Miller intends to release "Prey" in brick-and-mortar stores and online at the same time, utilizing a relatively new digital distribution system known as Game xStream (www.gamexstream.com). At the site, gamers will be able to pre-order "Prey" and load it onto their hard drives, ready for instant activation and play on the official release date, whenever that might be. (Miller had hoped to release the PC game for Christmas, but that may slip to next year now that a simultaneous Xbox 360 version is in the works.)

3D Realms' Miller has high hopes for online digital distribution, and he intends to be at its forefront. "The bottom line is that you make a lot more money off of direct sales," he explains. "If a game sells for $50, you'll probably be making $8 to $10 more per box than if you sold it through a retailer. That's something that's hard to resist."

And yet, Miller recognizes the hurdles."The retail stores are bound to complain -- at least at the beginning," says Miller. "They complained when we sold over 80,000 copies of 'Duke Nukem 3D' on our own. The retailers hated that. But they still carried the game and, in fact, sold over a million and a half copies. I think retailers just naturally complain about anything that cuts a little bit into their sales."