Interplay is selling its videogame IPs and assets

Interplay, once owners of the Fallout IP until it was sold to Bethesda in 2007, now appear to be selling off their remaining assets and intellectual properties. A Nasdaq press release states that Interplay are entering into “a process” to “sell its library of video game assets and intellectual property”.

It was encroaching bankruptcy which forced Interplay’s sale of the Fallout IP (though they licensed back the rights to sell the older titles), but it’s unclear whether financial necessity is once again playing a part in this sale. Here’s how Interplay CEO Eric Caen is framing it: “With the proliferation of mobile, augmented reality, virtual reality and other new forms of consumption, we believe that consumers are ready to experience and interact with Interplay’s characters, stories and game play in ways never possible before”.

There are some well-known names among Interplay’s catalogue, including Freespace, MDK, Messiah, Sacrifice and Giants. Multiple IPs that you’d imagine would be attractive prospects for other publishers and studios. The full list from the press release is as follows: “Battle Chess, Boogerman, Clay Fighter, Dark Alliance, Descent, Earthworm Jim, Freespace, Kingpin, M.A.X., Messiah, MDK, Redneck Rampage, Run Like Hell, Sacrifice, T-Rex Rumble, and Giants“.

Most recently, Interplay licensed the Descent name to Descendant Studios for the Kickstarter project Descent: Underground.