All Articles: Rise of the Triad (1995)

3D Realms might seem like a name from another era, especially after Duke Nukem Forever‘s protracted development seemingly doomed the company to obscurity. But its output from 1996 through 2001 (which includes Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, and Max Payne) was groundbreaking at the time, and is still fondly remembered today.

So it shouldn’t be surprising that while its a bit smaller nowadays, the publishing house has continuously kept the lights on since its founding in 1987 as Apogee Software.

It’s true, 3D Realms never really went away, and they’re even looking to expand in 2020. As part of this plan, they hosted Realms Deep, a virtual convention dedicated to their current projects. Possibly the biggest announcement to come out of Realms Deep this weekend was the reveal of Rise of the Triad Remastered.

Rise of the Triad was originally conceived as a sequel to id Software’s Wolfenstein 3D, but the developer canceled the contract in 1993 to keep players focused on Doom, which launched that December. So 3D Realms rebuilt Rise of the Triad into an original title and released it on their own in 1995. In the years since, the game has developed a loyal (but very small) cult following.

Frederik Schreiber, the current Vice President of 3D Realms, introduced the Remastered re-release in the trailer embedded above, and promised that it’ll be a “brand new source port” for the PC, PlayStation (presumably the PS4), Switch, and Xbox (presumably the Xbox One). The game will also include widescreen support, mouse look, and a revamped multiplayer mode.

Rise of the Triad Remastered will be co-developed by 3D Realms and Destructive Creations, and it’ll be available in 2021.