<PAGE>   1
   As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 19, 1997
                                                    Registration No. ___-_______

================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549


                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      Under
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933


                                 THE 3DO COMPANY
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

        Delaware                                         94-3177293
(State of Incorporation)                    (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

                               600 Galveston Drive
                         Redwood City, California 94063
  (Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of
                   registrant's principal executive offices)


                            1995 DIRECTOR OPTION PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)


                                 James Alan Cook
                  Executive Vice President and General Counsel
                                 The 3DO Company
                               600 Galveston Drive
                         Redwood City, California 94063
                                 (650) 261-3000
            (Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)


                                    Copy to:
                                  Neil J. Wolff
                     Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C.
                               650 Page Mill Road
                        Palo Alto, California 94304-1050
                                 (650) 493-9300

================================================================================

<PAGE>   2




                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

          Title of                   Amount           Proposed           Proposed               Amount
         Securities                  to be            Maximum             Maximum                 of
            to be                  Registered         Offering           Aggregate           Registration
         Registered                                  Price Per           Offering                Fee
                                                      Share(1)           Price(1)                        
        -----------                ----------         --------           ---------           ------------
<S>                             <C>                  <C>                 <C>                 <C>      
Common Stock                    400,000 shares        $2.6564           $1,062,560             $314.00

</TABLE>

----------
(1)     Estimated pursuant to Rule 457 solely for the purpose of calculating the
        registration fee. Based on the average of the high and low prices of the
        Common Stock on December 18, 1997 as reported on The Nasdaq Stock 
        Market.


                      STATEMENT UNDER GENERAL INSTRUCTION E

        The contents of the Registrant's Form S-8 Registration Statements (File
No. 33-96560) are incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement.



<PAGE>   3




                                   SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration
statement or amendment thereto to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Redwood City, California on this
December 19, 1997.

                                THE 3DO COMPANY

                                By: /S/ TERRENCE SCHMID
                                    -------------------------------------
                                    Terrence Schmid, Chief Financial Officer
                                    (Principal Financial Officer
                                      and Principal Accounting Officer)
                                    (Duly Authorized Officer)

                            
                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

        KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature
appears below constitutes and appoints, jointly and severally, William M.
Hawkins, III, and James Alan Cook, and each of them, his true and lawful
attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and
resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all
capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments)
to this registration statement and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto
and documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them,
full power and authority to do and to be done in and about the premises, as
fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby
ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of
them, or their or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do so or cause to
be done by virtue hereof.

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities and on the dates indicated.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

              SIGNATURE                            TITLE                      DATE
              ---------                            -----                      ----

<S>                                <C>                                      <C> 
/S/ WILLIAM M. HAWKINS, III        Chairman of the Board of Directors        December 19, 1997
---------------------------        and Chief Executive Officer
(William M. Hawkins, III)          (Principal Executive Officer)

/S/ TERRENCE SCHMID                Chief Financial Officer                   December 19, 1997
---------------------------        (Principal Financial Officer
(Terrence Schmid)                  and Principal Accounting Officer)

/S/ H. WILLIAM JESSE, JR           Director                                  December 19, 1997
---------------------------
(H. William Jesse, Jr.)

/S/ HUGH MARTIN                    Director                                  December 19, 1997
---------------------------
(Hugh Martin)

/S/ WILLIAM HALL                   Director                                  December 19, 1997
---------------------------
(William Hall)

</TABLE>


                                      II-1


<PAGE>   4



                                 EXHIBIT INDEX
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>

                                                                    SEQUENTIALLY
EXHIBIT                            EXHIBIT                            NUMBERED
NUMBER                                                                  PAGE

<S>    <C>                                                   
  5.1  Opinion of Counsel as to the Validity of the Shares

 23.1  Consent of Counsel (included in Exhibit 5.1 above)

 23.2  Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP

 24.1  Power of Attorney (included under the heading 
       "Signatures" above)
</TABLE>


                                      II-2
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "description": "FORM S-8", "secsgml_size_bytes": 7462}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "3DO CO", "cik": "0000898441", "assigned-sic": "7372", "irs-number": "943177293", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "0331"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-42739", "film-number": "97741442"}, "business-address": {"street1": "600 GALVESTON DRIVE", "city": "REDWOOD CITY", "state": "CA", "zip": "94063", "phone": "4152613000"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "600 GALVESTON DRIVE", "street2": "600 GALVESTON DRIVE", "city": "REDWOOD CITY", "state": "CA", "zip": "94063"}}
1
   As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 19, 1997
                                                    Registration No. ___-_______

================================================================================

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      Under
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                                 THE 3DO COMPANY
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

        Delaware                                         94-3177293
(State of Incorporation)                    (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

                               600 Galveston Drive
                         Redwood City, California 94063
  (Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of
                   registrant's principal executive offices)

                            1995 DIRECTOR OPTION PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

                                 James Alan Cook
                  Executive Vice President and General Counsel
                                 The 3DO Company
                               600 Galveston Drive
                         Redwood City, California 94063
                                 (650) 261-3000
            (Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)

                                    Copy to:
                                  Neil J. Wolff
                     Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C.
                               650 Page Mill Road
                        Palo Alto, California 94304-1050
                                 (650) 493-9300

================================================================================
2

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of                   Amount           Proposed           Proposed               Amount
         Securities                  to be            Maximum             Maximum                 of
            to be                  Registered         Offering           Aggregate           Registration
         Registered                                  Price Per           Offering                Fee
                                                      Share(1)           Price(1)                        
        -----------                ----------         --------           ---------           ------------
Common Stock                    400,000 shares        $2.6564           $1,062,560             $314.00
----------
(1)     Estimated pursuant to Rule 457 solely for the purpose of calculating the
        registration fee. Based on the average of the high and low prices of the
        Common Stock on December 18, 1997 as reported on The Nasdaq Stock 
        Market.

                      STATEMENT UNDER GENERAL INSTRUCTION E

        The contents of the Registrant's Form S-8 Registration Statements (File
No. 33-96560) are incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement.
3

                                   SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration
statement or amendment thereto to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Redwood City, California on this
December 19, 1997.

                                THE 3DO COMPANY

                                By: /S/ TERRENCE SCHMID
                                    -------------------------------------
                                    Terrence Schmid, Chief Financial Officer
                                    (Principal Financial Officer
                                      and Principal Accounting Officer)
                                    (Duly Authorized Officer)

                            
                                POWER OF ATTORNEY

        KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature
appears below constitutes and appoints, jointly and severally, William M.
Hawkins, III, and James Alan Cook, and each of them, his true and lawful
attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and
resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all
capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments)
to this registration statement and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto
and documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them,
full power and authority to do and to be done in and about the premises, as
fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby
ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of
them, or their or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do so or cause to
be done by virtue hereof.

        Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities and on the dates indicated.
SIGNATURE                            TITLE                      DATE
              ---------                            -----                      ----
/S/ WILLIAM M. HAWKINS, III        Chairman of the Board of Directors        December 19, 1997
---------------------------        and Chief Executive Officer
(William M. Hawkins, III)          (Principal Executive Officer)

/S/ TERRENCE SCHMID                Chief Financial Officer                   December 19, 1997
---------------------------        (Principal Financial Officer
(Terrence Schmid)                  and Principal Accounting Officer)

/S/ H. WILLIAM JESSE, JR           Director                                  December 19, 1997
---------------------------
(H. William Jesse, Jr.)

/S/ HUGH MARTIN                    Director                                  December 19, 1997
---------------------------
(Hugh Martin)

/S/ WILLIAM HALL                   Director                                  December 19, 1997
---------------------------
(William Hall)
II-1
4

                                 EXHIBIT INDEX
SEQUENTIALLY
EXHIBIT                            EXHIBIT                            NUMBERED
NUMBER                                                                  PAGE
5.1  Opinion of Counsel as to the Validity of the Shares

 23.1  Consent of Counsel (included in Exhibit 5.1 above)

 23.2  Consent of KPMG Peat Marwick LLP

 24.1  Power of Attorney (included under the heading 
       "Signatures" above)
II-2