Legends of Might and Magic was released on June 19, 2001 by New World Computing and The 3DO Company, marking the studio’s first and only fully multiplayer Might and Magic title. Built on Monolith’s LithTech 2.0 engine, it bridged the classic RPG universe with early online team-based combat, preceding 3DO’s closure and Ubisoft’s later acquisition of the Might and Magic franchise.
🏰 Official Retail Editions of Legends of Might and Magic (2001)
🕰️ Release Timeline (2001)
| # | Region / Market | Language | Release Date | Distributor / Publisher |
|---|
| 1 | North America (US & Canada) | English | June 19, 2001 | The 3DO Company / New World Computing |
| 2 | United Kingdom / Western Europe | English / Multilingual manual | June 29 – July 6, 2001 | Ubisoft Entertainment SA (under license from The 3DO Company) |
| 3 | Germany / France / Spain / Italy | Localized (DE / FR / ES / IT manuals and packaging) | June 22 – July 2001 | Germany: Infogrames Deutschland GmbH • France / Spain: Ubisoft Entertainment SA • Italy: Halifax S.p.A. — all under license from The 3DO Company |
| 4 | Nordic / Scandinavia | Swedish manual / English game | Mid 2001 | PAN Interactive (Sweden) |
| 5 | Russia / CIS | Russian (Легенды Меча и Магии) | October 30, 2001 | Buka Entertainment (Бука) – Official CIS edition |
| 6 | Asia (Mainland China) | Simplified Chinese (简体中文版) | October 2001 | Acer Third Wave Software (Beijing) Co., Ltd / Beijing Yinguan Electronic Publishing Co., Ltd (银冠电子) |
| 7 | Asia (Taiwan & Hong Kong) | Traditional Chinese (繁體中文版) | October 16, 2001 | Acer TWP Corp (Third Wave Information, 第三波資訊) |
🧭 Development & Production
Developer: New World Computing, Inc.
Founded in 1983 by Jon Van Caneghem in Agoura Hills, California.
Known for the Might and Magic and Heroes of Might and Magic series.
Served as a subsidiary under The 3DO Company from 1996 onward.
Publisher: The 3DO Company
Founded by Trip Hawkins (also the founder of Electronic Arts) in 1991.
Based in Redwood City, California.
Owned the Might and Magic IP and handled marketing, distribution, and production for Legends of Might and Magic.
European Distributor: Ubisoft Entertainment SA
Partnered with 3DO to localize and distribute the game across Europe (English, French, German, and Spanish versions).
Asian Distributor: Third Wave (第三波)
Published the Simplified Chinese version under the title 魔法门传奇 (“Legend of the Magic Gate”) around early 2002.
🧩 Engine and Technology
Built on LithTech 2.0, the same engine used in No One Lives Forever (2000) and Aliens vs Predator 2 (2001).
Licensed from Monolith Productions, with heavy internal modification by New World Computing to support team-based multiplayer.
⚔️ Key Team Members
Jon Van Caneghem – Executive Producer
Tim Lang – Designer
Jeff Blattner – Producer
Paul Rattner – Lead Designer
Michael Chew – Lead Programmer
Patrick Lambert – Level Design
Kirk Gibbons – Art Director
(Names based on 2001 press materials, credits.txt, and official readme documentation.)
🏛️ Corporate Context
At the time of release:
New World Computing was operating as a fully owned development studio under The 3DO Company.
3DO was nearing financial decline (it would file for bankruptcy in May 2003).
Legends of Might and Magic became New World Computing’s last full 3D PC title, preceding Heroes of Might and Magic IV (2002) and the eventual sale of the Might and Magic IP to Ubisoft later in 2003.
U.S. version
Title: Legends of Might and Magic
Region: North America (U.S. & Canada)
Language: English
Publisher: The 3DO Company
Distributor: The 3DO Company
Developer: New World Computing
Publisher (Global): The 3DO Company
Chinese version
Title: 魔法门传奇 (Mófǎmén Chuánqí)
English Translation: Legends of Might and Magic
Region: Mainland China
Language: Simplified Chinese (简体中文版)
Publisher: Acer Third Wave Software (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (宏碁第三波软件北京有限公司)
Distributor: Beijing Yinguan Electronic Publishing Co., Ltd. (北京银冠电子出版有限公司)
Developer: New World Computing
Publisher (Global): The 3DO Company
Taiwan / Hong Kong version
Title: 魔法門傳奇 (Mófǎmén Chuánqí)
English Translation: Legends of Might and Magic
Region: Taiwan / Hong Kong
Language: Traditional Chinese (繁體中文版)
Publisher: Acer TWP Corp (第三波資訊, Third Wave Information)
Distributor: Acer TWP Corp (第三波資訊, Third Wave Information)
Developer: New World Computing
Publisher (Global): The 3DO Company
Russian version
Title: Легенды Меча и Магии (Legendy Mecha i Magii)
English Translation: Legends of Might and Magic
Region: Russia
Language: Russian (Русская версия)
Publisher: Бука (Buka Entertainment)
Distributor: Бука (Buka Entertainment)
Developer: New World Computing
Publisher (Global): The 3DO Company
Italian version
Title: Legends of Might and Magic
Region: Italy
Language: Italian manual and packaging / English in-game
Publisher: The 3DO Company
Distributor: Halifax S.p.A.
Developer: New World Computing
Publisher (Global): The 3DO Company
German version
Title: Legends of Might and Magic
English Translation: Legends of Might and Magic
Region: Germany
Language: German (Deutsche Version)
Publisher: The 3DO Company
Distributor: Infogrames Deutschland GmbH
Developer: New World Computing
Publisher (Global): The 3DO Company
