegations goes, the silence was deafening. E-mails to the company were bounced back. The voicemail systems at the publisher and the American offices of its French parent, Titus Interactive, worked off and on all week. When an actual person was reached at the Interplay offices, he would not confirm that he even worked there. Instead, calls were passed along to the personal voicemail inbox of CEO Herve Caen, who has been nowhere to be found all week.

That is, until now. Last night, GameSpot talked with the surprisingly affable Caen, who denied the end was nigh for Interplay. His proof? "You can see our stock is trading, so we're still here," said Caen.

But when asked whether or not Interplay was facing eviction from its Irvine, California, offices or was laying off staffers, Caen's answers grew less direct. "I can't comment one way or the other," he said. "I'm bound by disclosure rules because we're a publicly traded company, so I can't say anything outside of press releases or official SEC filings." When asked when the next official SEC filing would be, Herve said, "I can't answer that. If I tell you, I'll have to tell everyone."

When asked why closure reports were coming from within Interplay, Caen demurred, saying "The Internet--it's a wild place." He did, however, say there would be some sort of announcement in the near future. "We're working on a lot of deals--a lot of solutions. You'll hear from us soon."

On Thursday, visitors to the Interplay offices found the doors locked, but some employees were lingering outside the back. While expressing optimism about the company's prospects, the workers admitted they hadn't been paid in weeks and had heard that there was a chance that Arden Realty, Interplay's landlord, was going to padlock the offices by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, online chatter about the closure of Interplay's Irvine offices grew louder. No Mutants Allowed, the Fallout fan site that acquired the first--and only--Fallout 3 screenshots and broke news of several high-profile departures from Interplay's Black Isle Studios, said it has received reports from several staffers that Interplay's offices were padlocked Thursday evening. Other reports said they would be padlocked at the end of the day Friday. Calls were answered only by Interplay's voicemail system, which had been down all day Wednesday.

More public verification of Interplay's troubles came from Sean K. Reynolds, prolific fantasy author and former lead designer at Interplay. On the forums of his official Web site, Reynolds said Interplay hadn't "been evicted yet" (emphasis in the original) as of Tuesday, June 1.

That same day, Reynolds officially quit, saying "Right now I'd rather be done with Interplay than sit around seeing if the upper management can salvage the situation." He said most employees expected the company's demise to be in 2004 but not so soon. "We just thought it wouldn't happen until August, rather than April." He also tacitly confirmed Interplay employees' paycheck woes, saying, "Apparently, you can file [for unemployment] if you quit, because you aren't getting paid."

Reynolds also acted unsurprised when he was told of the alleged closure of Interplay's offices. "Doh! Good thing I got all my stuff out already," he said.

By Tor Thorsen -- GameSpot

Interplay offices closed by state officials
The Orange County Register reports that California labor investigators have shut down the publisher--something CEO Herve Caen disputes.

Less than a day after CEO Herve Caen said Interplay was "still here," the publisher has apparently been shut down by the State of California. The Orange County Register's Tamara Chuang reported late Friday that California's Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement forced the Irvine, CA-based developer-publisher of Fallout to suspend operations.

The closure followed a snap inspection of Interplay's offices by investigators, who found the company was without workers’ compensation insurance and had not paid employees. According to officials, there were 14 staffers on-site Friday during the inspection, and 79 still on Interplay's payroll--down nearly 40 since their mid-April financial statements.

The labor officials' visitation was prompted by complaints by seven Interplay workers who claimed their wages had gone unpaid. Dean Fryer, spokesman for the California Labor Commissioner, told the Register, "An employer has responsibilities when they open a business. The responsibilities include proper and timely payment of wages. It includes providing workers compensation coverage in case there are injuries. If the employer cannot accommodate those basic issues of doing business, we cannot allow employees to work."

As a penalty for its infractions, Interplay was fined $1,000 for each employee on the payroll for a total of $79,000. This sum is in addition to the $179,000 it already owes the state in back taxes and the $432,000 in unpaid rent it owes its landlord, Arden Realty, who is reportedly on the verge of evicting the company. In addition, it is being sued for $156,000 in back Baldur's Gate royalties by BioWare. As of part of its mid-April financial statements, Interplay declared it only had $1.2 million in cash on hand.

Despite the increasingly daunting scale of Interplay's difficulties, Caen brushed them off. "I hope to have that [insurance] back by Monday or Tuesday," he told the Register optimistically. Caen also had the esprit to question the semantics of Chuang's article. "The company has not shut down. [The state] can’t do that. It can only let me not let employees work," he said.

In addition to breaking the closure news, Chuang also confirmed that Interplay employees had not been paid for over a month, had no health insurance, and had been told to remove their belongings from the building due to a looming lockout by Arden.

Still, some of the Interplay staffers at the office on Friday held out a more genuine sense of hope than their employer. "The reason I stick around is that I’m a diehard loyalist and I love the people I work with," IS manager Steve Jobes told the Register. "If there is any sliver of hope that Interplay may someday turn around I want to be there to see it."

By Tor Thorsen -- GameSpot

 

[Frenck]

So könnte es Atari bald auch gehen wenn Driver 3 floppt

 

[Becks]

Vielleicht mach ich mir hier Feinde, aber ich mag Interplay nicht sooo besonders.

 

[TheProphet]

Ich persönlich habe glaube ich auch kein game von interplay, was haben die überhaupt so tolles gemacht bislang?

 

[pd2]

Unter dem glorreichen Interplay Logo wurde dir gebracht

Alone in the Dark 1-3
Baldur's Gate 1 + 2
Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance 1 +2
The Bard's Tale 1 -3
Carmageddon 1 + 2
Descent 1 - 3
Freespace 1 - 2
Die By The Sword
Earthworm Jim 1 - 3
Evolva
Fallout 1 + 2
Fallout Tactics
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
Giants: Citizen Kabuto
Hunter: The Reckoning
Icewind Dale 1 + 2
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings 1 + 2
Kingpin: Life of Crime
M.A.X. 1 + 2
MDK
MDK 2
Messiah
Neuromancer
Planescape: Torment
Redneck Rampage
Run Like Hell
Sacrifice
Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator
Shattered Steel
Shogo: Mobile Armor Division
SimCity 1
Star Trek: Klingon Academy
Star Trek: New Worlds
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Tempest 2000
Total Recall

Und weitere geniale Spiele

 

[Frenck]

Unter dem glorreichen Interplay Logo wurde dir gebracht

Alone in the Dark 1-3
Baldur's Gate 1 + 2
Baldurs Gate Dark Alliance 1 +2
The Bard's Tale 1 -3
Carmageddon 1 + 2
Descent 1 - 3
Freespace 1 - 2
Die By The Sword
Earthworm Jim 1 - 3
Evolva
Fallout 1 + 2
Fallout Tactics
Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel
Giants: Citizen Kabuto
Hunter: The Reckoning
Icewind Dale 1 + 2
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings 1 + 2
Kingpin: Life of Crime
M.A.X. 1 + 2
MDK
MDK 2
Messiah
Neuromancer
Planescape: Torment
Redneck Rampage
Run Like Hell
Sacrifice
Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator
Shattered Steel
Shogo: Mobile Armor Division
SimCity 1
Star Trek: Klingon Academy
Star Trek: New Worlds
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Tempest 2000
Total Recall

Und weitere geniale Spiele

Ja, das waren früher Spiele die ich gerne gezockt habe. Interplay hat den jeweiligen Entwicklern das Leben schwer gemacht, bei einer anderen Firma hätten die Spiele noch besser werden können. Vermissen werde ich sie nicht, ausser für die Star Trek TOS oder TMP Spiele zu denen sie die Lizenzen haben.

 

[TheProphet]

Naja, Freespace 1-2[sowie viele andre genannten] haben sie nur vertrieben, der Ruhm für die genialen beiden Spiele geht an Volition...

 

[Frenck]

Naja, Freespace 1-2[sowie viele andre genannten] haben sie nur vertrieben, der Ruhm für die genialen beiden Spiele geht an Volition...

Meinte ich ja, Interplay hat die Entwickler der Spiele nicht gut behandelt, mit ein Grund warum es zu Streitereien mit Bioware kam.

 

[spike]

Ich hoffe doch stark, dass nun die Lizenzen für FreeSpace endlich wieder frei werden und sich jemand meiner Gebete annimmt und endlich den finalen 3. Teil macht.

 

[pd2]

Alle Shiny Spiele unter Interplay waren genial und kaum waren sie bei Infogrames gabs dann den Enter the Matrix Flop

 

[pd2]

Interplay reopens, Titus declares bankruptcy
[UPDATE] French authorities suspend trading of Interplay's corporate parent while the publisher acquires workers' compensation insurance.

Just days after California authorities forced Interplay to close its doors, the publisher has apparently reopened them. A late-breaking report from The Orange County Register says that CEO Herve Caen succeeded in acquiring workers' compensation insurance for the financially ailing company, thereby allowing work to resume at its Irvine, CA offices. The offices were forcibly closed Friday by state labor inspectors due to lack of workers' compensation insurance and unpaid wages.

Ironically, the good news for Interplay came on the same day the publisher's majority shareholder, France-based Titus Interactive, declared bankruptcy. Speaking to GameSpot, sources close to the developing story said they heard news of the bankruptcy from Caen himself. Caen founded Titus in 1985 with his brother, Eric.

According to the French news service AOF, the Tribunal of Commerce of Meaux halted the trading of Titus shares midday yesterday at 0.16 euros ($0.20) per share. Titus stock will remain suspended pending a review of Titus' finances and those of its two French subsidiaries, developer Sofra Games and distributor Avalon France.

Until October 6, Titus "will enter into a period of observation during which it intends to continue negotiations on the possible sale of assets." No specific assets were mentioned as being on the block, although last week, Titus founder Herve Caen told GameSpot he was "working on a lot of deals" regarding Interplay and its properties.

By Tor Thorsen -- GameSpot
POSTED: 06/08/04 03:02PM PST



lol Titus

 

[Gatsu]

verdammt noch mal ich will Freespace 3!!!!

alles andere ist mir kackegal :evil:

 

[sebi88]

So könnte es Atari bald auch gehen wenn Driver 3 floppt

nein die werden doch 10 Millionen Exemplare verkaufen haben sie gesagt!!!!

 

[pd2]

Caen talks Fallout MMORPG as Interplay's finances dwindle
CEO Herve Caen looks on the bright side as his company reports it will run out of money by the end of July.

Today, Interplay reported its quarterly earnings--a net loss of $900,000 for the quarter ending March 31, 2004. During the same quarter a year ago, the company reported a profit of $5.6 million. The news was especially bad, considering Interplay had largely staked its fortunes on two major titles, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, released during the quarter.

The effect of the two games' disappointing sales was made painfully clear by the 10-Q report Interplay filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Buried inside was the revelation that Interplay will run out of cash in five weeks unless it receives an injection of capital. "The company anticipates its current cash reserves, plus its expected generation of cash from existing operations, will not be sufficient to fund its anticipated expenditures through the second quarter of fiscal 2004," read the report. "If we do not receive sufficient financing we may (i) liquidate assets, (ii) sell the company (iii) seek protection from our creditors including the filing of voluntary bankruptcy or being the subject of involuntary bankruptcy, and/or (iv) continue operations, but incur material harm to our business, operations or financial conditions."

Today's financials follow reports earlier this week that Caen faced a number of disgruntled employees seeking back pay. According to the Orange County Register, some of the more than 20 Interplay employees who claim they had not been paid since April confronted CEO Herve Caen at a meeting mediated by the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. A ruling will be made shortly on those complaints.

Despite its grim situation, Interplay issued a press release announcing an audacious plan to parlay its prized Fallout brand into a massively multiplayer role-playing game. A surprisingly upbeat Caen said in a statement that, "based on a detailed review of where our industry stands and the level of interest in the gaming community in taking some of our premier properties online, we are now pursuing several options to fund our entry into massively multiplayer online gaming with titles including Fallout."

Caen expressed optimism that catapulting the Fallout universe into the online arena could reverse the fortunes of the once-successful developer and publisher. "Initial feedback from our investment bank and ongoing dialogue with others in the gaming sector," Caen said, "appear to confirm that the combination of our valuable and popular intellectual properties with the rapidly growing online gaming community is the best way to maximize Interplay shareholder value."

Today's developments follow a recent spate of bad luck for Interplay. The past few months saw the publisher temporarily shut down by state labor officials, threatened with eviction, sued by BioWare and Warner Bros., and its Web site go offline indefinitely. Nonetheless, Caen is chipper about his company's future. "Several short-term obstacles remain for Interplay, [but] management is focused on simultaneously financing and executing our new long-term strategy and finding ways to solve these short-term issues."

By Curt Feldman, Tor Thorsen -- GameSpot
POSTED: 06/25/04 07:47 PM PST