14 DAY TRIAL // A teaser site for the Fallout massively multiplayer online role-playing game has been launched by Interplay, with gamers able to send in beta test applications. The title used to be known as Project V13, but has been renamed Fallout Online, according to the website. There is no release date for the beta, but, considering the fact that the developer intends a retail launch in 2012, it is safe to assume that the beta will not start this year.
This is an interesting development of the conflict that has been going on between Bethesda and Interplay regarding the Fallout trademark. On the 8th of September, 2009, Bethesda sued Interplay for a breach of the agreement they had on the use of the Fallout name regarding the sale of the Fallout Trilogy pack and the development of Project V13, how Fallout Online was known back then.
Soon after, Interplay counter-sued, claiming that Bethesda was breaching that contract itself by interrupting the creation of the Fallout MMO. This would void the transaction of the Fallout trademark, getting the name back in Interplay's possession. The 11th of December brought some good news for Interplay, as Bethesda's injunction was rejected by a United States District Court. As of today, the lawsuits are still going on. Curiously, the Fallout Online site does state that the Fallout name is a trademark of Bethesda.
The site isn't full of information, showing only some Polaroid photos of concept art and the text “The Master lives” hinting to the leader of the mutants the player was tasked to destroy in the first game of the franchise. Fallout fans can be happy, though, as a new title in the series is soon to launch. Obsidian is just finishing up Fallout: New Vegas, marking the return of many members of the original development team to the franchise, after Bethesda's in-house production, Fallout 3. New Vegas will hit the store shelves on the 19th of October in North America and on the 21st of October in Europe on the PlayStation 3, the Xbox 360, and the PC.