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FASA: Gone But Not Forgotten on Game and Player
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FASA: Gone But Not Forgotten

Ed Kirchgessner  //  October 12, 2007


Rest assured – their games aren't gone forever.

W

hen FASA Studios closed their doors in early September of this year, many longtime fans (myself included) were left wondering what would happen to its various properties. Would we ever see another BattleTech or Shadowrun game, or would these franchises fall into obscurity? As it turns out, FASA Studios hasn't owned the rights to most of its games for years. What follows is a slightly confusing (though hopefully interesting) breakdown of what happened and when.

FASA Corporation opened its doors in Chicago in 1980 as a publisher of role-playing games and accessories in the burgeoning pencil and paper game arena. By the late 80's, they had a handful of hits on their hands, including BattleTech, Shadowrun, Renegade Legion, and the Star Trek role-playing license. About this same time, some members of the company were starting to recognize the huge potential that existed in creating video games for arcades and home users – though perhaps best known for a handful of BattleTech Centers scattered around the globe, they also developed a number of PC games based on the BattleTech license. Though still working as a part FASA Corporation, this video game production arm would become known a FASA Interactive.

In 1999, FASA Interactive was purchased by Microsoft. Although Microsoft sold off the BattleTech Center license to Virtual World Entertainment, FASA Interactive's talented staff would go on to produce a number of successful games set in the BattleTech and Crimson Skies game worlds. Their most recent release was a shooter based on the Shadowrun license, though this was met with lukewarm receptions by the gaming press. In September of 2007, FASA Interactive was dissolved by Microsoft Corporation.

Meanwhile, FASA Corporation continued to produce new products for their various board and role-playing games until 2001. Though many apparently thought it was bankruptcy which closed their doors, it was actually just the desire of the company's founders to leave what they saw as an industry in decline. The BattleTech and Shadowrun licenses were sold to WizKids, while Microsoft owns the rights to Crimson Skies. The Earthdawn license is still owned by FASA Corporation (existing now only as a holding company), which has passed production duties for this franchise on to Living Room Games.

Although the rights to these classics have changed hands many times in recent years, it's nice to know that middle school students the world over can still enjoy the same games I did fifteen years ago. It's also nice to know that Microsoft retains the rights to Crimson Skies – perhaps those rumors we were hearing a short while back regarding a sequel to the 2003 Xbox classic can still become a reality. Only time will tell.





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