Interplay Reopens

According to the Orange County Register, Interplay has reopened its doors for business after being shut down last week for failure to pay workers’ compensation insurance.
The Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Standards Enforcement fined Interplay $79,000 last Friday and barred its 79 employees from working, effectively shutting down all operations.

However, this doesn’t signal the end of drama for Interplay–the company still needs to pay off the $179,000 owed in payroll taxes and penalties, and has not paid rent for its offices in Irvine since January. In addition, the majority shareholder Titus Interactive in France filed for bankruptcy on Monday.

However Herve Caen remains characteristically optimistic, saying that the company expects to receive funding soon.

“[Titus bankruptcy] doesn’t affect us in any way, shape or form,” Caen told the Orange County Register. The CEO expects to find funding through investment bank firm SG Capital, which Interplay hired in April.

Although Caen’s been promising to pay back employees as funding comes through, the state is auditing the company’s payroll records, and will impose penalties or have its assets taken if Interplay cannot pay the wages.