Editing 3D Realms (section)

==== 3D Realms (1996–2009) ====
In 1994, Apogee decided to launch different brand names for each genre of games they published; it created 3D Realms for [[Video game graphics#3D|3D games]], publishing ''[[Terminal Velocity (video game)|Terminal Velocity]]'' in 1995 and developing the 1996 ''[[Duke Nukem 3D]]'' under the name, with the other titles released in those years still under Apogee.<ref name="APOGEEhistory2">{{cite web |url=http://legacy.3drealms.com/history2.html |title=3D Realms Site: Company History |publisher=3D Realms |access-date=July 18, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161017094405/http://legacy.3drealms.com/history2.html |archive-date=October 17, 2016 }}</ref> In late 1996, however, Apogee renamed the company itself to 3D Realms to associate their brand with newer, 3D titles, and stopped using the Apogee brand name.<ref name="PolyEarly">{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/features/2013/9/27/4741076/apogee-shareware-1987 |title=Apogee: The one-man online game publisher of 1987 |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |publisher=[[Vox Media]] |last=Plante |first=Chris |date=September 27, 2013 |access-date=July 11, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018162443/http://www.polygon.com/features/2013/9/27/4741076/apogee-shareware-1987 |archive-date=October 18, 2016 }}</ref> The last game to be published under the Apogee name was ''[[Stargunner]]'' in 1996. Most of the proposed brands were never used, as 3D games like ''Duke Nukem'' became the company's focus. 3D Realms launched a brand for pinball games, Pinball Wizards, in February 1997, but only published ''[[Balls of Steel (video game)|Balls of Steel]]'' (1997) under the name.<ref name="APOGEEhistory2"/> Beginning in 1997 3D Realms shifted from episodic MS-DOS titles to non-episodic console and personal computer games. In the process it abandoned the shareware model in favor of a traditional publishing model; it also largely ceased its activities as a developer that same year, releasing only ''[[Shadow Warrior (1997 video game)|Shadow Warrior]]'' (1997).<ref name="APOGEEhistory">{{cite web|url=http://legacy.3drealms.com/history.html |title=3D Realms Site: History |publisher=3D Realms |access-date=June 4, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161017094409/http://legacy.3drealms.com/history.html |archive-date=October 17, 2016 }}</ref> The sole exceptions were ''[[Prey (2006 video game)|Prey]]'' (2006), which stayed in development until 2001 when it was transferred to [[Human Head Studios]], and ''[[Duke Nukem Forever]]'' (2011), which famously stayed in development at 3D Realms as [[vaporware]] until 2009.<ref name="APOGEEhistory"/><ref name="Vapor">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2009/12/vaporware-2009-a-call-for-submissions/ |title=Vaporware 2009: A Call for Submissions |last=Calore |first=Michael |date=December 7, 2009 |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |publisher=[[Condé Nast]] |access-date=July 18, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161226113023/https://www.wired.com/2009/12/vaporware-2009-a-call-for-submissions/ |archive-date=December 26, 2016 }}</ref>

The "Apogee Software" name, library, and logo were licensed to Terry Nagy in 2008, who formed Apogee Software, LLC as a separate company that would handle distribution, remakes, and other developments related to older Apogee games. 3D Realms retained the corporate name of Apogee Software, Ltd. Apogee Software, LLC was renamed [[Apogee Entertainment]] in 2021.<ref name="PolyEarly"/>