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Microsoft, UbiSoft, Namco Buy 3DO Assets

Posted by simoniker on from the redistribution-of-brands dept.

Steve Shewchuk writes "3DO, the publisher known for its Might and Magic, Army Men, and High Heat Baseball franchises, has successfully auctioned off a number of its assets after its transition into bankruptcy protection. High Heat Baseball has been purchased by Microsoft, while the Might and Magic series went to Ubisoft. Street Racing Syndicate sold to Namco Hometek, but there's no word on Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, one of the biggest 'in production' games before 3DO went bankrupt."

10 of 33 comments (clear)

  1. Ubisoft by Battlegeek · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I don't know if Ubisoft buying Might and Magic is a good thing, I haven't been wowed by any of their titles that I have played. I'm insanely addicted to Heroes, and have been kind enough to spread that addiction to many others. I was disheaterned to hear 3DO had gone bankrupt. Hopefully Ubisoft will do justice to the franchise.

    --
    Apathy...make it a way of life.
    1. Re:Ubisoft by LordYUK · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I wont buy ANYTHING with the Ubisoft label on it... not after the Pools of Radiance 2 debacle...

      what a wonderful game... ruined... completely...

      oh well, they were the number 1 game for a week, if you dont like it, write your own! (if you didnt check the forums you wouldnt understand, but that was their response!)

      Note, this game was so horrible, they had to patch it before it could be uninstalled off of some users machines...

      --
      This is my sig. Its pathetic.
    2. Re:Ubisoft by Matchu · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Wasn't PoR2 the game where the installer, if you changed the install directory from the default, would delete the contents of the whole partition?

    3. Re:Ubisoft by secolactico · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It could be worse, Microsoft might have got it instead, in which case it would probably be only available on XBox

      I'm not sure about that. Microsoft has released some very good games in the past and hasn't tried to transition to Xbox those that wouldn't be very good in a console (flight sim, age of empire, et al.)

      Games are about the only MS software I don't flinch about when it comes to purchasing decisions.

      --
      No sig
    4. Re:Ubisoft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Yes it was.

    5. Re:Ubisoft by Babbster · · Score: 2, Informative

      I don't know much, if anything, about Ubisoft's PC releases being that I go mostly console with a smattering of only the "big" PC titles (Civilization, Warcraft, Diablo, Sims, etc.). However, Ubisoft's console releases over the past couple years have been well nigh bulletproof. Splinter Cell alone makes their console releases at least worth taking a look at every time (hopefully XIII will be as well done)...Maybe they'll take M&M and make it a console RPG franchise. With games like Morrowind and KOTOR making inroads for American RPGs on consoles, M&M could find a very friendly home on at least the Xbox.

  2. High Heat doomed by jathos · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Great -- there goes High Heat baseball. The franchise has suffered in years past: 3DO had a single-minded focus on getting the product out the door, and then would abandon it. The user community would release all kinds of cool add-ons, such as stadiums, uniforms, etc., but we never got so much as a patch from 3DO.

    Microsoft Baseball from the late 90s was OK for the time, but it's arcade style was worlds away from the true-to-life experience that HH provided. This is a sad day for baseball sims. I'm glad EA took a step in the right direction with this year's offering, but for me, now it's the only game in town.

  3. Might be good... by SirLantos · · Score: 2

    I LOVE the Heroes of Might and Magic series. UbiSoft also made a number of games that I thought were quite good. (They were involved with a lot of the Tom Clancy games.)

    I cant wait to see what they do with it.

    But, thats just my opinion,
    SirLantos

    --
    The flying hamster of DOOM rains coconuts on your pitiful city.
  4. 3DO hardware patents... by nickos · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Didn't 3DO have some really interesting hardware patents? - I know that after Commodore went bust, a lot of Amiga hardware designers went to work for 3DO, and as a result 3DO had some cool Amiga style custom-chip trickery.

    Does anyone know what's happenned to any hardware patents 3DO might have had?

  5. Office 2006? by TrickFred · · Score: 2, Funny

    I hope Microsoft doesn't buy the Army Men rights - the little green pains in the ass will wind up as characters for the Office Assistant.

    "A-ten-HUT, Private, looks like you could use some help."