As 1995 turned into 1996, things at the 3DO company weren't looking good. Despite seeing decent sales numbers of over a million units, this paled in comparison to new machines from SEGA and Sony.

This, coupled with a dwindling number of games, and many owners of the system jumping ship to the SEGA Saturn and Sony PlayStation, made it clear that the 3DO's dream of becoming an established console in the market just wasn't going to happen.

Big decisions were made that would affect the company for the remainder of its short life.

Contact me: danny@dannybrown.me

Products I use for Pod Chat

Note: these contain affiliate links, so I may get a small percentage of any product you buy/use when using my link.

My equipment:

• Electro-Voice RE320
• Motu M2 Audio Interface
• Sony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor Headphones
• Podcast Pro Boom Arm by Accu-Lite and O.C. White

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Boomcaster remote interviewing
• My Podcast Reviews
• Reel.so audiogram creator

If 1994 was the year that the 3DO finally got the quality games that had offered the promise the machine held, 1995 was when it truly solidified its reputation as a serious piece of kit.

Owners of the system were treated to excellent games like:

• Killing Time, a photo-realistic take on the first person shooting game
• Return Fire, an excellent multiplayer war game, where vehicles and strategy played a huge part
• Slam 'n' Jam, an awesome and super fun basketball game
• BattleSport, a futuristic sports battle game, and a forerunner to this generation's Rocket League
• Space Hulk: Vengeance, a hugely atmospheric shooter based on the popular board game
• and Demolition Man, a movie tie in that offered scenes from the Sylvester Stallone movie alongside a multi-genre platformer.

These were just some of the games that helped the 3DO company enjoy their best sales since launch. Coupled with the ongoing teases of the upcoming 64-bit upgrade, the M2, and other hardware partners releasing versions of the console, 1995 looked as if it was going to be a banner year for the machine.

However, there were storm clouds on the horizon, from both a gaming and a financial viewpoint. On the gaming front, while Sega had released the Saturn at the end of 1994, it was industry newcomer Sony who was making the biggest noise with their PlayStation, also released in Japan at the end of 1994.

Back at the 3DO company, despite the excellent games lineup the company published throughout the year, it was clear things weren't looking good. The Sega Saturn and the Sony PlayStation had essentially stalled sales of the 3DO console, and the licensing model that the 3DO company hoped would change things in the industry hadn't made the impact the company hoped for.

Get involved:

• Support the show
• Follow Danny on Twitter

My equipment:

• Electro-Voice RE320
• Motu M2 Audio Interface
• Denon DJ HP-1100 Over Ear Headphones
• Podcast Pro Boom Arm by Accu-Lite and O.C. White

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Accusonus audio plugins
• Boomcaster remote interviewing
• My Podcast Reviews
• Reel.so audiogram creator

With the 3DO now launched in North America and Japan, and a European release on the horizon, it was time for the game developers to stand up and show what the machine could do.

After the stunted launch in North America, where there was only one game available on the day of launch, things were going to be different for Europe, which would benefit the North American and Japanese markets by association.

1994 saw a slew of great games released for the system, and really helped gamers see what all the early fuss had been about.

With these games in the library, and the promise of an even better 1995 release line-up, it looked like the 3DO was here to stay.

Get involved:

• Support the show
• Follow Danny on Twitter

My equipment:

• Electro-Voice RE320
• Motu M2 Audio Interface
• Denon DJ HP-1100 Over Ear Headphones
• Podcast Pro Boom Arm by Accu-Lite and O.C. White

Recommended resources:

• Captivate.fm
• Aweber email marketing
• Boomcaster remote interviewing
• My Podcast Reviews