It just keeps happening. Last year, game developer/publisher Interplay shut down Black Isle, now this year veteran publisher Acclaim has filed for bankruptcy.

They didn’t even file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which lets a company continue trading while their finances are restructured. Nope, with more than a hundred million US dollars debt, they have filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. This basically means that they cease trading, liquidate all their assets and try to pay back lenders as much as they can (and in Acclaim’s case, it doesn’t sound like they’ll be paying much back).

So, another door closes in the gaming industry on a company that’s been around since beginning (or close to it). Of course, Acclaim never really had that many outstanding titles that immediately come to mind. They had a few good ones, just not outstanding ones. Of course, that’s never stopped anyone from making a lot of money, has it?

Disappointing to hear of such things really, but as the industry grows (the UK market has grown 100% in six years!), so do the risks.

Bethesda Softworks, makers of the Elder Scrolls series have announced that they will be making Fallout 3!!

Since Interplay has gone to crap recently, and all but given up being good, this is fantastic news. Can’t wait to see what they produce!

I read earlier today that Interplay has decided to shut down Black Isle Studios.

In case you don’t know who Black Isle are, they develop(ed) PC (and console) games are are responsible for such hits as Icewind Dale, the Baldur’s Gate series and (most importantly, to me) the Fallout series.

The initial announcement seems to have been made on the Interplay Forums and does not seem to have been a surprise to the development studio. It would also seem that Interplay has decided to move away from PC game development (though they will still release some PC games) and more into console development.

Interplay are a well-known and respected publisher in the PC gaming industry and many long-time PC gamers can fondly remember one or more of their games (a list of which, can be found here — I’m sure you can find one or two which spark a happy memory).

Personally, the Fallout series has been my favourite (BIS were developing Fallout 3 at the time of the announcement), with Planescape: Torment probably being the next in line. Their other games I could take or leave but a lot of people did enjoy them.

This is really disappointing news for me, as Fallout 3 was one of my most anticipated future games. That and the remake of Pirates!.

Oh, and hi to what appears to be my one reader.

Note: I just read that Vivendi Universal Games has just laid off 70 employees today. Looks like 2003 is the year of game-company layoffs/closures.

Sad news.