Apogee Software, a prominent publisher of independent PC games back in the early 1990s, today announced that it is re-establishing itself as a publishing and production company. The pioneer of shareware software, where a large chunk of a game (usually the first of a game's three episodes) was given away as a teaser with other installments available upon payment, Apogee had not published a game since 1996's Stargunner. After 1994, the company mostly used the 3D Realms name.

Apogee also immediately announced its first new title in Duke Nukem Trilogy, an episodic project for Nintendo DS and PSP. The Trilogy will consist of three episodes: Critical Mass, Chain Reaction, and Proving Grounds. These games, which will share a common storyline, will be released sequentially, starting during the summer of 2009.

The games are said to feature a total of nine distinct locations, thirty-six levels, 3D graphics, and multi-player support. Though the DS and PSP versions of the games will share the same storyline, both will offer completely different experiences playing to each platform's strengths. Development of the games will be handled by Machineworks Northwest, a developer of -- until now -- mostly mobile and PDA titles.

"This marks a new beginning for a famous publisher with a history of market-making innovation," said Apogee COO Terry Nagy, adding, "I can't think of a better character than Duke or a better franchise than the Trilogy to usher in a new era for Apogee."