Near Death Studios, Inc. purchases Meridian 59 from The 3DO Company

Mountain View, CA - November 29, 2001

Near Death Studios, Inc. has concluded the purchase of the massively multiplayer online only role-playing game Meridian 59. The agreement transfers all rights and interest in the United States and in all foreign countries in the Meridian 59 property from The 3DO Company to Near Death Studios. Founded by former developers of Meridian 59, Near Death Studios intends to put the Meridian 59 service online and grow the Meridian 59 franchise.

Near Death Studios was founded in 2001 by former Meridian 59 game developers Rob Ellis II and Brian Green. Rob Ellis II has served as Lead Level Designer, Game Designer, and World Builder, on such titles as Meridian 59 and Ultima Online. “Meridian 59 was my first game and I’m incredibly pleased to have the opportunity to allow fans to once again play their favorite online only game,” said Rob.

Brian Green helped design and program three updates to Meridian 59 before working on a single player game at 3DO and then working at Communities.com. “After putting my heart into a game as historic as Meridian 59, it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to bring it back online for the community to enjoy,” said Brian.

Together, the founders and employees of Near Death Studios intend to bring the Meridian 59 game service online for fans worldwide to once again enjoy the game. Near Death Studios intends to release an updated version of Meridian 59’s last release, continue to add content to the game, and grow the Meridian 59 franchise into the future. “We have already begun to work an aggressive schedule to get the game service online and players back into the Meridian 59 world,” Rob replied when asked about Near Death Studio’s plans for Meridian 59.

Former developers not directly involved with Near Death Studios, Inc. have been very supportive of the purchase. Former Meridian 59 directors, lead programmers, and inventors of Meridian 59, Andrew and Christopher Kirmse are happy that Near Death Studios is the new owner of Meridian 59. Damion Schubert, who served as Lead Designer throughout much of the development of Meridian 59 and its expansions said, "Meridian 59 was one of the true pioneers of the massively multiplayer game space, paving the way for the success of today's hits. It is nice to see that the spirit behind Meridian cannot die."

About Meridian 59
Meridian 59 was one of the first commercial 3D graphical online RPGs. Released in September 1996, Meridian 59 was one of the first games in the new era of graphical online games. Meridian 59 is considered by many to be the first of the new generation of massively multiplayer online only role-playing games.

Meridian 59 began as a side project by Andrew and Christopher Kirmse in their parents’ basement in 1994. They formed Archetype Interactive and joined with others, including Near Death Studios co-founder Rob Ellis II, to further develop the game with a more complete team. The game and company were sold to The 3DO Company in 1996 and Meridian 59 was released to the public on September 27, 1996. On August 31, 2000 The 3DO Company closed down all American Meridian 59 game servers and the game has been unavailable to players in the U.S. since then.

During its four year lifespan, the game had six updates developed for it. Each update added new content, such as new monsters to fight, spells to cast, or areas to explore. These expansions helped take Meridian 59 from its solid foundation and grow the game world. The game had also been localized into other languages by German and Korean companies.

Throughout its history, Meridian 59 was well received from players and the press, receiving C/Net Gamecenter’s Best RPG Award in the game’s first year of service. Meridian 59 remains one of the best PvP (player vs. player) and social online games even today. Thousands of the game’s players agree that the balance in PvP combat has not been matched by subsequent games, and that the communication tools are still the most developed in any graphical game. Many important aspects of today’s online RPGs, such as customizable chat groups, buying defending and conquering player owned buildings, and player selection of guild emblems, were an early part of Meridian 59.