3DO Creators - The Dream team
How the 3DO concept was conceived
Trip Hawkins was never one to wait for the industry to catch up. Frustrated by the fragmented console landscape dominated by Nintendo and Sega while managing Electronic Arts, he envisioned a platform that transcended hardware silos—a system as open as it was powerful. That vision became 3DO, a bold gambit born not in a boardroom but in a doodle on a wall at Apple.
In 1991, Hawkins relinquished his EA CEO title to lead The 3DO Company, taking with him the concept of redefining interactive entertainment. The name—short for three-dimensional optics and a nod to audio and video—carried the promise of a new standard. A modular, CD-based future where manufacturers built the machines and 3DO simply took a cut.
The console’s architecture and OS Opera, sketched on a napkin by tech wizards Dave Needle and RJ Mical (the duo behind the Atari Lynx), aligned perfectly with Hawkins’ vision: open, powerful, and scalable. When the prototype debuted at CES 1993, jaws dropped and investors went wild. It was a CD machine of the future in a present not quite ready for it. The graphics were stunning. The ambition, unmatched. The market, however, would unfortunately prove far less visionary.
Trip Hawkins
Trip Hawkins is a visionary figure in tech and gaming, best known for shaping the video game industry’s business and cultural trajectory. After early work at Apple alongside Steve Jobs, where he helped market the Lisa and Macintosh, Hawkins founded Electronic Arts (EA) in 1982. He revolutionized the industry by treating game developers as “software artists” and promoting creative ownership, with EA publishing landmark titles like John Madden Football and Populous.
In 1991, Hawkins left EA to start The 3DO Company, aiming to disrupt the console market with a cutting-edge multimedia system. While technologically advanced, the 3DO console was commercially unsuccessful due to its high price and weak third-party support. Despite its failure, it anticipated future trends like CD media and online connectivity. Hawkins’ career reflects both bold innovation and the risks of overestimating market readiness.
Dave Needle
Dave Needle was a brilliant but underrecognized hardware engineer who played a key role in some of the most innovative developments in computing and gaming. With a degree in Electrical Engineering from UC Berkeley, he helped design the Amiga 1000, a groundbreaking multimedia computer; co-developed the Atari Lynx, the first handheld with a color LCD and advanced graphics; and co-created the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, a technically advanced 32-bit console.
While many of his projects were not commercial hits, Needle’s technical ingenuity helped push the boundaries of multimedia computing and interactive entertainment. He passed away in 2016, leaving behind a legacy of quiet but profound influence on gaming and hardware innovation.
RJ Mical
RJ Mical is a pioneering figure in interactive entertainment, known for his work in user interfaces and gaming hardware. With dual degrees in Computer Science and English, he began his career in arcade game development before joining Amiga Corporation in 1984, where he created the Intuition GUI for the Amiga 1000, enabling advanced multitasking and user interaction.
Mical co-developed the Atari Lynx, the first handheld with a color screen, and later helped design the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, a technically ambitious 32-bit console. His later work expanded into mobile and online gaming, including roles at Sony, where he contributed to the PlayStation 3 and Vita, and at Google, where he explored game development and emerging tech.
Founding Arjinx in 2011, Mical continues to innovate. His legacy lies in blending technical depth with creative vision, shaping both gaming and digital interface design.