Author: John Merlino
Date: 15:31:43 03/20/01
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On March 20, 2001 at 18:00:52, Mike S. wrote: >I remember you have once given the complete history list of Chessmaster >distributors... something like > >The Software Toolworks >Mindscape >Mattel Interactive, which was renamed to >The Learning Company >Ubi Soft > >(It seems to me I forgot one or two) Here's the list, in order: -- The Software Toolworks -- Software Toolworks buys Mindscape and changes its name to Mindscape -- Mindscape is bought by Pearson PLC (a huge British publishing conglomerate trying to break into the software industry) -- Mindscape is sold to The Learning Company, and no longer exists as a separate entity (although TLC continues to use many of the brand names -- Mindscape, Broderbund, SSI, PF Magic, etc.).... -- The Learning Company is bought by Mattel and is renamed to Mattel Interactive. -- Mattel Interactive is sold to Gores Technologies Group (a corporate holding company best known for turning around financially troubled companies and selling them) and renamed back to The Learning Company. -- The entertainment division of The Learning Company (called "GAME Studios") is sold to Ubi Soft, and all employess (that weren't laid off) are given the opportunity to become employees of their most well-known studio, Red Storm Entertainment. So, that's where we are now. The 40-50 employees of GAME Studios that were not laid off have until tomorrow to decide whether they want to be employees of Red Storm Entertainment (which is owned by Ubi Soft). >I think it is even more complicated with those lot's of game software companies >like Ubi Soft, Bullfrog, Electronic Arts and the like; they are buying and >selling each other permanently. I could never tell anyway, which of all these >names is a software company actually, a distributor, a programmer's group or >just a nice looking box label. :o) In general, all of those names at least STARTED OUT as an independent company. Then, through successive mergers and name changes, the company names themselves are all that exist, because people associate the product with a particular company (like Carmen Sandiego with Broderbund, or PrintMaster with Mindscape). >Btw. Ubi Soft has just released a (beforehand) highly acclaimed racing >simulation game, the 3rd part of a series. Many bugs have been found in the >initial release. The customers are already demanding a patch... This is an industry-wide problem; I would say that, roughly, 99% of all products that get released get patched (this would also include entirely new "versions" that also include bug-fixes from previous versions). The 1% (and, perhaps, less than that) is for the programs that are either miraculously bug-free (because it WOULD be miraculous) or because the program sold so poorly (or was so poorly received) that the company isn't even going to spend money putting together a patch. jm
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