Fans of old schools RPGs will remember Black Isle as the studio that gave us classics such as Fallout and Planescape: Torment. You’ll also remember that it was closed back in 2003. However, like the horrible flesh giants of old, Black Isle is being resurrected.
That’s right, the studio’s official website updated today to announced the return, stating that “Black Isle Studios is back.” According to Joystiq, a WHOIS search of the URL confirms that this is indeed the work of Interplay, Black Isle’s parent company, so the likelihood of this being a hoax is slim. The website also provides links to official Facebook and Twitter profiles, but provides no information on any upcoming projects.
Now I’m sure you’re asking yourself “What of the old employees that made Black Isle great?”. Well, most of them are employed over at Obsidian Studios at the moment, so they, in all likelihood, won’t be returning. In fact, Interplay founder Brian Fargo had no idea this was going on. Planescape/Fallout 2 designer Chris Avellone stated that neither he, nor anyone he knows are returning to Black Isle, and fellow designer Josh Sawyer summed it up thusly.
So, unfortunately, this seems like Interplay trying to make one last stand at relevancy, though we’ll see if they have the goods to back such a hallowed name.
