Apogee Software
The pioneer of shareware gaming that launched Duke Nukem and defined an era.
Apogee Software Productions was founded by Scott Miller in 1987 in his parents' home in Garland, Texas, to release his game Kingdom of Kroz. It popularized the shareware episode model and published major franchises including Duke Nukem and Commander Keen, while distributing id Software's Wolfenstein 3D via shareware (though id Software developed and published it). In 1996, the company rebranded itself to 3D Realms, and the Apogee name was licensed to Terry Nagy in 2008, who established Apogee Software LLC. In 2021, Miller and Nagy acquired the Apogee brand and relaunched it as Apogee Entertainment.
Quick Facts
- Notable release
- Duke Nukem (1991)
Lore & Background
Scott Miller founded Apogee Software Productions in 1987 after dropping out of college and working as a game critic. His early shareware games Beyond the Titanic and Supernova earned little, but Kingdom of Kroz (1987) succeeded using the 'Apogee model'—releasing the first of three episodes for free and selling the rest. George Broussard later joined, merging his company Micro-FX into Apogee. In 1994, Apogee created the 3D Realms brand for 3D games, and in 1996 renamed the company itself to 3D Realms.
The last game published under the Apogee Software Productions name before the rebrand was Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition (1996), though Stargunner (1996) was the last game released under the Apogee name by 3D Realms after the rebrand. The Apogee name, library, and logo were licensed to Terry Nagy in 2008, forming Apogee Software LLC. In 2021, Miller and Nagy acquired the brand and relaunched it as Apogee Entertainment.
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