I contacted Empire Interactive through a private message and asked them about this. Based on the response I received, I can say the following.
The situation is similar to what happened with Acclaim last year. They have acquired the rights to the brands, as well as the IPs of several games, but they have not revealed which IPs they own yet. According to them, those announcements will be made soon.
As for 3DO, they plan to remaster classic titles from their older franchises. However, rather than turning the company into a purely retro-focused brand, they also want to introduce both the 3DO and Empire Interactive brands to a new generation by developing at least AA-quality games. Simoria is one example of this. They are also working on a game similar to The Sims, designed to compete directly with EA Games and The Sims franchise.
I personally think this project is one of the main reasons they acquired 3DO, especially considering that Trip Hawkins founded both companies.
My conclusion is that Empire Interactive will become a AA game development studio while also publishing lower-budget indie games on Steam, just like it did in the past. In addition, Empire will also operate in the mobile gaming market. Those familiar with the company's history will remember that Empire Interactive was known for publishing mid-budget games.
As for The 3DO Company, it appears that the brand will be used both for remastering and re-releasing classic retro games and for publishing new AA and even AAA-quality titles.
Regarding the Empire website, don't pay attention to things like the "2024 Award" text. They set up the website but haven't replaced all of the default content yet. Those sections are simply placeholder text that came with the WordPress theme, so they shouldn't be taken as meaningful information. The website is currently being updated.
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Re: "The Return Of A Legend" - 3DO Might Be Returning As An Independent Game Company
I contacted Empire Interactive through a private message and asked them about this. Based on the response I received, I can say the following.
The situation is similar to what happened with Acclaim last year. They have acquired the rights to the brands, as well as the IPs of several games, but they have not revealed which IPs they own yet. According to them, those announcements will be made soon.
As for 3DO, they plan to remaster classic titles from their older franchises. However, rather than turning the company into a purely retro-focused brand, they also want to introduce both the 3DO and Empire Interactive brands to a new generation by developing at least AA-quality games. Simoria is one example of this. They are also working on a game similar to The Sims, designed to compete directly with EA Games and The Sims franchise.
I personally think this project is one of the main reasons they acquired 3DO, especially considering that Trip Hawkins founded both companies.
My conclusion is that Empire Interactive will become a AA game development studio while also publishing lower-budget indie games on Steam, just like it did in the past. In addition, Empire will also operate in the mobile gaming market. Those familiar with the company's history will remember that Empire Interactive was known for publishing mid-budget games.
As for The 3DO Company, it appears that the brand will be used both for remastering and re-releasing classic retro games and for publishing new AA and even AAA-quality titles.
Regarding the Empire website, don't pay attention to things like the "2024 Award" text. They set up the website but haven't replaced all of the default content yet. Those sections are simply placeholder text that came with the WordPress theme, so they shouldn't be taken as meaningful information. The website is currently being updated.