GemStone IV

GemStone was first demonstrated to GEnie in 1987 before Simutronics was officially incorporated. It was only used as a demonstration model and was never available to the general subscribers. GemStone ][ was released in April 1988 to GEnie customers. However, GemStone ][ was very short-lived, and GemStone III went into open beta testing in December 1989, officially launching on February 1, 1990.

The transition from "][" to "III" maintained significant portions of the environment, but not all, and character records were not maintained over the transition, requiring all players to begin anew. GemStone III evolved into GemStone IV in November 2003, but the game world and character records were maintained over the transition. GemStone III was promoted on GEnie by promising players the opportunity to receive real-life versions of gems found in-game, something that persisted for many years.

Computer Gaming World in 1991 stated that Gemstone III was a good example of the best and worst aspects of online play. The reviewer liked the game's community aspect and well-written prose, but criticized the poor parser, "surprisingly empty" game environment and—given the per-minute charge—lack of a free tutorial, and concluded that "the present incarnation of on-line games doesn't quite work for him". In a follow-up 1993 review, the reviewer wrote that his sojourn in Kulthea was a rewarding experience. He reported receiving help from both built-in commands and other characters and the ability and opportunity for his bard character to sing.

The reviewer concluded that "at last, I know why" the game was so popular. In 1997 Next Generation named it as number seven on their "Top 10 Online Game Picks". At its peak (1996), GemStone III had over 2,000 simultaneous users and 1 million play hours per month, large numbers for its era.