The 3DO Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founder | Trip Hawkins |
| Defunct | 2003 |
| Fate | Filed for bankruptcy; assets sold to various companies |
| Headquarters | Redwood City, California , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Trip Hawkins (Founder, Chairman, CEO, Creative Director), Hugh Martin (President) |
| Products | 3DO console, video games including Army Men, Battletanx, High Heat Major League Baseball, Might and Magic series |
Number of employees | 450 (before restructuring) (1996) |
The 3DO Company was a United States-based video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Established in 1991 by Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins along with seven associates, the company’s primary mission was to develop the 3DO video game hardware standard. Following the commercial failure of the 3DO console, the firm shifted away from hardware production and transitioned into a third-party game developer and publisher, releasing well-known franchises such as Army Men, Battletanx, High Heat Major League Baseball, and Might and Magic. Due to disappointing game sales, the company filed for bankruptcy in 2003.
Hardware development
After achieving success with Electronic Arts in software, Trip Hawkins aimed to enter the hardware market. The 3DO Company initially focused on creating a next-generation CD-based gaming platform, the 3DO, which was produced by manufacturing partners who paid royalties to 3DO for each console and game sold. The royalty fee was set at $3 per game, notably lower than fees charged by rivals like Nintendo and Sega. Major investors included AT&T, Electronic Arts, Goldstar, Matsushita (Panasonic), MCA, and Time Warner.
The first 3DO console debuted in October 1993 amid considerable media coverage as part of the multimedia wave, with Panasonic’s model retailing at $699. Despite offering attractive royalty terms for developers, the console’s steep retail price—exceeding the combined cost of both the SNES and Sega Genesis—restricted its market penetration. Unlike traditional manufacturers who could afford to sell consoles at a loss recuperated through royalties, 3DO’s licensing strategy required manufacturers to maintain profitability on hardware sales, leading to elevated prices. As a result, developers began abandoning the platform due to weak sales performance. The company’s stock price dropped from over $37 per share in November 1993 to $23 by December.
Although revenues nearly tripled by the fiscal year ending March 1995, The 3DO Company continued to operate at a loss. The console received some critical recognition in early 1995, earning best hardware honors at the European Computer Trade Show.
In January 1996, The 3DO Company sold exclusive rights for its next-generation console, the M2, to Matsushita for $100 million. This transaction helped generate the company’s first profit in the first quarter of 1996 with a net income of $1.2 million. Later that year, 3DO restructured its operations to concentrate on software creation and online gaming services, reducing its workforce from 450 to 300 employees. President Hugh Martin assumed operational management while Hawkins retained his roles as chairman, CEO, and creative director.
Transition to third-party development
Following the sale of M2 technology rights to Matsushita, 3DO expanded by acquiring Cyclone Studios, New World Computing, and Archetype Interactive. It also established a new office in Redmond, Washington dedicated to PC game development under the leadership of Tony Garcia. By mid-1997, 3DO divested its hardware division to Samsung for $20 million, fully withdrawing from console manufacturing.
Among its most successful releases were the Army Men series featuring toy soldier characters molded from green plastic and the acclaimed Might and Magic along with its spin-off Heroes of Might and Magic franchises developed by New World Computing. During the late 1990s, 3DO also published one of the pioneering 3D MMORPG titles, Meridian 59, which remains active under its original creators.
Bankruptcy and legacy
In the early 2000s, 3DO encountered significant financial challenges, posting losses exceeding $10 million during the nine-month period ending December 2002. On May 28, 2003, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which resulted in employee layoffs without compensation. Although three potential buyers showed interest in acquiring 3DO, ongoing investigations by the SEC discouraged any acquisitions. Consequently, the company's assets—including game franchises and intellectual property—were auctioned off to competitors such as Microsoft (acquiring High Heat Baseball), Namco (Street Racing Syndicate), Take-Two Interactive (Army Men), and Ubisoft (Might and Magic, Heroes of Might and Magic). Founder Trip Hawkins purchased some legacy brands along with the company's "Internet patent portfolio" for $405,000. Notably, the Army Men franchise fetched $750,000, a considerable amount at that time.
Following December 2002, 3DO stopped submitting financial disclosures. The Chapter 11 proceedings remained active through at least 2008, when the SEC imposed restrictions on trading. Later that year, the company was declared in default and its securities registration was revoked.
Despite 3DO's closure, the Army Men and Might and Magic series persisted under new ownership for many years. In April 2020, Ziggurat Interactive acquired rights to over thirty classic 3DO titles from Prism Entertainment with plans to preserve and digitally re-release these games. Their initiatives include remastering classics such as Killing Time, which was reissued in 2024.
Developed
Published
| Title | Developer(s) | NA | EU | Notes |
|---|
| Title | Developer(s) | NA release | EU release | Additional notes |
|---|
|- 3DO Buffet || Interplay Entertainment || Yes || No || |- Action Man: Destruction X || Blitz Games || No || Yes || Licensed from Hasbro Interactive |- Alex Ferguson's Player Manager 2001 || ANCO || No || Yes || |- Army Men || Digital Eclipse Software || Yes || Yes || Game Boy Color version |- Army Men: Air Combat || Fluid Studios || Yes || Yes || |- Army Men: Operation Green || Pocket Studios || Yes || Yes || |- Army Men: RTS || Pandemic Studios || Yes || Partial (PC/PS2) || GameCube version co-developed with Coyote Games |- Army Men: Sarge's Heroes 2 || GameBrains/3d6 Games || Yes || Yes || Game Boy Color edition |- Army Men: Turf Wars || Möbius Entertainment || Yes || No || |- Army Men 2 || Digital Eclipse || Yes || Yes || Game Boy Color version |- Army Men Advance || DC Studios || Yes || Yes || |- Aqua Aqua || Zed Two || Yes || No || |- Arcomage || New World Computing || Yes || No || |- BattleSport || Cyclone Studios || Yes || Yes || |- BattleTanx || Lucky Chicken Games || Yes || Yes || Game Boy Color edition |- Chaos Overlords || Stick Man Games || Yes || Yes || |- Cubix: Robots for Everyone - Clash 'n Bash Human Soft Yes No |- Cubix - Robots for Everyone: Race 'N Robots Blitz Games Yes Partial (PS only) |- Cubix Robots for Everyone: Showdown Blitz Games Yes No Released shortly after 3DO ceased operations |- Gobs of Games 2n Productions Yes Yes Known in Europe as Games Frenzy |- Gridders Tetragon Yes Yes |- Heroes Chronicles New World Computing Yes Yes |- Heroes of Might and Magic (Game Boy Color) KnowWonder Digital Mediaworks Yes Yes |- Heroes of Might and Magic: Quest for the Dragon Bone Staff New World Computing Yes Yes |- Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars New World Computing Yes Yes |- Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Price of Loyalty Cyberlore Studios Yes No |- Heroes of Might and Magic III (The Restoration of Erathia) New World Computing Yes Yes |- Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade New World Computing Yes Yes |- Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death New World Computing Yes Yes |- Heroes of Might and Magic IV New World Computing Yes Yes |- Heroes of Might and Magic IV expansions:
- The Gathering Storm
- Winds of War
New World Computing Yes Yes |- High Heat Baseball series:
- 1999 Team .366 NA only
- 2000 Team .366 NA only
- Major League Baseball 2002 Möbius Entertainment NA/EU Game Boy Advance versions
- Major League Baseball 2003 Möbius Entertainment NA/EU Game Boy Advance versions
|- The Horde Crystal Dynamics NA/EU Available on MS-DOS, Sega Saturn, FM Towns |- Jonny Moseley Mad Trix GFX Construction/RTG Studios NA/EU (GBA) |- Jumpgate: The Reconstruction Initiative NetDevil NA only |- Killing Time Studio3DO (original), Logicware (PC/Mac port) NA only |- Legends of Might and Magic New World Computing NA/EU |- Mathemagics L3 Interactive NA only |- Meridian 59 Archetype Interactive NA only (initial release in 1996) |- Might and Magic series: - VI through IX developed by New World Computing - VI exclusive to NA; others released in NA/EU |- Player Manager series: - Player Manager 2000 & Alex Ferguson's Player Manager 2001 by ANCO available in EU only |- Phoenix 3 Gray Matter Studios NA only |- Portal Runner Handheld Games NA only (Game Boy Color) |- Requiem: Avenging Angel Cyclone Studios NA only |- Snow Job Ix Entertainment NA/EU |- Soccer Kid Team17 (only the 3DO version) NA only Original title developed by Krisalis |- Spaceward Ho! IV GhostNose Software (licensed from Delta Tao) NA only |- Star Fighter (Star Fighter 3000) Krisalis (3DO version), Acclaim/Telstar (ports) NA only (3DO) |- Sven-Göran Eriksson's World Cup Challenge / Manager ANCO (PS/PS2 EU exclusive) EU only |- The Need for Speed Electronic Arts NA/EU |- TOCA Championship Racing Codemasters NA only |- Uprising series: - Uprising, Uprising 2, Uprising X by Cyclone Studios released exclusively in NA |- Vegas Games Digital Eclipse (GBC), New World Computing (PC) GBC versions released in NA/EU; PC version NA only Also known as Vegas Games: Midnight Madness on PC |- Warriors of Might and Magic Climax Studios Available on Game Boy Color in NA/EU |- World Destruction League: Thunder Tanks Sunset Entertainment Released in NA/EU |}
Canceled
- Army Men: Arcade Blasts
- Army Men: Platoon Command
- Army Men: Sarge's War, later published by Global Star Software
- The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Distributed exclusively in the U.S.
- Pinball Builder: A Construction Kit for Windows (Pinball Builder)
- Pinball Gold Pack
3DO Rating System
Developed specifically for titles on the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, which launched in March 1994, the 3DO Rating System categorized games into five classifications:
- E – suitable for Everyone
- 12 – recommended guidance for ages twelve and under
- 16 – suggested guidance for ages sixteen and under (Japan exclusive)
- 17 – recommended guidance for ages seventeen and under
- AO – restricted to Adults Only
These ratings were displayed prominently on both front and back packaging panels alongside detailed content descriptors on the reverse side. While most competitors transitioned to using the 's ESRB system' by late 1994, 3DO maintained its proprietary rating scheme. Publishers were thus able to opt between applying either the company's own system or ESRB ratings. Unlike ESRB’s independent assessment process, ratings under the 3DO system were self-assigned voluntarily by publishers themselves.
External links
- Articles with short description
- Video game development companies
- Video game companies established in 1991
- Video game companies disestablished in 2003
- Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2003
- 3DO Interactive Multiplayer
- Defunct video game companies of the United States
- 1991 establishments in California
- 2003 disestablishments in California
- Defunct companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area