Fallout MMO legal wrangles fall in favour of Interplay - for now

Fallout New Vegas Old World Blues - a big hammer

Interplay's Fallout MMO has scored another small victory against Bethesda, who are trying to stop the post-apocalyptic multiplayer title getting off the ground, according to CVG .

Bethesda wanted a preliminary injunction against the MMO, which would stop Interplay's continuing development of the title. However, the United States Court of Appeals has denied the move.

Bethesda bought the Fallout series from Interplay in 2007, on the condition that Interplay would be able to develop an MMO. Interplay published the first two Fallout titles way back at the beginning of time, and Bethesda developed and published Fallout 3 and New Vegas.

Bethesda's been attempting to gauss rifle Interplay into the ground over rights to the MMO, with Bethesda asserting that Interplay has only licensed one asset from the Fallout franchise - its name. However, this was dismissed by Interplay as “absurd.”

The case is likely to keep on going like some kind of indestructible sad Ghoul. With Interplay running desparately low on funds , it had better end soon though.