3D Realms is an American video game publisher and developer originally based in Garland, Texas and currently based in Aalborg, Denmark. It was founded in 1987 as Apogee Software by Scott Miller to publish his game Kingdom of Kroz. Prior to Apogee's founding, Miller had released a few games he had developed himself, as well as a couple "packs" of games developed by himself and others, under a shareware distribution model whereby the games were distributed for free in return for donations. These games were inconsistently marketed under the name Apogee Software Productions, though after the company was founded they were sold under the Apogee Software name. Miller found that the standard shareware model was not viable for his games such as Beyond the Titanic (1986) and Supernova (1987), and beginning with Kroz the company pioneered the "Apogee model" of shareware distribution, wherein games were broken up into segments with the first part released for free to drive interest in the other monetized portions.

Soon after its founding, Apogee began publishing titles by other developers in addition to titles by Miller; these developers were often companies composed of a single designer. As Apogee expanded to include more people, some of these designers, such as George Broussard (Micro F/X Software) and Todd Replogle (Scenario Software), joined Apogee as employees and designed its later titles; Broussard joined the company in 1991 as a co-owner. In the 1990s, Apogee was best known for popularizing its shareware model and as the creator of franchises for MS-DOS on the personal computer such as Duke Nukem and as the publisher of games such as Commander Keen and Wolfenstein 3D.

In 1994, Apogee decided to launch different brand names for each genre of games they published; it created 3D Realms for 3D games, publishing Terminal Velocity in 1995 and developing the 1996 Duke Nukem 3D under the name, with the other titles released in those years still under Apogee. In late 1996, however, Apogee renamed the company itself to 3D Realms to associate their brand with newer, 3D titles. 3D Realms launched a brand for pinball games, Pinball Wizards, in February 1997, but only published Balls of Steel (1997) under the name. Also beginning in 1997, with their licensed Duke Nukem sequels, 3D Realms shifted from episodic MS-DOS titles to non-episodic console and personal computer games. In the process it abandoned the shareware model in favor of a traditional publishing model; it also largely ceased its activities as a developer that same year, releasing only Shadow Warrior (1997). The sole exceptions were Prey (2006), which stayed in development until 2001 when it was transferred to another studio, and Duke Nukem Forever (2011), which famously stayed in development at 3D Realms as vaporware until 2009.

In July 2008, 3D Realms licensed the Apogee name to the newly formed Apogee Software, which publishes both older Apogee titles and new games; it was renamed Apogee Entertainment in 2021. In 2009, financial issues drove 3D Realms to shut down their development department and publishing operations, canceling Duke Nukem Forever and its publishing involvement in the already announced Earth No More and Prey 2. In 2014, 3D Realms itself, then focusing on licensing its franchises to other developers, was sold to the investment firm backing Interceptor Entertainment, one of those developers; since then it has published two titles for Interceptor and has several more planned under its new name of Slipgate Ironworks. In 2017, 3D Realms announced a return to development with a partnership for Shadow Stalkers, expected in 2018 but later canceled. 3D Realms has since published several titles by multiple developers, particularly Slipgate Ironworks. During its history, 3D Realms has developed or published over 50 games, and granted licenses for 10 more. At least 25 games that 3D Realms was involved with were canceled, with some going on to be finished by other companies.

Video games Many of the games published under the Apogee name were released as a set of separate episodes, which were purchasable and playable separately or as a group. Titles are listed for games that gave individual names to their episodes instead of episode numbers.

+ Title System(s) Release date Developer(s) Puzzle Fun-Pak( ) MS-DOS Apogee Adventure Fun-Pak MS-DOS Beyond the Titanic MS-DOS Apogee (Scott Miller) Supernova MS-DOS Apogee (Scott Miller, Terry Nagy) MS-DOS Apogee (Scott Miller) Word Whiz MS-DOS Apogee (Scott Miller) Trivia Whiz MS-DOS Micro F/X Software (George Broussard) Trek Trivia MS-DOS Apogee (Scott Miller) Next Generation Trivia MS-DOS Micro F/X Software (George Broussard) MS-DOS Scenario Software (Todd Replogle) MS-DOS Apogee (Scott Miller) Monuments of Mars MS-DOS Scenario Software (Todd Replogle) MS-DOS Apogee (Scott Miller) Pharaoh's Tomb MS-DOS Micro F/X Software (George Broussard) MS-DOS id Software Dark Ages MS-DOS Scenario Software Jumpman Lives! MS-DOS Shamusoft Designs (Dave Sharpless) MS-DOS Apogee Paganitzu MS-DOS Trilobyte (Keith Schuler) Arctic Adventure MS-DOS Apogee Crystal Caves MS-DOS MS-DOS id Software Secret Agent MS-DOS Apogee Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure MS-DOS Word Rescue MS-DOS Redwood Games Wolfenstein 3D MS-DOS id Software Math Rescue MS-DOS Redwood Games ScubaVenture: The Search for Pirate's Treasure MS-DOS Apogee Major Stryker MS-DOS Apogee Monster Bash MS-DOS Bio Menace MS-DOS Alien Carnage MS-DOS Interactive Binary Illusions, SubZero Software MS-DOS Apogee Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold MS-DOS JAM Productions Raptor: Call of the Shadows MS-DOS Cygnus Studios Hocus Pocus MS-DOS Moonlite Software Mystic Towers MS-DOS Animation F/X Wacky Wheels MS-DOS Beavis Soft Blake Stone: Planet Strike MS-DOS JAM Productions Boppin' MS-DOS Accursed Toys Rise of the Triad MS-DOS Apogee Terminal Velocity MS-DOS, Windows Terminal Reality Realms of Chaos MS-DOS Apogee Xenophage: Alien Bloodsport MS-DOS Argo Games Duke Nukem 3D MS-DOS 3D Realms Death Rally MS-DOS Remedy Entertainment Stargunner MS-DOS Apogee Shadow Warrior MS-DOS 3D Realms Balls of Steel Windows Wildfire Studios Max Payne Windows Remedy Entertainment Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox Remedy Entertainment Mobile phones Machineworks Northwest Tapwave Zodiac Mobile phones Machineworks Northwest Prey Windows, Xbox 360 3D Realms, Human Head Studios Duke Nukem Forever Windows, macOS, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 3D Realms, Triptych Games, Gearbox Software, Piranha Games Bombshell Windows Interceptor Entertainment Rad Rodgers: World One Windows Graveball Windows Goin' Yumbo Games ZIQ Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch Midnight Sea Studios Ion Fury Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One Voidpoint Ghostrunner Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One One More Level, Slipgate Ironworks Cultic Windows Jasozz Games The Kindeman Remedy Windows Troglobytes Games Kingpin: Reloaded Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch Xatrix Entertainment, Slipgate Ironworks Graven Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch Slipgate Ironworks Wrath: Aeon of Ruin Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One KillPixel, Slipgate Ironworks Phantom Fury Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch Slipgate Ironworks Ripout Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S Pet Project Games Bloodless Windows Point N' Sheep Tempest Rising Windows Slipgate Ironworks, 2B Games Painkiller Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S Anshar Studios Core Decay Windows Ivar Hill, Slipgate Ironworks SiN: Reloaded Windows Ritual Entertainment, Nightdive Studios, Slipgate Ironworks Combustion Windows Retro Dungeon, Slipgate Ironworks Twisted Tower Windows Atmos Games

Games licensed by 3D Realms Several spinoff games and remakes, especially in the Duke Nukem series, have been created with 3D Realms granting a license but without serving as the developer or publisher.

+ Title System Release date Developer Publisher(s) Duke Nukem: Time to Kill PlayStation n-Space GT Interactive Duke Nukem: Zero Hour Nintendo 64 Eurocom GT Interactive Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes PlayStation n-Space Infogrames Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project Windows Sunstorm Interactive Arush Entertainment Duke Nukem Advance Game Boy Advance Torus Games Take-Two Interactive Prey Invasion iOS Machineworks Northwest Hands-On Mobile Duke Nukem: Critical Mass Nintendo DS Frontline Studios Deep Silver Rise of the Triad Windows Interceptor Entertainment Apogee Software Shadow Warrior Windows Flying Wild Hog Devolver Digital Wacky Wheels HD Windows, macOS Ferocity 2D Ferocity 2D Crystal Caves HD Windows, Linux Emberheart Games Apogee Software Secret Agent HD Windows, Linux Emberheart Games Apogee Software Monster Bash HD Windows, Linux Emberheart Games Apogee Software Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch Nightdive Studios Apogee Entertainment / New Blood Interactive

Canceled games Several game projects were begun and abandoned before completion that had Apogee/3D Realms as the developer or publisher. Some of these were later completed by another developer or publisher, though many were not. In addition to these games, there are projects that were conceived but never began development, such as Dino Days (1991) and Commander Keen: The Universe is Toast! (1992), and titles which had preliminary agreements or offers for 3D Realms to publish where a final agreement was never reached either because the project was canceled or another publisher was chosen instead.

+ Title Planned system(s) Cancelation date Developer(s) MS-DOS Apogee Gateworld MS-DOS Apogee Fantasy 3D MS-DOS Peter Jungck Cybertank 3D MS-DOS Frank Maddin Tubes MS-DOS Absolute Magic BoulderDash 5000 MS-DOS Nuclear Nightmare Windows Angels Five MS-DOS MS-DOS Cygnus Studios Wards of Wandaal MS-DOS Megaloman MS-DOS Apogee Monster Bash VGA MS-DOS Apogee Crazy Baby MS-DOS Apogee Fumes MS-DOS Crystal Carnage MS-DOS Ruins: Return of the Gods MS-DOS 3D Realms Ravager MS-DOS Apogee Cyberboard Kid MS-DOS Apogee Duke Nukem Forever MS-DOS 3D Realms Blood MS-DOS Q Studios Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War Windows Volition Duke Nukem: Endangered Species Hunter Windows Action Forms Duke Nukem: D-Day PlayStation 2 n-Space Earth No More Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Recoil Games Prey 2 Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Human Head Studios Shadow Stalkers Windows, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4 3D Realms, Zoom Platform

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