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Interplay Targeted By Bioware-fare

Posted by michael on from the neverpublished-nights dept.

corby writes: "Bioware Corp., developer of the highly anticipated multiplayer Dungeons & Dragons game Neverwinter Nights, is escalating the conflict with their troubled publisher Interplay. In September, they filed a lawsuit against the publisher, and now they have terminated their contract with Interplay to distribute Neverwinter Nights. The problem is, these guys need each other. The loss of Neverwinter Nights means that Interplay will lose out on substantial revenue from a surefire hit, but Interplay is apparently the only company with rights to distribute games under the AD&D license."

11 of 215 comments (clear)

  1. D&D Nitpicking by taion · · Score: 5, Informative

    AD&D is generally taken to refer to the second edition Dungeons & Dragons Rules.

    Neverwinter Nights will be based on the 3rd edition D&D rules (D&D3e), which is different from AD&D.

    A link to the 3rd Edition System Reference Document with all the core rules released to the Open Gaming Foundation (including Psionics!) may be found here.

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    Floccinaucinihilipilification - the action or habit of judging something to be worthless
  2. Just great by serps · · Score: 4, Informative

    When Hasbro bought out Wizards of the Coast and sold off their rights to D&D computer games, you could see something like this eventually happening. Wizards had a 'Mastertools' program under development which was designed to remove all the bookkeeping tedium of handling a campaign. Once the license was transferred to Interplay, WotC had to gut the project to ensure compliance. I wish them all the best against Interplay.

    --
    "Einstein argued that [...] God is not capricious or arbitrary. No such faith comforts the software engineer." ~ Brooks
    1. Re:Just great by cnladd · · Score: 2, Informative

      Sorry, bud, but first NWN is NOT an AD&D game. The AD&D game is a completely separate line from the D&D (3e) game, and electronic rights for D&D were negotiated separately.

      Also, Infogrames owns the rights to all computer-based tools and games. Interplay may have a license to publish D&D games, but then again, so does SSI (remember Pools of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor? Released just a month or so ago...), and probably one or two other publishers. Owning the rights to something altogether and owning a license to something are two completely different things.

      --

      --
      Welcome to the land of the easily amused...

  3. Re:Well, there is alwasys Open Source by vondo · · Score: 2, Informative

    Surely it's not. AD&D is a trademark owned by Wizards of the Coast (formerly TSR).

  4. Open Gaming Foundationg by DAldredge · · Score: 2, Informative

    http://www.opengamingfoundation.org
    http://www.opengamingfoundation.org/srd.html

    The second link is to the SYSTEM REFERENCE DOCUMENT for D20/DnD. It contain's most of the content from the Players Handbook, Dungeon Masters Guide, Monsters Manual I, and the Psionics Handbook.

    1. Re:Open Gaming Foundationg by taion · · Score: 2, Informative

      To add to this, the license under which the D20 SRD has been released is the Open Gaming License, available here on the OGF site.

      This license gives fairly broad rights to most people willing to build upon the d20 ruleset, almost certainly including non-commercial games, but IANAL, so don't take my word on it.

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      Floccinaucinihilipilification - the action or habit of judging something to be worthless
    2. Re:Open Gaming Foundationg by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      The OGL Licence strictly forbids the creation of Interactive Software (games).

  5. Slashdot = Misinformation? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Once again slashdot amazes me with the ability not to be able to post reliable or good information.

    Bioware CAN publish titles under AD&D license, interplay has been rideing the "bioware" wave for over a year now. Bioware has every damn right to terminate their contract, especially since Interplay VIOLATED the terms of it.

    The game is slated to be released Mar 2002, and on another note, I submited this story on wednesday.

    I have posted anonymusly in order to protect myself and other sources.

  6. Someone should tell Infogrames by AlterEd · · Score: 5, Informative
    Infogrames bought Hasbro Interactive and now has publishing rights to all present and future Hasbro electronic games. Previous agreements notwithstanding, natch.

    If Bioware can't hash things out with Interplay, I'm sure they can get a deal with Infogrames.

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    Ed Chauvin IV
  7. Re:Black isle tried that by Harlockjds · · Score: 2, Informative

    Black Isle (which is related to Bioware) tried to use GURPS (it was to be the foundation for Fallout) but Steve Jackson games were apparently too much of a pain in the ass to deal with so they striped out the gurps system and created their own.

  8. Ok, right from the Bioware forums... by Drakin · · Score: 3, Informative

    Regarding our recent announcement of Neverwinter Nights contract termination with Interplay, we can't comment on this, except to say that BioWare is looking forward to releasing Neverwinter Nights on schedule, early in 2002. Development at BioWare is continuing on both Neverwinter Nights and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic as well as on other as yet unannounced projects."

    I'm thinking people are jumping the gun.