New World Computing

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Mark Caldwell
)
Not to be confused with New World Interactive.

New World Computing, Inc.

New World Computing, Inc. was an American

NTN Communications, after NTN purchased New World Computing for $10 million in stock.[4]

Amidst financial turmoil, the 3DO Company laid off a large portion of the staff of New World Computing on April 15, 2002.

following year saw little improvement in parent 3DO's situation, and the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May of that year.[6] Before dissolving later that year, 3DO sold the rights to the Might and Magic series to Ubisoft.[7] As an in-house development studio
of the 3DO Company, New World Computing ceased to exist with the dissolution of its parent organization.

Might and Magic

Main article: Might and Magic

The first Might and Magic game, Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum, was programmed by Jon Van Caneghem for over a three-year period ending in 1986.[citation needed] Released for the Apple II on June 1, 1986,[8] with ports for the Commodore 64, classic Mac OS, and MS-DOS following a year later,[2] the game was successful enough to warrant a sequel, Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World, released for the Apple II and MS-DOS in 1988.[9]

The third installment,

Sega Mega Drive.[10] Might and Magic III featured an entirely redesigned game engine and 8-bit (256) color VGA graphics.[11]

The Might and Magic III engine was reused for the next two installments of the series,

Swords of Xeen, a continuation of World of Xeen produced by Catware under permission from New World Computing. Although it was never released as a standalone title, Swords of Xeen was included in numerous Might and Magic series compilations released by New World Computing and, later, the 3DO Company.[14]

After a

3D graphics, and the first to be released for Microsoft Windows.[1] Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor (1999) and Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer (2000) followed, using the same engine, but adding support for graphical hardware acceleration.[15] In late 2001, Might and Magic VIII was released for the PlayStation 2 video game console in the Japanese market only, courtesy of developer Imagineer.[16]

Also in 2001, New World and 3DO released Legends of Might and Magic, a spin-off of the Might and Magic series. Originally conceived as an online multiplayer action role-playing game (and announced as such when it was unveiled at E3 in 2000), by the time of the game's release the following year it had evolved into a more traditional first-person shooter.[17]

The next Might and Magic game was released in 2002 as Might and Magic IX for Windows. Abandoning the now-dated Might and Magic VI engine in favor of the LithTech engine (also used in Legends of Might and Magic), Might and Magic IX was the first game in the series to be rendered entirely in 3D.[18] Unfortunately, the release of the game was rushed, and the finished product was received poorly by critics, who noted the numerous software bugs remaining in the final release, most of which were not fully resolved by the sole patch released before New World Computing's dissolution.[19] The most current game, released by Ubisoft in 2014, is Might and Magic X.

Before its bankruptcy, the 3DO Company produced two further spin-offs of the Might and Magic series: Crusaders of Might and Magic and Warriors of Might and Magic. Neither of these games was developed by New World Computing, however.[citation needed] Similarly, a number of Might and Magic spin-off titles have been produced since the dissolution of New World Computing by Ubisoft and its associates. New World Computing was not involved in the production of any of these (including Dark Messiah of Might and Magic).[20]

Heroes of Might and Magic

Main article: Heroes of Might and Magic

In 1990, New World Computing released

enhanced version of the game was released for Windows 95
.

Following the success of the first Heroes game, New World released

Cyberlore Studios
and released by New World Computing in 1997 for Windows 95 only. The combined game and its expansion were subsequently re-released together as Heroes of Might and Magic II Gold.

In 1999,

Loki Software produced a Linux
port of the original Heroes III in 2000, but neither of the two expansions were made available.

From 2000 to 2001, New World Computing used a limited version of the Heroes of Might and Magic III

episodic titles released under the Heroes Chronicles
umbrella. Two of these games (The World Tree and The Fiery Moon) were only available for online download to consumers who purchased other installments of the series.

In 2001, an

enhanced remake of the original King's Bounty was released for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The game was marketed as part of the Heroes franchise and released under the title Heroes of Might and Magic: Quest for the Dragon Bone Staff
.

The Winds of War
in 2003. The Winds of War was the last title to be developed by New World Computing prior to its dissolution following the bankruptcy of 3DO.

Subsequent games in the Heroes of Might and Magic series were developed by

following year (developed by Katauri Interactive
).

Other games

Throughout its existence, New World Computing focused primarily on the Might and Magic series and its various spin-offs. Early in its existence, however, the company was involved in the development of several unrelated video games, typically in the

Empire Deluxe
 by Mark Baldwin and Bob Rakowsky. After being absorbed into the 3DO Company, New World Computing devoted its energies solely to game development, and worked exclusively on the Might and Magic franchise thereafter.

In 1989, New World Computing developed the satirical game Nuclear War, based on the Flying Buffalo card game of the same name. While this was not particularly successful from a financial perspective, it was notable as a departure from the company's traditional field of role-playing video games.

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 Porter 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
Heroes of Might and Magic Yes Yes
Multimedia Celebrity Poker Yes Yes
Swords of Xeen
 		No Yes
Wetlands No Yes
Mind Games No Yes
1996 Chaos Overlords No Yes
Empire II: The Art of War No Yes
Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars
 		Yes Yes
Spaceward Ho! IV No Yes
Wages of War No Yes
1997
Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Price of Loyalty
 		No Yes
1998 Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven Yes Yes
1999 Arcomage Yes Yes
Heroes of Might and Magic III Yes Yes
Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade Yes Yes
Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor Yes Yes
Vegas Games: Midnight Madness
 		Yes Yes
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
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
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

References

  1. ^
    TheFreeLibrary.com. June 19, 1997. Archived from the original
    on October 2, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  2. ^
    Gamasutra
    . Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  3. TheFreeLibrary.com. July 10, 1996. Archived from the original
    on March 15, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  4. ^ "NTN Networks With New World". Computer Gaming World. March 1994. p. 14.
  5. ^ Walker, Trey (April 15, 2002). "3DO cuts New World Computing staff". GameSpot. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  6. CNET News
    . Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  7. ^ Surette, Tim (March 30, 2005). "Ubisoft casts new Might and Magic PC game". GameSpot. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  8. ^ "Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum". IGN. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  9. ^ "Release Information for Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World". MobyGames. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  10. ^ "Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra". IGN. Archived from the original on February 21, 2002. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  11. ^ "Might & Magic Trilogy". CDAccess.com. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  12. ^ "Might and Magic: Darkside of Xeen". MobyGames. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  13. ^ "Might and Magic: World of Xeen". MobyGames. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  14. ^ "Bill Fawcett, COO". Service Bay 12. December 3, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2009. [dead link]
  15. ^ Erickson, Doug (June 14, 1999). "Review: Might and Magic VII: For Blood or Honor". Gaming Age. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  16. ^ IGN Staff (November 2, 2000). "Now Playing in Japan". IGN. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  17. ^ Walker, Trey (January 25, 2001). "Legends of Might and Magic Preview". Gamespot. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  18. ^ "3DO Ships Might and Magic IX". Archived from the original on October 26, 2012.
  19. ^ Bones (June 14, 2003). "TELP's Might and Magic IX". Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  20. ^ "Dark Messiah Announced". IGN. August 5, 2005. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
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