Bubsy 3D

Bubsy 3D (also known as Bubsy 3D: Furbitten Planet or Bubsy is 3D in "Furbitten Planet") is a platformer game developed by Eidetic and published by Accolade. It is the first 3D game in the Bubsy series, and the fourth game in the series overall. The game was released for the PlayStation on November 25, 1996, in North America, with a later European release in August 1997. Bubsy 3D follows the series' titular character, an orange bobcat named Bubsy, who travels to the planet Rayon to stop the alien Woolies, and return safely to Earth.

After the disappointing commercial performance of Bubsy II and Bubsy in: Fractured Furry Tales, both of which were released in 1994, Accolade asked the original Bubsy creator and designer Michael Berlyn to return to the series, who decided to revitalize the series with a transition to 3D. Bubsy 3D would become one of the first platformers to fully enable 3D exploration. However, the team's unfamiliarity with 3D technology created development challenges. Late in the game's development, Berlyn saw a preview of Super Mario 64 at the 1996 Consumer Electronics Show, and became concerned that Bubsy 3D was an inferior game. As Accolade insisted on releasing the game on time, the team aimed to make the best game they could under the circumstances. A version for the Sega Saturn was planned and ultimately canceled.

Bubsy 3D initially had a mixed reception. Although some reviewers did praise the game upon release, it has been universally panned in retrospect. Heavy criticism has been directed at the controls, environments, and voice acting. Several publications have ranked it among the worst video games in history. The game's legacy has also been affected by unfavorable comparisons to other early 3D platformers from the same year, Super Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot. Bubsy 3D was the last game in the Bubsy series for nearly 21 years, until a new team released Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back in 2017.