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The 3DO Company

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About The 3DO Company

The company was founded as SMSG, Inc. (San Mateo Software Games) in 1991 by Trip Hawkins and it was headquartered in Redwood City, California. Initially, the SMSG focused on video games consoles and launched the 3DO in October 1993. The console itself was created by different partners and licensees, while 3DO received royalties on each console sold and on each game manufactured. They also offered a lower royalty rate than direct competitors Nintendo and SEGA. The console did not succeed, with a high introduction price and dubious game quality. The final nail in the coffin was when Sony entered the market with the PlayStation in 1995. The 3DO Company sold the design for its next-generation console to Matsushita in 1996 and changed business to a games development and publishing.

Development was mainly achieved through 3 acquisitions: Cyclone Studios (1995), Archetype Interactive (1996) and New World Computing leading to a strong presence with different game genres: the Might and Magic and Heroes of Might and Magic series (New World), the long-running Army Men series, the High Heat Baseball franchise, and Meridian 59 (one of the first 3D MUDs preceding the MMORPGs), along with a lot of other games through in-house development. Studio 3DO was the company's branch in the United Kingdom, also called 3DO UK.

On 28th May 2003, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Description by MobyGames

Games published by The 3DO Company (2)