The Games of New World Computing

New World Computing, which officially closed its doors in 2003, had its best years as a video game developer, like many other companies, during the late 80s and early 90s. There, it not only created popular franchises such as Might & Magic, King's Bounty, and Heroes, but also left its own mark on the RPG genre and on strategy, with games like Iron Cross and Nuclear War.

History of New World Computing

New World Computing was founded in 1984 by Jon Van Caneghem, his wife Michaela Van Caneghem, and Mark Caldwell. Over time, it became a prestigious developer of RPGs and strategy games, creating franchises such as Might & Magic, King's Bounty, Heroes, and Iron Cross. However, in 1996, it was acquired by The 3DO Company, a year after the company decided to stop manufacturing consoles—because its first attempt was a failure—and dedicate itself solely to developing and distributing games.

From 1996 to 2002, the company continued developing games, but not with the same essence, to the point where they rebooted the company's most iconic series, Might & Magic, to turn it into something quite different. Strange decisions, since Jon Van Caneghem remained the director of the games, as in the beginning.

But the relationship ended in 2002, when, amid a financial crisis, The 3DO Company laid off a large portion of its staff. In 2003, it sold its best licenses, such as Might & Magic and Heroes to Ubisoft and King's Bounty to 1C Company, and in that same year it ceased to exist. Considering that most of its games belonged to the same series, here we will recall the seven best titles.

Might & Magic (1986 – 1993)

Although it may not be the most loved series among fans, it is without a doubt one of the most recognized. The original series had five installments and, especially the first ones, defined the RPG genre on PC during the years of DOS games. In this universe, the planets are observed by a powerful alien race, the only one that mastered space travel, known as The Ancients.

Generally, the plot of these games involved a group of adventurers who had to save their planet and eventually ended up dealing directly with The Ancients. Many of the elements and enemies seen for the first time here would become a constant in the genre. And, as a curious fact, the last two games of the original series, Clouds of Xeen and Darkside of Xeen, when installed on the same computer, transformed into a single game.

Nuclear War (1989)

After the success of the first two Might & Magic games, New World Computing expanded and gave rise to new types of games. Nuclear War was probably the most different thing they could do: a turn-based strategy game where a player had to defeat four others, controlled by the computer, and dominate the world.

And although the game itself was nothing special, its style was: it presented political figures satirically like Ronnie Raygun, Infidel Castro, Colonel Khadaffy, and Gorbachef, among others, with a very apocalyptic sense of humor, where the winning leader jumped in the middle of a destroyed world: “I won, I won!” Years later, this title would inspire the creation of DEFCON by Introversion Software.

King's Bounty (1990)

This one would undoubtedly be among the first as one of the most remembered by fans. Players had to guide King Maximus across four continents to recover the 25 pieces of the map that indicate the location of the Sceptre of Order. Interestingly, the player didn't need all 25 pieces; once they discovered its location, they could already access the final part of the game.

The greatest achievement of this title was how it mixed the RPG and strategy genres, offering a vast world to explore, with a complex turn-based combat strategy system and the economic and social management of the army.

Tunnels & Trolls: Crusaders of Khazan (1990)

Based on the tabletop role-playing game of the same name, Crusaders of Khazan was probably one of the company's most complex games, with a vast story, a large world to explore from an aerial perspective, and a long adventure that allowed you to choose members of your team and replace them with new recruits in different towns. As the company was accustomed to, battles were turn-based.

Probably one of the most similar games to today's RPGs, you explored the world freely, visited cities, talked with inhabitants, and received quests that allowed you to improve your characters and earn money.

Planet's Edge (1991)

With the success of Tunnels & Trolls, its developer, Neal Hallford, moved on to do something different and came up with Planet's Edge, a science fiction RPG where the goal was to travel across the galaxy trying to find an explanation for the sudden and mysterious disappearance of Planet Earth. Although they had gotten rid of the character progression system, you could still freely explore different planets, and combat, once again, was turn-based.

Iron Cross (1994)

This was probably one of the most different things they did, because not only was it a full-fledged strategy game, but it was also based on real events, during World War II.

Initially, you create a character who commands a unit in occupied France. From there, you have 12 missions, and depending on how you do, you are promoted or demoted. Not only did it have real images and comments about the war, but the gameplay itself required a lot of attention and strategic moves.

Heroes of Might and Magic (1995)

The last great game from the company before being sold to The 3DO Company was a mix of its two best series. The universe of Might & Magic, with the mechanics of King's Bounty. The story told how the true heir to the throne had to escape through a magical portal after his cousin usurped his place, seeking revenge for his father's death.

Players took the place of this king, who had to start a revolution from scratch, recruiting creatures and heroes to fight by your side. But like King's Bounty, there was a great strategic and resource management aspect that went hand in hand with the RPG aspects, a combination that bears fruit to this day and has had quite a few clones from other companies.

New World Computing wasn't very flexible in terms of the games it created, but it had a great ability to tell stories and create universes, because it wasn't just about games based on the Might & Magic franchise, but there were also some science fiction titles that allowed us to see a bit beyond what they knew best: the Middle Ages.

Even so, that “lack of flexibility” is what allowed it to leave a mark on the RPG genre, setting the standards for what future games would be, and also on strategy.