The 3DO Company initially focused on licensing its 3DO console design to third-party hardware manufacturers. After the console's commercial failure, the company transitioned into a software developer and publisher, creating franchises like Army Men and acquiring the Might and Magic series. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2003.
Founded in 1991 by Electronic Arts co-founder Trip Hawkins, the enterprise initially operated under the name San Mateo Software Group. To support its multimedia platform, the company's internal software division developed and published several early titles designed to showcase the system's CD-ROM capabilities and 3D graphics.
Among these early releases was the 1993 horror-themed first-person shooter
Escape from Monster Manor. In 1994, the company published
Jurassic Park Interactive, an action-arcade game based on the hit film, alongside the educational title
Club 3DO: Station Invasion. To demonstrate the console's library to consumers, the developer produced a series of promotional compilation discs, releasing
3DO Interactive Sampler CD 2,
3DO Interactive Sampler CD 3, and
3DO Interactive Sampler CD 4 throughout 1995. The same year, the studio expanded its software catalog with the sci-fi shooter
Captain Quazar and the futuristic, 3D flight-action game
Blade Force. These internal software efforts highlighted the platform's scaling and rotation capabilities before the company shifted its focus entirely to multi-platform software publishing.
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