The 3DO Company

The 3DO Company was an American video game company based in Redwood City, California.<ref>"Legal notices." 3DO Company. March 31, 2001. Retrieved on November 3, 2012. "The 3DO Company, 100 Cardinal Way, Redwood City, CA 94063."</ref> It was founded in 1991 by Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins in a partnership with seven other companies to develop the 3DO standard of video gaming hardware. When 3DO failed in the marketplace, the company exited the hardware business and became a third-party video game developer and published well-known games series like Army Men, Battletanx, High Heat Major League Baseball and Might and Magic. It went bankrupt in 2003 due to poor sales of its games.

History

Hardware developer

A Panasonic FZ1, the first commercially released 3DO system

Trip Hawkins wanted to get into the hardware market after the software market exploded with interest thanks to his involvement at Electronic Arts. When the company was first founded, its original objective was to create a next-generation CD-based video game system specified as the 3DO, which would be manufactured by various partners and licensees; 3DO would collect a royalty on each console sold and on each game manufactured. For game publishers, 3DO's $3 royalty per sold game was very low compared to the royalties Nintendo and Sega collected from game sales on their consoles. The 3DO Company and its initiative received the backing of several industry figures including AT&T, Electronic Arts, Goldstar, Matsushita (owner of Panasonic), MCA, and Time Warner.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The launch of the first 3DO system in October 1993 was well-promoted, with a great deal of attention in the mass media as part of the "multimedia wave" in the computer world, the first player being a Panasonic model at the price of US$699 (Template:Inflation).<ref name="gamersatwork">Template:Cite book</ref> Poor console and game sales trumped the enticingly low royalty rate and proved a fatal flaw. While 3DO's business model attracted game publishers with its low royalty rates, it resulted in the console selling for a price higher than the SNES and Sega Genesis combined, hampering sales. While companies that manufactured and sold their own consoles could sell them, at a loss, for a competitive price, making up for lost profit through royalties collected from game publishers, the 3DO's manufacturers, not collecting any money from game publishers, and owing royalties to the 3DO Company, had to sell the console for a profit, resulting in high prices.<ref name="Retro122">Template:Cite journal</ref> As the console failed to compete with its cheaper competitors, game developers and publishers, while initially attracted by low royalties, dropped support for the console as its games failed to sell. Stock in the 3DO Company dropped from over $37 per share in November 1993 to $23 per share in late December.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Though the company's financial figures dramatically improved in the fiscal year ending March 1995, with revenues nearly triple that of the previous fiscal year, they were still operating at a loss.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The console's prospects continued to improve through the first half of 1995 with a number of critical success, including winning the 1995 European Computer Trade Show award for best hardware.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In January 1996, The 3DO Company sold exclusive rights to its next generation console, M2, to Matsushita for $100 million.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Thanks in part to revenues from the sale of M2 technology to Matsushita and other licensees, in the first quarter of 1996 the 3DO Company turned a profit for the first time since it was founded, with a net income of $1.2 million.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Over the second half of 1996, the company restructured to focus on software development and online gaming, in the process cutting its staff from 450 to 300 employees.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> President Hugh Martin was given full operating control, while Hawkins remained with the company as chairman, CEO, and creative director.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Third-party developer

After selling the M2 technology to Matsushita, the company acquired Cyclone Studios,<ref name=NGen14>Template:Cite magazine</ref> New World Computing,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and Archetype Interactive. 3DO established a new office in Redmond, Washington devoted to PC games development, with Tony Garcia as its head.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In mid-1997 it sold off its hardware business to Samsung for $20 million, making a final break from its origins as a console developer.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The company's biggest hit was its series of Army Men games, featuring generic green plastic soldier toys. Its Might and Magic and especially Heroes of Might and Magic series from subsidiary New World Computing were perhaps the most popular among their games at the time of release. During the late 1990s, the company published one of the first 3D MMORPGs: Meridian 59, which survives to this day in the hands of some of the game's original developers.

Bankruptcy and legacy

3DO struggled in the early 2000s. According to the SEC, the company reported a net loss of over $10m in the nine months to December 2002.<ref name=SEC>Template:Cite web</ref> The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 28, 2003.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Employees were laid off without pay. Three companies explored buying the company outright, but an ongoing SEC investigation into the accounting practices of the industry made this less attractive. Instead, the company's assets were put up for sale in an auction. Many of the assets such as game brands and other intellectual property were sold to rivals like Microsoft (High Heat Baseball), Namco (Street Racing Syndicate), Take-Two Interactive (Army Men) and Ubisoft (Might and Magic, Heroes of Might and Magic).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Founder Trip Hawkins paid $405,000 for rights to some old brands and the company's "Internet patent portfolio". The Army Men brand sold for $750,000, then a high amount in games acquisition terms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The company ceased to file required financial papers after December 2002. While the company had been void for years, the 2003 Chapter 11 petition remained pending until at least 2008. That year the SEC issued trading restrictions for the group.<ref name=SEC/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The company was found to be in default that December and its registered securities were revoked.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Army Men and the Might and Magic franchise continued activity for decades after 3DO's closure at other companies. In April 2020, the rights to over 30 classic 3DO titles were purchased from Prism Entertainment by Ziggurat Interactive, a company which specialises in re-releases of older games. The company cited a desire to bring more classics to digital storefronts, and broader efforts towards game preservation.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Their work has included the remastered Killing Time, which was released in 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

List of games

Developed

Title	Alternative title	Notes
3DO Games: Decathlon
Army Men		PC version.
Army Men: Air Attack	Army Men: Air Combat Template:Small	PC, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation version.
Army Men: Air Attack 2	Army Men: Air Attack - Blade's Revenge Template:Small
Army Men: Air Combat - The Elite Missions
Army Men: Air Tactics
Army Men: Green Rogue	Army Men: Omega Soldier Template:Small
Army Men: Sarge's Heroes
Army Men: Sarge's Heroes 2		Nintendo 64, PlayStation, and PlayStation 2 version.
Army Men: Toys in Space	Army Men in Space Template:Small
Army Men: World War
Army Men: World War - Final Front	Army Men: Lock 'n' Load Template:Small
Army Men: World War - Land, Sea, Air
Army Men: World War - Team Assault
Army Men 3D
Army Men II		PC version.
BattleTanx		Nintendo 64 version.
BattleTanx: Global Assault
Blade Force
Captain Quazar
Crusaders of Might and Magic
Club 3DO: Station Invasion
Dragon Rage
Escape from Monster Manor
Family Game Pack Royale	Family Game Pack Template:Small
Game Guru (3DO)
Godai Elemental Force
Groovy Bunch of Games
Gulf War: Operation Desert Hammer
High Heat Major League Baseball 2002		PC, PlayStation, and PlayStation 2 version.
High Heat Major League Baseball 2003		PC and PlayStation 2 version.
High Heat Major League Baseball 2004
Jonny Moseley Mad Trix		PlayStation 2 version.
Jurassic Park Interactive
Killing Time		3DO version by Studio3DO; Win95 and Mac port completed by Logicware, Inc.
Meridian 59: Vale of Sorrow
Portal Runner		PlayStation 2 version.
Sammy Sosa High Heat Baseball 2001
Sammy Sosa Softball Slam
Shifters
Tozasarata Tachi
Twisted: The Game Show
Vegas Games 2000	Midnight in Vegas Template:Small	PlayStation version.
Warriors of Might and Magic		PC, PlayStation, and PlayStation 2 version.
WarJetz	World Destruction League: WarJetz
World Destruction League: Thunder Tanks		PlayStation and PlayStation 2 version.
Zhadnost: The People's Party

Published

Title	Developer(s)	NA	EU	Notes
3DO Buffet	Interplay	Template:Yes	Template:No
Action Man: Destruction X	Blitz Games	Template:No	Template:Yes	Licensed from Hasbro Interactive.
Alex Ferguson's Player Manager 2001	ANCO	Template:No	Template:Yes
Army Men	Digital Eclipse	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Game Boy Color version.
Army Men: Air Combat	Fluid Studios	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Army Men: Operation Green	Pocket Studios	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Army Men: RTS	Pandemic	Template:Yes	Template:Partial	The GameCube version was co-produced with Coyote Developments Ltd.
Army Men: Sarge's Heroes 2	GameBrains/3d6 Games	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Game Boy Color version.
Army Men: Turf Wars	Möbius Entertainment	Template:Yes	Template:No
Army Men 2	Digital Eclipse	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Game Boy Color version.
Army Men Advance	DC Studios	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Aqua Aqua	Zed Two	Template:Yes	Template:No
Arcomage	New World Computing	Template:Yes	Template:No
BattleSport	Cyclone Studios	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Other releases than the 3DO published by Acclaim
BattleTanx	Lucky Chicken Games	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Game Boy Color version.
Chaos Overlords	Stick Man Games	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Cubix: Robots for Everyone - Clash 'n Bash	Human Soft	Template:Yes	Template:No
Cubix - Robots for Everyone: Race 'N Robots	Blitz Games	Template:Yes	Template:Partial
Cubix: Robots for Everyone - Showdown		Template:Yes	Template:No	Released days after 3DO went defunct.
Gobs of Games	2n Productions	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Also known as Games Frenzy in Europe.
Gridders	Tetragon	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Heroes Chronicles series	New World Computing	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Heroes of Might and Magic (Game Boy Color)	KnowWonder Digital Mediaworks	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Heroes of Might and Magic: Quest for the Dragon Bone Staff	New World Computing	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars		Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Price of Loyalty	Cyberlore Studios	Template:Yes	Template:No
Heroes of Might and Magic III	New World Computing	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Also known as Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia.
Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade		Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death		Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Heroes of Might and Magic IV		Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Heroes of Might and Magic IV: The Gathering Storm		Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Heroes of Might and Magic IV: Winds of War		Template:Yes	Template:Yes
High Heat Baseball 1999	Team .366	Template:Yes	Template:No
High Heat Baseball 2000		Template:Yes	Template:No
High Heat Major League Baseball 2002	Möbius Entertainment	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Game Boy Advance version.
High Heat Major League Baseball 2003		Template:Yes	Template:Yes
The Horde (video game)	Crystal Dynamics	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	MS-DOS, Sega Saturn and FM Towns
Jonny Moseley Mad Trix	GFX Construction/RTG Studios	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Game Boy Advance version.
Jumpgate: The Reconstruction Initiative	NetDevil	Template:Yes	Template:No
Killing Time	Studio3DO	Template:Yes	Template:No	3DO version - 1995
	Logicware	Template:Yes	Template:No	PC & Mac ported version for Mac & PC/Win95; small print release on Mac and an even smaller print-run on PC/Win95
Legends of Might and Magic	New World Computing	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Mathemagics	L3 Interactive	Template:Yes	Template:No
Meridian 59	Archetype Interactive	Template:Yes	Template:No	First edition of the game (1996).
Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven	New World Computing	Template:Yes	Template:No
Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor		Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer		Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Might and Magic IX		Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Player Manager 2000	ANCO	Template:No	Template:Yes
Phoenix 3	Gray Matter Studios	Template:Yes	Template:No
Portal Runner	Handheld Games	Template:Yes	Template:No	Game Boy Color version.
Requiem: Avenging Angel	Cyclone Studios	Template:Yes	Template:No
Snow Job	Ix Entertainment	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
Soccer Kid	Team17	Template:Yes	Template:No	3DO version only - 1994. Original game made by Krisalis.
Spaceward Ho! IV	GhostNose Software Template:Small	Template:Yes	Template:No
Star Fighter	Krisalis	Template:Yes	Template:No	3DO version only developed by Tim Parry and Andrew Hutchings, and original game developed by Fednet Software. Ports developed and published by Acclaim Entertainment and in Europe by Telstar. Also known as Star Fighter 3000.
Sven-Göran Eriksson's World Cup Challenge	ANCO	Template:No	Template:Yes	PlayStation and PlayStation 2 version.
Sven-Göran Eriksson's World Cup Manager		Template:No	Template:Yes
The Need for Speed	Electronic Arts	Template:Yes	Template:Yes
TOCA Championship Racing	Codemasters	Template:Yes	Template:No
Uprising: Join or Die	Cyclone Studios	Template:Yes	Template:No
Uprising 2: Lead and Destroy		Template:Yes	Template:No
Uprising X		Template:Yes	Template:No
Vegas Games	Digital Eclipse	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Game Boy Color version.
Vegas Games 2000	New World Computing	Template:Yes	Template:No	PC version. Also known as Vegas Games: Midnight Madness.
Warriors of Might and Magic	Climax	Template:Yes	Template:Yes	Game Boy Color version.
World Destruction League: Thunder Tanks	Sunset Entertainment	Template:Yes	Template:Yes

Canceled

• Army Men: Arcade Blasts
• Army Men: Platoon Command
• Army Men: Sarge's War (Released by Global Star Software)
• The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Distributed (U.S. only)

• Pinball Builder: A Construction Kit for Windows
• Pinball Gold Pack

3DO Rating System

Template:More citations needed section The 3DO Rating System was a rating system created by The 3DO Company and used on games released for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer. The rating system, which went into use in March 1994, uses the following four categories:<ref name=GPro57>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

• E - Everyone
• 12 - Guidance for age 12 & under
• 17 - Guidance for age 17 & under
• AO - Adults Only

These ratings would appear on the lower front and back of the packaging, while the back of the packaging also specified what content was present in the game. In late 1994, the majority of 3DO's competitors signed on with a new rating system from the Entertainment Software Rating Board; despite this, the 3DO Company opted to continue providing their own rating system, leaving publishers of 3DO games to decide whether to use the 3DO Rating System or the new ESRB ratings.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The 3DO rating for each game was designated voluntarily by the game's publisher,<ref name="GPro57"/> in contrast to the ESRB ratings, which were determined independently by the ESRB.

External links

• 3DO.com on September 26, 2003 (courtesy of Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
• 3DO.com index at Internet Archive Wayback Machine
• 3DO profile on MobyGames