New World Computing

New World Computing, Inc.

Company type	Private
Industry	Video games
Founded	1984
Founder	Jon Van Caneghem, Michaela Van Caneghem, Mark Caldwell
Defunct	2003
Fate	Closed following the bankruptcy of parent company The 3DO Company; Might and Magic IP sold to Ubisoft
Headquarters	Agoura Hills, California , United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Jon Van Caneghem (co-founder)
Products	Might and Magic series, Heroes of Might and Magic series, King's Bounty, other video games
Number of employees	Unknown (significantly reduced in 2002)
Parent	The 3DO Company (1996–2003)

New World Computing, Inc. was a United States-based video game developer and publisher established in 1984 by Jon Van Caneghem, Michaela Van Caneghem, and Mark Caldwell. The company gained recognition primarily for the Might and Magic role-playing video game franchise and its related titles, especially Heroes of Might and Magic. On July 10, 1996, The 3DO Company acquired New World Computing from NTN Communications, which had previously purchased it for $10 million in stock.

Amid financial challenges, 3DO significantly reduced New World Computing’s workforce on April 15, 2002. A small core group remained operational; however, 3DO’s ongoing difficulties culminated in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in May 2003. Prior to its dissolution later that year, 3DO sold the Might and Magic intellectual property to Ubisoft. With the shutdown of its parent company, New World Computing, as a subsidiary development studio, also ceased operations.

Might and Magic

The inaugural title in the Might and Magic series, Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum, was created by Jon Van Caneghem over a three-year development period and released for the Apple II platform in 1986. Subsequent ports were developed for the Commodore 64, classic Mac OS, and MS-DOS systems, followed by the release of its sequel, Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World, in 1988.

Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra (1991) marked the first installment designed exclusively for MS-DOS and was later adapted for platforms such as Super Nintendo and Sega Mega Drive. This entry featured a revamped game engine alongside enhanced 256-color VGA graphics.

The same engine used in Might and Magic III was employed for both Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen (1992) and Might and Magic V: Darkside of Xeen (1993). When installed together, these two titles combined to form the comprehensive World of Xeen. An upgraded CD-ROM edition released in 1994 incorporated Red Book audio tracks and voice acting. Additionally, this engine powered Swords of Xeen, a continuation later included within compilation releases of the series.

Following a five-year pause during which the Heroes of Might and Magic spin-off debuted, New World Computing returned with Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven, the first installment rendered in full 3D for Windows. This was succeeded by Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor (1999) and Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer (2000), which introduced support for hardware acceleration. In late 2001, Imagineer published a PlayStation 2 exclusive release of Might and Magic VIII solely in Japan.

In 2001, New World Computing alongside 3DO launched Legends of Might and Magic. Although originally promoted as an online multiplayer action RPG, it ultimately debuted as a conventional first-person shooter.

The subsequent main series entry, Might and Magic IX (2002), transitioned to using the LithTech engine to deliver fully three-dimensional graphics on Windows platforms. However, due to an expedited release schedule, it faced significant criticism for numerous technical issues, receiving only a single patch before New World Computing’s closure. Ubisoft later continued the series with the release of Might and Magic X in 2014.

Before declaring bankruptcy, 3DO developed two additional spin-offs—Crusaders of Might and Magic and Warriors of Might and Magic—which were not created by New World Computing. Following New World's shutdown, Ubisoft has maintained the franchise through various spin-offs such as Dark Messiah of Might and Magic, without any involvement from New World Computing.

Heroes of Might and Magic

In 1990, New World Computing introduced King's Bounty, a turn-based tactical RPG created by co-founder Jon Van Caneghem, which was available on platforms such as Apple II, MS-DOS, Mac, Commodore 64, and Amiga. The game later integrated elements of real-time strategy and was adapted for the Sega Mega Drive. In 1995, the company revisited the fundamental gameplay with Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest for MS-DOS, followed by an upgraded version tailored for Windows 95 in 1996.

Following this achievement, Heroes of Might and Magic II was launched for Windows 95 and classic Mac OS. An expansion pack titled The Price of Loyalty, developed by Cyberlore Studios, came out in 1997 for Windows 95. Both the original game and its expansion were later combined into the package known as Heroes of Might and Magic II Gold.

The release of Heroes of Might and Magic III occurred in 1999 for Windows and Mac OS, succeeded by two expansion packs: Armageddon's Blade (1999) and The Shadow of Death (2000). Although these expansions were not individually released for Mac OS, the comprehensive collection Heroes of Might and Magic III Complete was made available for both operating systems. In 2000, Loki Software developed a Linux version of the original title; however, expansions did not receive a Linux port.

Between 2000 and 2001, New World Computing issued eight episodic installments under the Heroes Chronicles series, utilizing a streamlined iteration of the Heroes III engine. Two episodes were exclusively accessible as downloads for players who owned other entries in the series.

In 2001, an updated remake of King's Bounty was released under the Heroes brand as Heroes of Might and Magic: Quest for the Dragon Bone Staff on PlayStation 2.

The arrival of Heroes of Might and Magic IV in 2002 coincided with Might and Magic IX, introducing notable shifts in gameplay mechanics. This installment was supported by two expansions: The Gathering Storm (2002) and The Winds of War (2003). The latter expansion represented New World Computing’s final project before its dissolution following the bankruptcy of 3DO.

Later titles in the franchise were developed by Nival Interactive with publishing handled by Ubisoft. Meanwhile, Russian publisher 1C Company acquired the rights to the King's Bounty name in 2007 and subsequently released King's Bounty: The Legend in 2008 through developer Katauri Interactive.

Other games

New World Computing’s primary focus remained on the Might and Magic series along with its related spin-offs. Early in its history, the company also produced various unrelated role-playing games and published titles such as Spaceward Ho! from Delta Tao Software and Empire Deluxe, created by Mark Baldwin and Bob Rakowsky. After being acquired by the 3DO Company, New World Computing devoted itself entirely to the development within the Might and Magic franchise.

In 1989, it developed the satirical title Nuclear War, inspired by a card game from Flying Buffalo. Although published by U.S. Gold, it did not achieve commercial success but stood out as a notable deviation from their typical RPG offerings.

Games

Year	Title	Developer	Publisher
1986	Might and Magic: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum	Yes	Yes
1988	Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World	Yes	Yes
1989	Nuclear War	Yes	No
1990	King's Bounty	Yes	Yes
	Tunnels & Trolls: Crusaders of Khazan	Yes	Yes
1991	The Faery Tale Adventure	Template:Partial	No
	Joe and Mac	No	Yes
	Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra	Yes	Yes
	Planet's Edge	Yes	Yes
1992	Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen	Yes	Yes
	Spaceward Ho!	No	Yes
1993	Empire Deluxe	No	Yes
	Empire Deluxe Scenarios	No	Yes
	Might and Magic V: Darkside of Xeen	Yes	Yes
1994	Hammer of the Gods	No	Yes
	Inherit the Earth: Quest for the Orb	No	Yes
	Iron Cross	Yes	Yes
	Might and Magic: World of Xeen (enhanced CD)	Yes	Yes
	Zephyr	Yes	Yes
1995	Anvil of Dawn	No	Yes
	- rowspan="5" | 1999 -Arcomage -style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes -style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes - -Heroes of Might and Magic III -style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes -style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes - -Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade -style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes -style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes - -Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor -style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes -style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes - -Vegas Games 2000 / Vegas Games: Midnight Madness -style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes -style="background:#9EFF9E;color:black;vertical-align:middle;text-align:center;" class="table-yes"|Yes - - rowspan="8" | 2000 -'Heroes Chronicles: Clash of the Dragons' - yes - yes - -'Heroes Chronicles: Conquest of the Underworld' - yes - yes - -'Heroes Chronicles: Masters of the Elements' - yes - yes - -'Heroes Chronicles: Warlords of the Wastelands' - yes - yes - -'Heroes Chronicles: The World Tree' (download only) - yes - yes - -'Heroes Chronicles: The Fiery Moon' (download only) - yes - yes -|- -|Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death' -| yes -| yes -|- -|Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer' -| yes -| yes -|- -| rowspan="3" | 2001 -|Heroes Chronicles: The Final Chapters' -| yes -| yes -|- -|Heroes of Might and Magic: Quest for the Dragon Bone Staff' -| yes -| yes -|- -|Legends of Might and Magic' -| yes -| yes -|- -| rowspan="3" | 2002 -|Heroes of Might and Magic IV' -| yes -| yes -|- -|Heroes of Might and Magic IV: The Gathering Storm' -| yes -| yes -|- -|Might and Magic IX' -| yes -| yes -|- -|2003 -|Heroes of Might and Magic IV: Winds of War' -| yes -| yes