We have the follow-up to the surprising news
from
yesterday about the acquisition of Apogee/3D Realms. The official press
release clarifies that the purchaser is in fact SDN Invest, a Danish investment
firm behind Interceptor Entertainment (the initial reports said Interceptor was
the buyer), and also clarifies that the acquisition includes Apogee Software,
Ltd d/b/a 3D Realms, but not Apogee Software, LLC (which remains as unconfusing
as the names of George Foreman's sons).
Danish investment firm, SDN Invest,
has acquired Apogee Software, Ltd d/b/a 3D Realms (not to be confused with
Apogee Software, LLC - publishers of Rise of the Triad) SDN Invest is part-owner
and principal investor in Denmark-based game studio and Rise of the Triad
developer, Interceptor Entertainment. Effective immediately, the new CEO of 3D
Realms will be Mike Nielsen. Mr. Nielsen also serves as Chairman of the Board at
Interceptor.
SDN Invest was founded by Nielsen when he stepped down as CEO of Coolshop.com -
a leading online retailer in Northern Europe that he co-founded in 2002 - to
focus on investing in companies with potential.
“3D Realms is legendary for its contributions to the gaming industry, as both
the pioneer of the shareware model and an always generous partner who has
provided both funding and guidance to game studios such as id Software, Parallax
Software, Remedy Entertainment, and many others," remarked Nielsen, the newly
appointed CEO. "3D Realms has also developed, co-developed, and co-financed such
hits as Commander Keen, Duke Nukem, Wolfenstein 3D, Rise of the Triad, Raptor,
Shadow Warrior and Prey. There are only a handful of independent studios with a
better track record of original games. Yet even with this stellar track record,
we hope we can take the company to new heights."
“3D Realms has always been a defining part the PC games industry.” Added
Frederik Schreiber, CEO of Interceptor Entertainment. “Getting 3D Realms under
our wings is a huge step for us and we are extremely excited about the
acquisition.”
Scott Miller, co-founder of 3D Realms concluded, “My long time partner George
Broussard and I are extremely proud of our past, especially as developers who
always tried to partner with up-and-coming studios who just needed their break.
Our history shows we did that throughout the 1990s & 2000s, and I expect the new
3D Realms to continue with this tradition in full force. Our industry needs more
good guys, who honor the profession and fellow hard-working developers."