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Formerly | Knowledge Adventure, Inc. (1991–2012) |
---|---|
Company type | Subsidiary |
Industry | Video games Education |
Predecessor | Davidson & Associates CUC Software Cendant Software Havas |
Founded | 1991 |
Defunct | July 1, 2023 |
Headquarters | , U.S. |
Products |
|
Number of employees | 201–500 |
Parent | Vivendi Universal Games (1997–2004) NetDragon Websoft (2017–2023) |
Website | www |
JumpStart Games, Inc., formerly Knowledge Adventure, Inc., was an American edutainment video game company based in Torrance, California. Founded in 1991, it was acquired by Chinese holding company NetDragon Websoft in 2017.
From 1991 to 1994, Knowledge Adventure created DOS games. [1]
On November 5, 1996, CUC International announced that it would acquire Knowledge Adventure; [2] the acquisition was completed on February 3, 1997. [3] In February 1996, CUC had acquired Davidson & Associates; [4] this subsidiary was later merged with Knowledge Adventure in October 1998. [5]
On May 28, 1997, CUC International announced plans to merge with Hospitality Franchise Systems to create a single, "one-stop" entity. [6] [7] The merger was finalized in December that year and created Cendant. [8] As a result of the merger, CUC Software was renamed Cendant Software. [9] On November 20, 1998, French media company Havas (later acquired by water utility Vivendi) announced that it would acquire Cendant Software for $800 million in cash and up to $200 million contingent on the performance of Cendant Software. [10] [11] Subsequently, the division was renamed Havas Interactive. [12]
During that time, Knowledge Adventure released many branded games such as JumpStart , Dr. Brain , Fisher-Price , Barbie , Bear in the Big Blue House , Blaster , Teletubbies , Noddy , Jurassic Park III , Captain Kangaroo , Curious George and American Idol .[ citation needed ]
Knowledge Adventure released JumpStart Baby in 2000. [13]
In October 2004, Vivendi sold Knowledge Adventure to a group of investors interested in taking a more active management strategy, and in developing new educational software. The company released new products under both the JumpStart and Math Blaster brands. [14]
In October 2012, Knowledge Adventure changed its name to JumpStart Games. [15]
On March 17, 2014, JumpStart Games purchased Neopets from Viacom. [16]
On July 7, 2017, JumpStart Games was acquired by Chinese online game publisher NetDragon Websoft. [17]
On November 25, 2014, five Knowledge Adventure titles were re-released digitally as DRM-Free exclusives on ZOOM-Platform.com through a partnership between JumpStart Games and the Jordan Freeman Group. The five titles included 3D Body Adventure, 3D Dinosaur Adventure, Dinosaur Adventure (Original), Space Adventure, and Undersea Adventure. [18]
On March 6, 2015, another Knowledge Adventure title, Bug Adventure, was re-released digitally as a DRM-Free exclusive on ZOOM-Platform.com. This title was also released through the partnership between JumpStart and the Jordan Freeman Group. ZOOM-Platform.com indicated the game was released due to the "incredible reaction" they got to the first batch of Knowledge Adventure titles. [19]
On June 13, 2023, Jumpstart Games announced it was ceasing all of its operations and ending support of all games, excluding Neopets, [20] on June 30, 2023. The company officially closed July 1, 2023 at 3am EST with servers and their website also shutting down. No reason upon the closure was given.
Neopets was briefly transferred over to Fluffy Dog Studios, which was formerly JumpStart Vancouver, [20] before being spun off as World of Neopia, Inc. in a management buyout deal.
Neopets is a free-to-play virtual pet browser game. First launched in 1999, the game allows users to own virtual pets ("Neopets") and explore a virtual world called "Neopia." Players can earn one of two virtual currencies. One currency, called Neopoints, can be obtained for free through on-site features like games, events, and contests. The other, Neocash (NC), is purchased with real-world money and can be exchanged for wearable items for pets.
Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one of the largest third-party video game publishers in the world and was the top United States publisher in 2016.
Sierra Entertainment, Inc. was an American video game developer and publisher founded in 1979 by Ken and Roberta Williams. The company is known for pioneering the graphic adventure game genre, including the first such game, Mystery House. It is known for its graphical adventure game series King's Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest, Gabriel Knight, Leisure Suit Larry, and Quest for Glory, and as the original publisher of Valve's Half-Life series.
Roberta Lynn Williams is an American video game designer and writer, who co-founded Sierra On-Line with her husband, game developer Ken Williams. In 1980, her first game, Mystery House, became a modest commercial success; it is credited as the first graphic adventure game. She is also known for creating and maintaining the King's Quest series, as well as designing the full motion video game Phantasmagoria in 1995.
JumpStart was an educational media franchise created for children, primarily consisting of educational games. The franchise began with independent developer Fanfare Software's 1994 video game JumpStart Kindergarten. The series was expanded into other age groups and beyond games to include workbooks, direct-to-video films, mobile apps, and other media under the ownership of Knowledge Adventure, which later assumed the name JumpStart Games.
Davidson & Associates, Inc. was an American developer of educational software based in Torrance, California. The company was founded in 1984 by husband-and-wife Bob and Jan Davidson, the latter of whom led the company as president until January 1997. Specializing in the production of edutainment software, the company was acquired by CUC International in February 1996 and served as the base for CUC's CUC Software division, being made responsible for the sales and distribution of the combined company.
The Blaster Learning System is an educational video game series created by Davidson & Associates and later published by JumpStart after the two companies were acquired and merged by CUC Software. The games primarily focused on mathematics, later expanding into language arts and science, and spawned an animated children’s television series in 1999 called Blaster's Universe.
Adam James Powell is a Welsh computer programmer, game designer and businessman. He is the co-founder of Neopets and Meteor Games.
Dr. Brain is a series of educational games introduced by Sierra On-Line in 1992. The objective of each game is to solve a series of puzzles to aid characters named Dr. Brain who changed from title to title. After Sierra was acquired by CUC International in 1996, the series would be continued by their Knowledge Adventure division who turned it into a more action-oriented game.
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CUC (Comp-U-Card) International Inc. was a membership-based consumer services conglomerate with travel, shopping, auto, dining, home improvement and financial services offered to more than 60 million customers worldwide based in Stamford, Connecticut, US, and founded in 1973 by Kirk Shelton and Walter Forbes. In 1998, it became involved in a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into what, at the time, was the biggest accounting scandal in corporate history.
Coktel Vision was a French video game developer and publisher based in Paris. It was best known for its educational and adventure games.
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Vivendi Games was an American video game publisher and holding company based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 1996 as CUC Software, the publishing subsidiary of CUC International, after the latter acquired video game companies Davidson & Associates and Sierra On-Line. Between 1997 and 2001, the company switched parents and names multiple times before ending up organized under Vivendi Universal. On July 10, 2008, Vivendi Games merged with Activision to create Activision Blizzard.
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NetDragon Websoft is a Chinese company that develops and operates massively multiplayer online games in addition to making mobile applications. The company debuted its first product in 2002.
3-D Body Adventure is a 1994 educational video game developed by Knowledge Adventure and published by Levande Böcker i Norden for MS-DOS, Mac OS, Microsoft Windows.
JumpStart Toddlers is a 1996 educational video game, the fourth within the JumpStart franchise. An enhanced version was released in 2000.