Interplay Targeted By Bioware-fare 215
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."
D&D Nitpicking (Score:5, Informative)
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 [opengamingfoundation.org].
Just great (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Well, there is alwasys Open Source (Score:2, Informative)
Open Gaming Foundationg (Score:2, Informative)
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.
Re:Open Gaming Foundationg (Score:2, Informative)
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.
Re:Open Gaming Foundationg (Score:1, Informative)
Slashdot = Misinformation? (Score:4, Informative)
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.
Someone should tell Infogrames (Score:5, Informative)
If Bioware can't hash things out with Interplay, I'm sure they can get a deal with Infogrames.
Re:Black isle tried that (Score:2, Informative)
Ok, right from the Bioware forums... (Score:3, Informative)
I'm thinking people are jumping the gun.
Re:Just great (Score:2, Informative)
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.