The 3DO Company
Encyclopedia
The 3DO Company also known as 3DO (short for three-dimensional operating system), was a video game company. It was founded in 1991
under the name SMSG, Inc. (for San Mateo Software Group) by Electronic Arts
founder Trip Hawkins
in a partnership with seven other companies, including LG, Matsushita
(now Panasonic), AT&T
, MCA
, Time Warner
, and Electronic Arts
. After the 3DO Company's flagship video game console
, the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer
failed in the marketplace, the company exited the hardware business and became a third-party video game developer.
which would be manufactured by various partners and licensees; 3DO would collect a royalty on each console sold and on each game manufactured. To game publishers
, the low $3 royalty rate per game was a better deal than the higher royalties paid to Nintendo
and Sega
when making games for their consoles. The launch of the platform in October, 1993 was well-promoted, with a great deal of press attention in the mass media as part of the "multimedia
wave" in the computer world at the time.
The 3DO console
itself was priced at $699, and the promised "early adopters" never showed up to purchase mass quantities of game
s. The lack of console, and subsequently game, sales trumped the enticingly low royalty rate and proved a fatal flaw. In October 1995, The 3DO Company sold its next generation console, codenamed M2
, to Matsushita and changed its business to develop and publish games for other game consoles and PCs.
. 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 MMORPG
s: Meridian 59
, which survives on to this day at the hands of some of the game's original developers.
With the exception of its well-received High Heat Baseball franchise and BattleTanx
games, most of the company's games were critically panned. Consumers also had no interest in purchasing sequels to the earlier 3DO games that disappointed them, and the preventative pricing of said 3DO software forced initial 3DO supporters to eventually flock to Sony's PlayStation
for next-gen video gaming.
After struggling for several years, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
in May 2003. Employees were laid off without pay, and the company's game brands and other intellectual properties
were sold to rivals like Microsoft
, Namco
, Crave
, and Ubisoft
, and also to founder Trip Hawkins who paid $405,000 for rights to some older brands and the company's "Internet patent portfolio". Hawkins went on to found Digital Chocolate
, a mobile-based gaming company.
1991 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*Microprose creates Civilization, Sid Meier's most successful game .*Electronic Arts releases James Pond 2 and Road Rash for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, starting a series of games that were popular in the 1990s....
under the name SMSG, Inc. (for San Mateo Software Group) by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
founder Trip Hawkins
Trip Hawkins
William M. 'Trip' Hawkins III is a Silicon Valley American entrepreneur and founder of Electronic Arts, The 3DO Company and Digital Chocolate....
in a partnership with seven other companies, including LG, Matsushita
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.
, formerly known as , is a Japanese multinational consumer electronics corporation headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Japan. Its main business is in electronics manufacturing....
(now Panasonic), AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, MCA
Music Corporation of America
MCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...
, Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
, and Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
. After the 3DO Company's flagship video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
, the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer
3DO Interactive Multiplayer
The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in 1993. Further renditions of the hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and Goldstar. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by...
failed in the marketplace, the company exited the hardware business and became a third-party video game developer.
Console developer
When the company was first founded, its original objective was to create a next-generation, CD-based video game system3DO Interactive Multiplayer
The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in 1993. Further renditions of the hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and Goldstar. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by...
which would be manufactured by various partners and licensees; 3DO would collect a royalty on each console sold and on each game manufactured. To game publishers
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
, the low $3 royalty rate per game was a better deal than the higher royalties paid to Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
and Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
when making games for their consoles. The launch of the platform in October, 1993 was well-promoted, with a great deal of press attention in the mass media as part of the "multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
wave" in the computer world at the time.
The 3DO console
3DO Interactive Multiplayer
The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in 1993. Further renditions of the hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and Goldstar. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by...
itself was priced at $699, and the promised "early adopters" never showed up to purchase mass quantities of game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
s. The lack of console, and subsequently game, sales trumped the enticingly low royalty rate and proved a fatal flaw. In October 1995, The 3DO Company sold its next generation console, codenamed M2
Panasonic M2
The Panasonic M2 was a video game console design developed by 3DO and then sold to Matsushita . Before it could be released, however, Matsushita cancelled the project in mid 1997, unwilling to compete against fellow Japanese electronics giant Sony's PlayStation due to the failure of the 3DO...
, to Matsushita and changed its business to develop and publish games for other game consoles and PCs.
Third-party developer
After abandoning the 3DO console the company acquired Cyclone Studios, Archetype Interactive and New World ComputingNew World Computing
New World Computing, Inc. was an American computer game developer and publisher founded in 1984 by Jon Van Caneghem, his wife, Michaela Van Caneghem, and Mark Caldwell. It was best known for its work on the Might and Magic computer role-playing game series and its spin-offs, especially Heroes of...
. The company's biggest hit was its series of Army Men games, featuring generic green plastic soldier toys. Its Might and Magic
Might and Magic
Might and Magic is a series of role-playing video games from New World Computing, which in 1996 became a subsidiary of The 3DO Company...
and especially Heroes of Might and Magic
Heroes of Might and Magic
Heroes of Might and Magic is a series of video games originally created and developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing. As part of the Might and Magic franchise, the series changed ownership when NWC was acquired by 3DO and again when 3DO closed down and sold the rights to Ubisoft...
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 MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
s: Meridian 59
Meridian 59
Meridian 59, abbreviated M59, is an online computer role-playing game first published by the now defunct 3DO Company. First launched online in an early form on December 15, 1995 and released commercially on September 27, 1996 with a flat-rate monthly subscription, Meridian 59 is often credited as...
, which survives on to this day at the hands of some of the game's original developers.
With the exception of its well-received High Heat Baseball franchise and BattleTanx
BattleTanx
BattleTanx is an action game for the Nintendo 64, produced by 3DO. The game is followed by a sequel titled BattleTanx: Global Assault.-Plot:...
games, most of the company's games were critically panned. Consumers also had no interest in purchasing sequels to the earlier 3DO games that disappointed them, and the preventative pricing of said 3DO software forced initial 3DO supporters to eventually flock to Sony's PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
for next-gen video gaming.
After struggling for several years, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
in May 2003. Employees were laid off without pay, and the company's game brands and other intellectual properties
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
were sold to rivals like Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
, Crave
Crave Entertainment
Crave Entertainment is an American video game company. It was founded in 1997 by Nima Taghavi. Its headquarters is in Newport Beach, California...
, and Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
, and also to founder Trip Hawkins who paid $405,000 for rights to some older brands and the company's "Internet patent portfolio". Hawkins went on to found Digital Chocolate
Digital Chocolate
Digital Chocolate is a video game developer headquartered in San Mateo, California. It was founded in 2003 by Trip Hawkins, the entrepreneur and founder of the video game publishing giant Electronic Arts and founder of The 3DO Company. The company focuses on developing games for mobile phones, iOS,...
, a mobile-based gaming company.
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 MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- 3DO Today - Large 3DO resource site
- A catalogue of 3DO games for the 3DO Multiplayer - run 3DO Kid