<s>
Meridian	B-Protocol
59	I-Protocol
is	O
a	O
1996	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Archetype	O
Interactive	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
The	O
3DO	O
Company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
3D	O
graphical	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
role-playing	I-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
(	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
)	O
and	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
longest	O
running	O
original	O
online	O
role-playing	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
team	O
included	O
John	O
Hanke	O
,	O
who	O
later	O
founded	O
Niantic	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
and	O
codeveloped	O
Google	B-Application
Earth	I-Application
and	O
Pokémon	B-Application
Go	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meridian	B-Protocol
59	I-Protocol
was	O
later	O
released	O
as	O
open	B-Application
source	I-Application
software	I-Application
,	O
run	O
by	O
original	O
developers	O
Andrew	O
Kirmse	O
and	O
Chris	O
Kirmse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meridian	B-Protocol
59	I-Protocol
(	O
abbreviated	O
M59	O
)	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Archetype	O
Interactive	O
and	O
published	O
in	O
September	O
1996	O
by	O
3DO	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meridian	B-Protocol
59	I-Protocol
is	O
the	O
only	O
product	O
Archetype	O
Interactive	O
ever	O
released	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
company	O
was	O
acquired	O
by	O
3DO	O
in	O
June	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Approximately	O
17,000	O
players	O
joined	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
public	O
beta	O
that	O
lasted	O
up	O
until	O
its	O
worldwide	O
commercial	O
launch	O
on	O
October	O
7	O
,	O
1996	O
,	O
beating	O
its	O
next	O
major	O
rival	O
,	O
Ultima	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
,	O
by	O
approximately	O
a	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
its	O
early	O
years	O
it	O
was	O
commonly	O
conceived	O
of	O
as	O
a	O
graphical	O
MUD	O
,	O
though	O
this	O
term	O
,	O
and	O
Meridian	B-Protocol
59s	I-Protocol
preferred	O
"	O
MMPRPG	O
"	O
,	O
was	O
eventually	O
displaced	O
by	O
the	O
now-ubiquitous	O
"	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
role-playing	I-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
"	O
,	O
a	O
term	O
coined	O
by	O
Richard	O
Garriott	O
of	O
Ultima	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
in	O
1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Near	O
Death	O
Studios	O
was	O
co-founded	O
by	O
former	O
Meridian	B-Protocol
59	I-Protocol
developers	O
Rob	O
"	O
Q	O
"	O
Ellis	O
and	O
Brian	O
"	O
Psychochild	O
"	O
Green	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
new	O
rendering	O
engine	O
was	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Evolution	O
expansion	O
in	O
October	O
2004	O
,	O
offering	O
an	O
alternative	O
to	O
its	O
Doom-based	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
after	O
3DO	O
shut	O
the	O
game	O
down	O
on	O
August	O
31	O
,	O
2000	O
a	O
developer	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
leaked	O
the	O
server	O
software	O
and	O
the	O
files	O
for	O
Meridian	B-Protocol
59	I-Protocol
:	O
Renaissance	O
to	O
a	O
player	O
,	O
and	O
since	O
then	O
there	O
has	O
been	O
a	O
thriving	O
community	O
of	O
free-to-play	O
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Near	O
Death	O
Studios	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
would	O
be	O
ceasing	O
operations	O
on	O
January	O
6	O
,	O
2010	O
,	O
after	O
which	O
Meridian	B-Protocol
59	I-Protocol
would	O
continue	O
running	O
,	O
but	O
not	O
as	O
a	O
commercial	O
concern	O
of	O
Near	O
Death	O
Studios	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2010	O
,	O
Meridian	B-Protocol
59	I-Protocol
was	O
turned	O
over	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
technical	O
developers	O
,	O
Andrew	O
and	O
Chris	O
Kirmse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
15	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
released	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
as	O
freeware	B-License
and	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
source	O
code	O
under	O
the	O
GPLv2	O
license	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
a	O
while	O
,	O
Meridian	B-Protocol
59	I-Protocol
had	O
an	O
international	O
presence	O
,	O
with	O
servers	O
operating	O
in	O
Germany	O
,	O
run	O
by	O
the	O
company	O
MDO	O
(	O
active	O
2002-2009	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Russia	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
a	O
Sacred	O
Haven	O
(	O
non-PvP	O
)	O
server	O
operated	O
by	O
Skotos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
character	O
classes	O
in	O
other	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
,	O
players	O
need	O
not	O
limit	O
themselves	O
to	O
a	O
single	O
school	O
:	O
the	O
rate	O
of	O
learning	O
and	O
total	O
number	O
of	O
proficiency	O
levels	O
across	O
all	O
schools	O
a	O
player	O
can	O
attain	O
is	O
limited	O
by	O
their	O
intelligence	O
stat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meridian	B-Protocol
59	I-Protocol
is	O
a	O
typical	O
sword	O
and	O
sorcery	O
setting	O
where	O
adventurers	O
go	O
out	O
and	O
fight	O
monsters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
several	O
hundred	O
years	O
ago	O
,	O
something	O
went	O
wrong	O
and	O
the	O
young	O
frontier	O
colonies	O
in	O
Meridian	B-Protocol
59	I-Protocol
were	O
separated	O
from	O
the	O
Empire	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Meridian	B-Protocol
59	I-Protocol
features	O
six	O
cities	O
and	O
towns	O
:	O
the	O
rebellious	O
mining	O
town	O
of	O
Jasper	O
,	O
the	O
royal	O
city	O
of	O
Barloque	O
,	O
the	O
thriving	O
but	O
troubled	O
Tos	O
,	O
the	O
peaceful	O
farming	O
village	O
of	O
Marion	O
,	O
the	O
crossroads	O
lake-side	O
university	O
town	O
of	O
Cor	O
Noth	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
independent	O
jungle	O
island	O
settlement	O
of	O
Ko'Catan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewing	O
the	O
"	O
Revelation	O
"	O
update	O
,	O
Next	O
Generation	O
described	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
"	O
second-best	O
"	O
next	O
to	O
Ultima	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
June	O
1999	O
,	O
Meridian	B-Protocol
59s	I-Protocol
retail	O
sales	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
had	O
reached	O
14,359	O
units	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
PC	O
Data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
a	O
finalist	O
for	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
Worlds	O
1996	O
"	O
Role-Playing	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
award	O
,	O
which	O
ultimately	O
went	O
to	O
The	B-Application
Elder	I-Application
Scrolls	I-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Daggerfall	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
first	O
3D	O
graphical	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
role-playing	I-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
(	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
)	O
and	O
stands	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
longest	O
running	O
original	O
online	O
role-playing	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
