Archetype Interactive

Formed in 1995 by brothers Andrew and Chris Kirmse together with Mike and Steve Sellers to commercialize Meridian 59, which the Kirmses had begun coding in their parents' Virginia basement in 1994. Its only product went online in December 1995 and is regarded as the first 3D graphical MMORPG; The 3DO Company acquired the studio in 1996 and launched the game commercially that fall. The game later passed to Near Death Studios (2001–2010) before the Kirmse brothers regained and open-sourced it in 2012.