The Trove of Memorabilia
This Christmas came early for Interplay co-founder and inXile Entertainment studio head Brian Fargo. In a series of tweets last month on X, “The Everything App,” Fargo showcased industry sales awards and other Interplay goodies he recently re-acquired. Over email, Fargo explained how these items initially left his possession and the long process of getting them back. Let’s start with the treasure trove itself. Among the items Fargo displayed were sales awards for various Interplay games from the Software Publishers Association (now the Software and Information Industry Association), famously known for “Don’t Copy That Floppy.”
The Notable Collectibles
One standout piece in Fargo’s collection is the original Baldur’s Gate plaque, earned from the Consumer Products Council, a less musical but equally prestigious industry body. Fargo noted on Twitter that those sales figures seem quaint compared to modern blockbusters like Black Myth: Wukong’s staggering 10 million units sold in a single week. “Back in the day, you’d get an award for selling 50 or 100,000 units,” Fargo wrote. “Now it’s the end of your career.” Among the pictures Fargo shared were two unique items: a Fallout 3 poster from Bethesda’s era and a six-foot-tall poster of Baldur’s Gate 1 villain Sarevok. For many, including new fans discovering Baldur’s Gate 3, Sarevok’s imposing presence is iconic.
The Long Road Back
“When I left Interplay in 2002, I couldn’t take many things with me; they were the property of the company,” Fargo told me via email. He expressed a deep emotional attachment to the memorabilia, knowing the current owner did not share these sentiments. “Corporate splits are never easy, so I had to wait for emotions to settle before even asking about acquiring the items,” he said. It took nearly a decade of “asking, cajoling, and humoring” Interplay CEO Hervé Caen to agree to sell the memorabilia back to Fargo. “Finally, we met, agreed on a price, and it took another three months to finalize everything. I was very happy when I finally got them, as you might expect.”
