Unofficial Tex Murphy

What it says on the tin. They're free for the next 24 hours or so.

-Fred

I got this email this morning. I've owned 1&2 since they came out, but I've never played Tactics. Sounds like it's time for me to explore that one as well.

Also it might be the last opportunity to own these games on GOG.

Please note that all three classic Fallout titles are pending right holder change. Sadly, to the best of our knowledge, we'll be forced to remove Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactics from our offer. That doesn't mean, however, that you won't be able to download them if they are already a part of collection by then. Secure your copies today (or anytime before Saturday, December 14, at 1:59PM GMT)!

http://www.gog.com/forum/general/free_g ... t_tactics/

Apparently Interplay are losing publishing rights soon to Bethesda for the Fallout games so their availability on GOG is up in the air after the exchange.

Frankly, I think Bethesda would be dumb not to continue to license GOG to distribute the games, but companies do dumb things all the time, so it very well could happen.

Booo!!

Interplay made the best Fallout Games...
Fallout 3 was fun, but still felt a lot like Elder Scrolls.

Bethesda intends to destroy Interplays legacy entirely. The version that will be re-added to Steam will have only Bethesda logos on it. For the uneducated they would be mislead to think that Bethesda created fallout. After all they did the exact same with all the ID games, now everyone assumes that ID was Zenimax from the start.

Disgusting. Never forget guys. They're destroying our Heritage.

Good on Interplay for their last second Middle Finger to Bethesda by releasing the games for free.

Yea, that was a great F U.

I don't understand how they can be allowed to put their logo on a game they didn't even create, regardless of whether or not they own the rights now....

It is ridiculous.....
I mean, I guess they can put their logo on it..... what I have the biggest problem with, is that they can remove the interplay logo......
It should have both! or just the interplay one.

I think the issue is that because Interplay are still active in the industry they can't legally use the Interplay logo- even though its highly likely Interplay would still allow them to use the logo anyway. (need they be reminded of how they lost the rights to these games in the first place). This whole mess just feels very malicious and very typical of Bethesda who have had a long history of legal bullying. (contrary to most fans that suggest they only started doing this with Zenimax)

What I don't understand though is why other studios that have been gobbled up in aquisitions like those taken over by the THQ sale and the Eidos sale, weren't subjected to the same thing. You'll recall its not as if Relics games all now require "Sega" logos on them, despite having been published by now bankrupt Vivendi Universal. Likewise its not like all of Ion Storm's games require the Square Enix logo. So Bethesda's actions I feel are very new and I'd even argue very extreme as others having retrofitted their back catalogued with updated legal information.

My concern is that the more studios that get gobbled up by Bethesda the more we're going to see this practice. Rest assured Brian Fargo wouldn't be happy with this (he's become a vocal hater of Zenimax's Business practices), neither would the Black Isle guys because it was their work and it was their logos and reputations. Likewise I'm sure John Romero wasn't too happy about his work having a big ass Bethesda logo stamped on it (he recently criticized Zenimax for their Anti-Open Source attitude and stated it was one of the reasons why Carmack left ID in favor of Occulus Rift which is Open Sourced).