Advertisements & Promotional Material for Wing Commander 3

Win Mark Hamill's Flightsuit!

A simple trivia contest to win Mark Hamill's Wing Commander III flight suit! The most exciting thing is the detailed photographs of the prop, including the best ever shot we've seen of the rare 'combined forces' logo patch. Many years later, the lucky fan who won this flightsuit wrote in and sent in a big set of pictures.

The Big Fish in 3DO Games

A print ad for EA's 3DO catalog, including the 3DO port of WC3. The cockpit seen in the screenshot is not used in the finished game.

Co-Sponsored WC3 / Intel Pentium Ad

In 1995, Origin partnered with microchip manufacturer Intel to develop a series of advertisements. Co-sponsored magazine advertisements touted the performance Pentium chips would offer Ultima VIII and Pacific Strike... but the most interesting product of the partnership was a television commercial which featured Wing Commander! Narrated by Levar Burton.

Is Your System Ready?

A preview card for Wing Commander 3. This ad was included with the release of Wing Commander Armada, three months before WC3. It advises fans to double check their specs and make sure to get ready for the most demanding game ever! The front of the ad is pictured with the Armada Strategy Guide (ultimately released as the Playtesters' Guide) in the first image, and the second shot shows off the back of the card, plus the WC3 guide advertisement.

100% Pure Adrenaline With WC3

Win three nights in Moscow and a flight in a Russian SU-27 fighter jet. Must pay for own insurance.

Don't Watch The Game, Play The Movie!

A full spread that talks about WC3's imminent arrival for Macintosh, Playstation and Sega Saturn. These were released in late 1995 and early 1996, except for the Saturn port which never made it to stores. Nevertheless, "The Universe Keeps Expanding" was a very accurate title for the state of the franchise in 1995.

Made In Hollywood, Directed By You

A full spread that plays up the 'interactive movie' aspect.

Origin Presents... The Interactive Movie

The four inset screenshots are taken from the first set Origin released to the public, well before the game's release. Note the "also available for the 3DO" logo -- Origin was taking that port seriously very early on.

Origin Now Creates Worlds On CD

Part of 1995s 'interactive movie' push, which included System Shock, Ultima VIII, Wings of Glory, Wing Commander III and Wing Commander Armada. "Hunt down the meanest aliens in dozens of different galaxies -- without having to guess what they really look like."

We're Redesigning the Industry

Another advertisement for Origin's CD-Rom catalog. Part of 1995s 'interactive movie' push, which included System Shock, Ultima VIII, Wings of Glory, Wing Commander III and Wing Commander Armada. "Prepare Yourself and Your Shelves."

Death Is Not An Option

Another advertisement for Origin's CD-Rom catalog. Part of 1995s 'interactive movie' push, which included System Shock, Ultima VIII, Wings of Glory, Wing Commander III and Wing Commander Armada.

The First Interactive Movie For Your 3DO System

A one-page ad specifically for the 3DO version of Wing Commander 3.

WC3 Promotional Calendar

Wing Commander III 1995 calendars. They were included in the EA Direct Wing Commander III Premiere Edition tins. Don't throw these out -- some years have the same set of days as 1995 did!

WC3 Promotional Poster

WC3 Movie Poster

These are very high quality posters which were given out on a limited basis to people who pre-ordered Wing Commander III way back when. Since collectors went for the 'Premiere Edition' and regular people didn't care about a poster, they're few and far between. This particular copy is signed by Chris Roberts and Mark Hamill!

Premiere Edition Ad

A really cool page from the January 1995 edition of Next Generation magazine, which would have been on store shelves right when Wing Commander 3 debuted in December 1994. The core art is similar to the general WC3 sell sheet with some slightly tweaked screenshots. The big focus though is that this is an ad for the Premiere Edition. A similar big boxed edition entered the retail stream via Sam's Club, but the most prime version was just available through EA. You had to know about it to place an order, and a limited number of ads like this was the communications plan to let fans know it existed!

"Softwear" WC3 Playstation Ad

A cool ad for WC3 Playstation that we hadn't seen before either. FMVStory found this play on "softwear" that features a funky outfit and a Dralthi IV. It compares this "breathtaking galactic ensemble" to the equally amazing new game from Origin. I have to say I'm partial to the second page of the ad!

Club Dorothée WC3 Segment

An interview with Mark Hamill and full motion video extracts.

Bad Influence! WC3 Set Visit

A clip from Bad Influence, a '90s show that covered tech items and video games. A lot of people are familiar with the WC3 Behind the Screens footage, but the first video below shows a few really neat and rarely seen glimpses of the Kilrathi animatronics in action.

Promotional T-Shirt Mash-up

A t-shirt featuring many characters from Origin's catalog.

Computer Chronicles WC3 Segment

A television programme (broadcast from 1983 to 2002) covering general purpose computing -- its sister show was called 'Net Cafe'. Widely syndicated in the US and in many other countries. This segment provides a brief storyline and gameplay overview of WC3 with Origin's Mark Day.

Wing Commander 3 Sell Sheet

The first document sent to retailers to convince them to place orders for a new game! Love the bit about Wing Commander III being the equivalent of 1,200 floppy disks.

Wing Commander 3 UK Promotion

Here's a three-page UK promotion for the game which involves a contest to fly a Russian fighter jet!

Wing Commander 3 Dev Shirt

Every Wing Commander team earned a t-shirt for their hard work... and this is what the Wing Commander III shirt looked like

Wing Commander 3 Luggage Tags

If you liked it then you should have put the Wing Commander III logo on it! Origin's promotions department went Wing Commander III crazy, branding everything from luggage tags to binders to... paper plates? It happened!

Wing Commander 3 Paper Plates

If you liked it then you should have put the Wing Commander III logo on it! Origin's promotions department went Wing Commander III crazy, branding everything from luggage tags to binders to... paper plates? It happened!

Wing Commander 3 First Screenshots

Published in countless magazines, the public's first look at Wing Commander III was this set of screenshots, set up to show off the game's 3D engine in action! You may note many differences, including a triangular transport which did not make it to the final game and different textures for the inside of a carrier.

Wing Commander 3 Beta Screenshots

A glimpse of what Heart of the Tiger looked like two months later, on July 9, 1994.

Wing Commander 3 Beta Screenshots (2)

Two months have passed since we last saw Wing Commander III and the combat engine feels a lot more familiar now--the final transport appears and you get the sense that this is actually a familiar early mission (the Hellcats help).

Wing Commander 3 Beta Screenshots (3)

The final and largest set of pre-release Wing Commander III screenshots. These were taken by an Origin employee several weeks after the last batch, on September 26, 1994. The game is still almost two months from shipping--and, in places, it shows: check out the VDU image for the Behemoth. There's a LOT more Arrow pictures that go along with this update. Check them (and all the previous early WC3 game engine shots) out in this article.

All Wing Commander 3 Beta Screenshots

Here are a host of screenshots from beta versions of Wing Commander III--can you spot the differences?

First Look at Wing Commander 3's FMV

These fourteen screenshots were the first images Origin put out from Wing Commander III's FMV. These pictures changed everything -- no one had any idea it was going to look like this. I remember downloading these in a (then) big pkzip file from Compuserv's flight sim area...

Store Loop Trailer

Just like a movie, Wing Commander III had a series of theatrical-quality trailers! Before the game came out, I distinctly remember walking into a Babbages (now Gamestop) and finding a VHS tape playing a loop of the game's trailer. I was enthralled--and I stood there in the mall watching it over and over for an hour. You can find that and other trailers for viewing and download here.

WC3 3DO Sticker

A sheet of 3DO stickers from Japan, including one for Super Wing Commander that features Paladin.

WC3 For Sega Saturn Preview

Andi Green posted this neat French preview for Wing Commander 3 on the Sega Saturn. The Heart of the Tiger was rereleased for 3DO, Playstation, Macintosh and Windows, but the Saturn port never saw the light of day! Nevertheless, it did make it into some magazine previews and advertising. The screenshots in this article may be sourced from the already-completed 3DO port. WC4 was also proposed for the system, but never released.

Assorted Merchandise

Wing Commander III marked a jump from popular game to Star Trek-style franchise. For the first time, regular companies wanted to license the Wing Commander IP--and lucky consumers could get card games, posters, novels and the like at their local stores. The first big licensee was a company called Zanart, which made t-shirts, hats and something called "Chromart." Chromart, a thoroughly 1990s idea, was framed artwork with portions printed in reflective chrome for a slight 3D effect. Zanart put out two Wing Commander 3 shirts, a logo hat and two Chromart pieces. The shirts and Chromart offered the choice between the Excalibur-bombing-Kilrah scene and the box art.

3DO Chat With Origin Devs

Interested in learning more about the 3DO port of Wing Commander III? Here is a VERY interesting 1995 transcript from an online chat that Origin held about the game. Some interesting stuff there, including the mention that work is being done on Wing Commander IV for the M2. I wonder how far they got on that one...

AOL Chat With Mark Hamill

This dates back to months after AOL got its first web browser (and this didn't use it, AOL chat is pre-Web 1.0). A moderator took submissions from the audience and posted questions for Hamill to respond to. The very first question asked about his role in Wing Commander, and there are a couple more references to the series later on. His answers come from a very exciting time in Wing Commander history - just after the release of Wing Commander 4 and before the premiere of Wing Commander Academy. Even Prophecy was still on the drawing board.

2004 Interview With Composer George Oldziey

A 2004 interview with George Oldziey from the depths of the Internet Archive. This text interview was originally conducted by a Wing Commander fan running a site called E-Boredome. It's a great, in-depth warts-and-all look at George's work on Wing Commander and Ultima (in short, working on Wing Commander Prophecy was more difficult than working with a singular creative vision from Chris Roberts or Richard Garriott.)

Fan Q&A With Ginger Lynn

Wing Commander actress Ginger Lynn Allen was kind enough to stop by the forums and answer fan questions! Here's a recap of we've learned so far.

Interview With Designer Rob Irving

Matt Chat has been conducting a series of interviews with Rob Irving of Descendent Studios. In part 3 they discuss Wing Commander 3, simulation games, full motion video and 3DO game development. Rob Irving has a long history in videogame development, having served as game designer, developer, writer and producer on numerous titles for Origin and Sierra. His credits include Strike Commander, Pacific Strike, AH-64D Longbow, Wing Commander 3 and Prophecy, as well as design work on (cancelled) Privateer and Wing Commander Online projects. Before joining Descendent Studios he was attached to Chris Roberts' Star Citizen.

PC Games Plus Early Preview

This article offers up tantalizing info on features such as the "stunning 640x480x256 SVGA view," fly-through capships and atmospheric missions. As this went to print about half a year before the game itself was released, it also refers to the game shipping on just two CD-ROMs. The issue also includes a review of Origin's Wings of Glory game and mentions of the upcoming Wing Commander Armada multiplayer game. Finally, there's a cute write-up from the magazine's editor on how their new email system will enable them to interact with readers over the internet!

Joystick Nr. 44 Previews Wing Commander 3

A very early look at Wing Commander 3 from French magazine Joystick. This issue also contains a preview of Super Wing Commander and an interview with Richard Garriott.

Joystick Nr. 51 Previews Wing Commander 3

A lengthy (8 page) preview of Wing Commander 3 from French magazine Joystick.

Joystick Nr. 53 Previews Wing Commander 3, Interviews Mark Hamill

Another lengthy piece in French magazine Joystick. This issue contains a preview of Wing Commander 3 and an interview with actor Mark Hamill.

Visions Magazine Preview

VISIONS was apparently "the Magazine of Fantasy TV, Home Video & New Media." You would be forgiven for not knowing that, though, as the periodical lasted only a single issue. But what an issue! Thanks to the Internet Archive a copy has been preserved including a very well done preview of Wing Commander III that interviews a number of people behind the cameras. Farewell, Visions, we barely knew you!

Gamemaster Preview

Here's a preview of Wing Commander 3 that I don't think we've seen before. In the days before most people had internet access, articles like these were the main way that people got an early look at upcoming games. From the fiery color mix to chain link border, it screams mid '90s aesthetic and brings back many exciting memories. If mag scans like this make you nostalgic for a different time, check out the Gamemaster Said Twitter feed!