It's official, Interplay closed down

[Mr. Natural]

The state of California shut down the Interplay offices after a surprise visit to the office and finding workers complaining of no insurance and not having been paid for over a month.
1-UP has just released this story:
An article in the Orange County Register details the unfortunate developments occurring at California-based Interplay Studios. The publisher has been closed down by the state after several employees complained about not receiving payment, but several other components of the company's sore financial state are surfacing.
California labor officials made a surprise visit to the company's Irvine studio last week, discovering that employees were entirely without workers compensation insurance. Seven employees of the 14 on-site during the investigation complained of not being paid in over a month. In anticipation of a cesation of operations, some employees had even been instructed to clear out their belongings from the building.


"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," Dean Fryer, spokesman for the California Labor Commissioner, told the Register.

Interplay has since been fined $1,000 for each payrolled employee (a total of $79,000), further complicating the company's financial situation; $432,000 is still owed to Arden Realty for use of the building, and Interplay owes back taxes in the area of $179,000. Furthermore, the company is being sued for $156,000 by BioWare for back Baldur's Gate royalties.

Despite the company's poor state, CEO Herve Caen remaines optimistic. "I hope to have that [insurance] back by Monday or Tuesday," Caen told the Register. "The company has not shut down. [The state] can't do that. It can only let me not let employees work." California's Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement seems to disagree.


So Interplay is closed....for now, but it sounds like it may not be gone for good.

[Tavo]

I don't know. It sounds pretty bad so I don't think they'll make it.

[Gaim Mastr]

The more I read about Herve Caen the more bile rises in my throat. That guy has systematically run the company into the ground. And it sure seems that most ex-employees don't have anything good to say about him. Not from any of the interviews, memos, posts that I've read from them.

I don't know the exact laws pertaining to California and commercial rental properties, but Arden Realty is taking a major bath. I really don't know why they haven't put locks on the doors to the building by now. Perhaps with the state refusing to allow employees to work in the building, Arden will now lock it up.

I think that Caen has officially reached pariah status within the gaming community, both gamers and game developers/distributors.

And I think that Interplay is totally dead already. Caen has a well documented history of spinning the reality of the situation into a 'not so negative' light. Like when he claimed that Black Isle wasn't really shut down.

Any development companies looking for talent should be sending letters to Interplay employees right now. It's the employees that I've always felt bad for, considering the horrific way that they've been treated over the past year.

[Terry Penrod]

.

I so don't care about Herve but do about the talented employees past and present, as well as BioWare and other partners.

Let's just hope that in the ensuing fire sale that FALLOUT goes to a worthy group at a strong dev studio with a fiscally responsible publisher.

I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really want to play that game!

Cheers, Terry

.

[Quantum Ninja]

.

I so don't care about Herve but do about the talented employees past and present, as well as BioWare and other partners.

Let's just hope that in the ensuing fire sale that FALLOUT goes to a worthy group at a strong dev studio with a fiscally responsible publisher.

I really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really want to play that game!

Cheers, Terry

.

Really?

Me too. Although maybe two less "really"s.

[Dwango]

Oh, it ain't over.

Read here where Herve won't give up! (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/06/08/news_6100200.html) Sure, he ran the company into the ground, but he's got Spunk!

Oh, of course the mother company Titus going into Redressement Judiciaire sure won't help. Means the government owns thier buts and can sell off assets to pay debts. I'll give a nickel for Interplay!

[Gaim Mastr]

I think that it is over for Interplay. With the employees not having been paid in a month, I'd be surprised if any of them actually went back to work. I know that I sure as heck wouldn't. :no:

Titus is selling off it's assets. As far as Interplay goes, who wants it? Why buy the company and acquire its debt? I think instead the rights to Fallout and Baldur's Gate are about the only worthwhile assets of the entire company.

Fallout and BG may live on, but I'd be willing to bet that Interplay (the company) will be nothing but a memory within the year.

[DejaFu]

very true

[Gaim Mastr]

Fallout and BG may live on, but I'd be willing to bet that Interplay (the company) will be nothing but a memory within the year.



Here it is just a hair over two months later and Interplay seems to have finally been buried in the ground. While doing a little searching for Fallout 1 & 2 to buy, I've noticed that Interplay's two websites are gone.

Interplay.com (http://www.interplay.com/)

InterplayGames.com (http://www.interplaygames.com/)

Even the Baldur's Gate web pages are gone. Interplay.com/BGate (http://www.interplay.com/bgate/)


So finally to Herve Caen I have only one thing to say, "Yes, I will take fries with that." :wink:

[Mr. Natural]

That's a real shame because Interplay had it's own online store which sold all of their previous classic titles.
I would suggest checking amazon.com for old game titles. If you're lucky you'll find a new copy, otherwise there should definitely be some used ones out there.

A follow-up to this post. I did see Fallout 1&2 there. I decided to check and saw Planescape there as well. I recall a couple months ago there was a thread about if there was a fire, which game would you grab before leaving the house. I mentioned Planescape because I thought it might be a collectors item. After looking at Amazon.com that appears to indeed be the case. A new copy of Planescape is going for around $65-$75 U.S. And there are only a couple copies available. Grab it while you can....for investment purposes. :yes:

[RHooks]

If you really want Planescape and don't want to pay $65.00 :eek:
it would probably be worth your time to look at places like Target's and Wal-mart. I used to always see copies of that game in with the $9.99 software.

Heck. If they're really going for that much, I would buy every copy I could find at $9.99 and sell them on Ebay. :wink:

[Bruenor]

I guess I'm doing some Wal-Mart shopping tonight. Last time I was there, there were 6 copies of Planescape going for $9.99 each (Canadian).

[Ojnod]

Holy crap I am gonna buy out all the ones at wal mart. If I can get $30+ shipping for each one that will be some good money in the pocket :):

[RHooks]

I have this mental image of Wal-marts all across the country being flooded this weekend with computer nerds looking for copies of Planescape.

:lol2:

[Mr. Natural]

I did see Planescape at our local walmart in the "no box" section about a year ago. However I haven't seen it around anywhere in our area since then.
Our local Best Buy did have the BG collectors edition though, and I saw with the release of Doom 3, there is a new box on the shelf with the original Doom in it.

EB Games might be worth checking since they re-sell used games.

[Chylde Roland]

I have this mental image of Wal-marts all across the country being flooded this weekend with computer nerds looking for copies of Planescape.

:lol2:


Yep, count me in!

:thumbup:

[DanTheManPR]

http://penny-arcade.com/images/2004/20040702l.jpg

[DanTheManPR]

http://penny-arcade.com/images/2004/20040714l.jpg

[Tesing]

I was serching the web for info on fallout 3. Came across a site that said that all rights but onling dev. for fallout 3 was being sold/givin to Belthsar to produce fallout, since Black Ile is out. Belthsar said that it was not going to use the programing that Ile hase done for it already.
Looks like FO3 is still alive

[Fzoulcmbyl]

You mean Bethesda right?...the ones who do Morrowind.


:thumbup:



Fzoul