Wikipedia

Mindscape (company)

Mindscapewas avideo game developerandpublisher.The company was founded by Roger Buoy in October 1983 inNorthbrook, Illinois,originally as part of SFN Companies until amanagement buyoutwas completed in 1987. Mindscapewent publicin 1988 and was acquired in 1990 byThe Software Toolworks,eyeing Mindscape'sNintendolicense. When Toolworks was acquired byPearson plcin 1994, Mindscape became the primary identity for the development group. Mindscape was then sold toThe Learning Companyin 1998 and bought out by Jean-Pierre Nordman in 2001, becoming headquartered inBoulogne-Billancourt,France. Following the poor performance of its products, Mindscape exited thevideo game industryin August 2011 and soon ceased operations after filing for liquidation. However, its Dutch and Australian-based subsidiaries, Mindscape B.V. and Mindscape Asia Pacific Pty, Ltd., continue to operate as independent publishers and distributors.

Mindscape
Company typePrivate
IndustryVideo games
FoundedOctober 1983;41 years ago(1983-10)inNorthbrook, Illinois,US
FounderRoger Buoy
DefunctSeptember 2011;13 years ago(2011-09)
Fatejudicial liquidation;overseas subsidiaries continue to operate independently
Headquarters
Boulogne-Billancourt
,
France
Parent

Notable titles released by Mindscape include theMacVentureseries,Balance of Power,Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight,Legend,Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat,Warhammer: Dark OmenandLego Island.

History

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Early years (1983–1988)

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Mindscape was founded in October 1983 as a wholly ownedsubsidiaryof the holding company SFN Companies.[1][2]Mindscape's founder, the Australian entrepreneur Roger Buoy, had previously been a computer analyst forRolls-Royceand later worked for the softwaredivisionofScholastic Inc.before being hired by SFN.[3][2]Buoy acted as thepresidentandchief executive officer(CEO) of Mindscape, and the company released its first product in April 1984.[2]Early games includeDéjà Vu,Balance of Power,andSub Mission: A Matter of Life and Death.[3][4][5]In its early years, Mindscape lost aboutUS$6 millionannually.[6]

In July 1986, Mindscape acquired the assets of Scarborough Systems, a software company fromTarrytown, New York.[7]Scarborough Systems continued its operations throughLifeboat Associates,a subsidiary that was not acquired by Mindscape.[8]In October, SFN announced that it would be selling or closing large parts of its business, including plans to liquidate Mindscape.[9]On December 31, Mindscape bought the assets ofRoslyn, New York-based company Learning Well.[7]Since Mindscape was not liquidated by the end of 1986, it was assigned to SFN Partners L.P., alimited partnershipcompany.[7]A new corporation set up by Buoy and SFN's former president andchairman,John Purcell, subsequently acquired Mindscape from SFN Partners on January 16, 1987, for$3 million.[7][10]Buoy retained his positions in the company, while Purcell became its chairman.[7]Around this time, Mindscape had 74 employees.[7]

With sales of$12 million,Mindscape was profitable for the first time in the fourth quarter of 1986; it started publishing black numbers by 1987.[7][10]In early 1987, Mindscape introduced the Thunder Mountain label to produce software at a lower price, withRambo: First Blood Part IIbeing its first release.[11]In March 1987, Mindscape acquired the software division ofHolt, Rinehart and Winstonformerly known as CBS Interactive Learning, with all operations transferred to Mindscape'sNorthbrook, Illinois,headquarters.[1]By June 1988, Mindscape filed with theU.S. Securities and Exchange Commissionto prepare aninitial public offering(IPO) and become apublic company.[10]The move aimed at raising$9.6 millionthrough sale of stock to reduce bank loan debts of$9.8 million.[10]The IPO was completed later that month, with the company beginning tradingover-the-counter,and the first shares were issued by July.[12][13]Bob Ingersoll and Dennis O'Malley were appointedvice president(VP) of marketing and VP of sales, respectively, in May 1987.[14]In November, Mindscape signed a lease of 21,000 square feet (2,000 m2) of office space inWheeling, Illinois,for$236,000.[15]Robert A. Drell, formerly of Dresher Inc., became VP of finance and chief financial officer in October 1988.[16]

Under The Software Toolworks and Pearson (1989–1997)

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In December 1989, the video game companyThe Software Toolworksreached an agreement to acquire Mindscape, exchanging every Mindscape share for 0.4375 shares in newly issued Toolworkscommon stock.[17]The deal was completed on March 13, 1990, and valued at$21.2 million.[18][19]Mindscape had been one of the approximately forty companies licensed to develop forNintendovideo game platforms, which was a major driver of the acquisition.[18][19][20]The two companies merged, and Buoy joinedLes Craneon Toolworks'sboard of directors.[21]Following the acquisition, Mindscape became Toolworks's division working exclusively on games for Nintendo platforms, which sharply increased Toolworks's earnings.[18][19][22]Subsequently, in March 1994,Pearson plcagreed to acquire Toolworks for$462 million,with the deal closing on May 12, 1994.[23][24]

Pearson was criticized for overpaying in the acquisition, and the acquired company lost$69 millionwithin its first few years under the new ownership.[25][26]By November 1994, the Toolworks name was discontinued in favor of the Mindscape brand.[27]The same year, Mindscape acquired the video game developerStrategic Simulations.[28]In September 1995, it acquired Micrologic Software ofEmeryville, California,to undisclosed terms.[29]In January 1996, John F. Moore became CEO after leaving the same position atWestern Publishing.[30]In November, Mindscape laid off twelve developed staff as acost reductionmeasure.[31]In 1997, Mindscape acquired software company Multimedia Design.[32]In 1997, the final year under Pearson, Mindscape became profitable again, earning$2.7 million.[33]One day prior to the release ofLego Islandthat year, Mindscape fired all of the development team which worked on the game to avoid paying them any bonuses.[34]

Under The Learning Company (1998–2001)

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Pearson proceeded to sell Mindscape toThe Learning Company(TLC) in March 1998 for$150 millionin cash and stock.[35]A waiting period was temporarily imposed by theFederal Trade Commissionand subsequently terminated the same month.[36]TLC expected that its stocks would rise$0.05per share as a result of the acquisition, while Pearson lost around$347 million.[33][37]Later that year, when TLC integrated itsBroderbunddivision, Mindscape took over Broderbund's productivity, reference and entertainment brands.[38]The company's Mindscape unit would acquirePetzdeveloperPF.Magicin 1998.[39]TLC would be eventually acquired byMattelin May 1999 and became a subsidiary of the company'sMattel Mediadivision, later renamedMattel Interactive.[40]By then, Mattel occasionally used the Mindscape name for publishing.

TLC and Mattel Interactive's gaming assets were acquired byGores Technology Groupin 2000 and its game brands were reformed under a new entity, Game Studios, in January 2001.[41]

French Relaunch (2001-2010)

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In October 2001, formerTLC-Edusoftexecutive Jean-Pierre Nordman purchased The Learning Company's international assets from Gores and reconciled them underMindscape SA,a new company formed by Nordman located inBoulogne-Billancourt,a suburb ofParis,France with Nordman assuming a managerial role.[42][3][43]The new Mindscape continued the work on the publication and distribution of video games and software, mostly focusing towards the family and educational markets.

In November 2002, the company purchased the assets of bankrupt software publisher Montparnasse Multimedia.[44]

The UK division signed many licensing deals throughout the next few years, including one withAtariandHIT Entertainmentto re-release the former'sThomas & Friendstitles in July 2005, including a contract to produce two new titles;[45]and a budget reissue deal withFocus Multimediain June 2006.[46]

In October 2005, Mindscape purchased French video game developer and publisherCoktel VisionfromVivendi Universal Games.The company absorbed the studio into its operations, including its remaining eleven employees.[47][48]

The company saw major expansion in 2009. On 20 October, they purchased the company Violet out of liquidation and took over production of theirNabaztagsmart device range.[49],announcing a new a third generation Nabaztag, called "Karotz" in October 2010.[50]In November, the company opened up an internal development studio, Punchers Impact, inParisto develop multi-platformdigital downloadgames.[51]The company developed two games:Crasher,aracing game,andU-Sing,amusic game.By December 2009, Thierry Bensoussan had become themanaging directorfor Mindscape.[51]

In September 2010, Punchers Impact's studio managers, Guillaume Descamps and Jérôme Amouyal, left the studio to found Birdies Road.[52]

Collapse (2011)

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On June 23, 2011, Mindscape was placed intoinsolvencyafter failing to reach a deal with its lawyers and banks to pay off its debts. The company announced that they would begin a restructuring process.[53]This followed the unsuccessful sales ofCrasher,and the high music licensing costs forU-Singaffecting the profits the game would end up getting, despite it selling well.[54][55]On August 10, Mindscape announced its exit from thevideo game industryby closing Punchers Impact and laying off its forty employees.[56]On 24 August, the Nanterre Commercial Court converted Mindscape's insolvency status intojudicial liquidation.[57]In November, Aldebaran Robotics, the makers of theNaorobot range, acquired Mindscape's robotic assets.[58]

The company's regional subsidiaries, including Mindscape Asia Pacific in Australia, which was sold to private investors in October 2010[59]and Mindscape B.V., were unaffected by the company's insolvency and continue to operate.

Software developed and/or published

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Title Year(s) Platform(s)
Racter 1984
Balance of Power 1985
Déjà Vu 1985
Mindscape Amiga Tutorial 1985 Amiga (included on Workbench 1.1 disk)
American Challenge: A Sailing Simulation 1986
James Bond 007: Goldfinger 1986
TrailBlazer 1986
Uninvited 1986
Shadowgate 1987
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 1987
Road Runner 1987 Commodore 64, MS-DOS
Harrier Combat Simulator 1987
Visions of Aftermath: The Boomtown 1988 PC
Willow 1988 Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS
The Colony 1988
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 1988 NES
Paperboy 1988, 1990 NES, Game Boy, MS-DOS, Commodore 64
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier 1989
Fiendish Freddy's Big Top o' Fun 1989 Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC
Prince of Persia 1989
Sgt. Slaughter's Mat Wars 1989
Captive 1990
SimEarth 1990
Mad Max 1990 NES
SimAnt 1991
Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight 1991
Knightmare 1991
Captain America and The Avengers 1991 SNES, Handheld versions
Captain Planet and the Planeteers 1991
Gods 1991
D/Generation 1991
Contraption Zack 1992 MS-DOS, Amiga
SimLife 1992
Outlander 1992
The Terminator 1992 NES
Legend(akaThe Four Crystals of Trazere) 1992
Worlds of Legend: Son of the Empire 1993
Prince of Persia 2: The Shadow and the Flame 1993
Wing Commander 1993 SNES
Super Battleship 1993
Star Wars Chess 1993
Metal Marines 1993
The Chessmaster 4000 Turbo 1993
Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins 1994
Liberation: Captive 2 1994 Amiga, Amiga CD32
Aliens: A Comic Book Adventure 1995 MS-DOS
Cyberspeed 1995 PC (unreleased), PlayStation
Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat 1995
Pool Champion 1995
Angel Devoid: Face of the Enemy 1996
Azrael's Tear 1996
Chessmaster 5000 1996
Creatures 1996
Starwinder 1996
Steel Harbinger 1996
Counter Action 1997
Lego Island 1997 PC
Aaron Vs. Ruth 1997
John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles 1998
Warhammer: Dark Omen 1998
Prince of Persia 3D 1999
Rat Attack! 1999
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg 2006 PC
Golden Balls 2008

References

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