Mindscape (company)

Last updated

Mindscape
Company type Private
Industry Video games
FoundedOctober 1983;41 years ago (1983-10) in Northbrook, Illinois, US
FounderRoger Buoy
DefunctSeptember 2011;13 years ago (2011-09)
Fate judicial liquidation; overseas subsidiaries continue to operate independently
Headquarters,
France
Parent

Mindscape was a video game developer and publisher. The company was founded by Roger Buoy in October 1983 in Northbrook, Illinois, originally as part of SFN Companies until a management buyout was completed in 1987. Mindscape went public in 1988 and was acquired in 1990 by The Software Toolworks, eyeing Mindscape's Nintendo license. When Toolworks was acquired by Pearson plc in 1994, Mindscape became the primary identity for the development group. Mindscape was then sold to The Learning Company in 1998 and bought out by Jean-Pierre Nordman in 2001, becoming headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. Following the poor performance of its products, Mindscape exited the video game industry in 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.

Contents

Notable titles released by Mindscape include the MacVenture series, Balance of Power , Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight , Legend , Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat , Warhammer: Dark Omen and Lego Island .

History

Early years (1983–1988)

Mindscape was founded in October 1983 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the holding company SFN Companies. [1] [2] Mindscape's founder, the Australian entrepreneur Roger Buoy, had previously been a computer analyst for Rolls-Royce and later worked for the software division of Scholastic Inc. before being hired by SFN. [3] [2] Buoy acted as the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Mindscape, and the company released its first product in April 1984. [2] Early games include Déjà Vu , Balance of Power , and Sub Mission: A Matter of Life and Death . [3] [4] [5] In its early years, Mindscape lost about US$6 million annually. [6]

In July 1986, Mindscape acquired the assets of Scarborough Systems, a software company from Tarrytown, New York. [7] Scarborough Systems continued its operations through Lifeboat 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 of Roslyn, 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., a limited partnership company. [7] A new corporation set up by Buoy and SFN's former president and chairman, 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, with Rambo: First Blood Part II being its first release. [11] In March 1987, Mindscape acquired the software division of Holt, Rinehart and Winston formerly known as CBS Interactive Learning, with all operations transferred to Mindscape's Northbrook, Illinois, headquarters. [1] By June 1988, Mindscape filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to prepare an initial public offering (IPO) and become a public company. [10] The move aimed at raising $9.6 million through sale of stock to reduce bank loan debts of $9.8 million. [10] The IPO was completed later that month, with the company beginning trading over-the-counter, and the first shares were issued by July. [12] [13] Bob Ingersoll and Dennis O'Malley were appointed vice 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 in Wheeling, 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)

In December 1989, the video game company The Software Toolworks reached an agreement to acquire Mindscape, exchanging every Mindscape share for 0.4375 shares in newly issued Toolworks common 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 for Nintendo video game platforms, which was a major driver of the acquisition. [18] [19] [20] The two companies merged, and Buoy joined Les Crane on Toolworks's board 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 plc agreed 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 million within 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 developer Strategic Simulations. [28] In September 1995, it acquired Micrologic Software of Emeryville, California, to undisclosed terms. [29] In January 1996, John F. Moore became CEO after leaving the same position at Western Publishing. [30] In November, Mindscape laid off twelve developed staff as a cost reduction measure. [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 of Lego Island that 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)

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

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

French Relaunch (2001-2010)

In October 2001, former TLC-Edusoft executive Jean-Pierre Nordman purchased The Learning Company's international assets from Gores and reconciled them under Mindscape SA, a new company formed by Nordman located in Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb of Paris, 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 with Atari and HIT Entertainment to re-release the former's Thomas & Friends titles in July 2005, including a contract to produce two new titles; [45] and a budget reissue deal with Focus Multimedia in June 2006. [46]

In October 2005, Mindscape purchased French video game developer and publisher Coktel Vision from Vivendi 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 their Nabaztag smart 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, in Paris to develop multi-platform digital download games. [51] The company developed two games: Crasher, a racing game, and U-Sing , a music game. By December 2009, Thierry Bensoussan had become the managing director for 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)

On June 23, 2011, Mindscape was placed into insolvency after 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 of Crasher, and the high music licensing costs for U-Sing affecting the profits the game would end up getting, despite it selling well. [54] [55] On August 10, Mindscape announced its exit from the video game industry by closing Punchers Impact and laying off its forty employees. [56] On 24 August, the Nanterre Commercial Court converted Mindscape's insolvency status into judicial liquidation. [57] In November, Aldebaran Robotics, the makers of the Nao robot 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

TitleYear(s)Platform(s)
Racter 1984
Balance of Power 1985
Déjà Vu 1985
Mindscape Amiga Tutorial1985Amiga (included on Workbench 1.1 disk)
American Challenge: A Sailing Simulation 1986
James Bond 007: Goldfinger1986
TrailBlazer 1986
Uninvited 1986
Shadowgate 1987
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 1987
Road Runner 1987Commodore 64, MS-DOS
Harrier Combat Simulator 1987
Visions of Aftermath: The Boomtown 1988PC
Willow 1988Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS
The Colony 1988
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 1988NES
Paperboy 1988, 1990NES, Game Boy, MS-DOS, Commodore 64
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier 1989
Fiendish Freddy's Big Top o' Fun 1989Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC
Prince of Persia 1989
Sgt. Slaughter's Mat Wars1989
Captive 1990
SimEarth 1990
Mad Max 1990NES
SimAnt 1991
Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight 1991
Knightmare 1991
Captain America and The Avengers 1991SNES, Handheld versions
Captain Planet and the Planeteers 1991
Gods 1991
D/Generation 1991
Contraption Zack 1992MS-DOS, Amiga
SimLife 1992
Outlander 1992
The Terminator 1992NES
Legend (aka The 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 1993SNES
Super Battleship 1993
Star Wars Chess 1993
Metal Marines 1993
The Chessmaster 4000 Turbo 1993
Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins 1994
Liberation: Captive 2 1994Amiga, Amiga CD32
Aliens: A Comic Book Adventure 1995MS-DOS
Cyberspeed 1995PC (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 1997PC
Aaron Vs. Ruth1997
John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles 1998
Warhammer: Dark Omen 1998
Prince of Persia 3D 1999
Rat Attack! 1999
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg 2006PC
Golden Balls 2008

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mattel</span> American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company

Mattel, Inc. is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Mattel has a presence in 35 countries and territories; its products are sold in more than 150 countries. Mattel was founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth and Elliot Handler in January 1945.

<i>Mario Is Missing!</i> 1993 video game

Mario Is Missing! is a 1993 educational game developed and published by The Software Toolworks for MS-DOS, Nintendo Entertainment System, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, later released on Macintosh in 1994. The player controls Luigi, who must travel around the world to find and return stolen treasures as part of a quest to locate his brother, Mario, who has been captured by Bowser. Mario Is Missing!, part of a series of educational Mario games, was Luigi's second starring role in a video game, following the 1990 Game Watch game Luigi's Hammer Toss and preceding the 2001 GameCube game Luigi's Mansion.

The Learning Company (TLC) was an American educational software company founded in 1980 in Palo Alto, California and headquartered in Fremont, California. The company produced a grade-based line of learning software, edutainment games, and productivity tools. Its titles included the flagship series Reader Rabbit, for preschoolers through second graders, and The ClueFinders, for more advanced students. The company was also known for publishing licensed educational titles featuring characters such as Arthur, The Powerpuff Girls, SpongeBob SquarePants or Sesame Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broderbund</span> American software company

Broderbund Software, Inc. was an American maker of video games, educational software, and productivity tools. Broderbund is best known for the 8-bit video game hits Choplifter, Lode Runner, Karateka, and Prince of Persia, as well as The Print Shop—originally for printing signs and banners on dot matrix printers—and the Myst and Carmen Sandiego games. The company was founded in Eugene, Oregon, and moved to San Rafael, California, then later to Novato, California. Broderbund was purchased by SoftKey in 1998.

<i>Petz</i> Series of virtual pet video games

Petz is a series of single-player video games dating back to 1995, in which the player can adopt, raise, care for and breed their own virtual pets. Developed by PF.Magic, original Petz has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide. The series has grown to over 22 million copies as of 2011 since coming under Ubisoft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearson plc</span> British multinational publishing and education company

Pearson plc is a multinational corporation, headquartered in the UK, focused on educational publishing and services.

Chessmaster is a chess video game series, currently owned and developed by Ubisoft. It is the best-selling chess video game series, with more than five million units sold as of 2002. The same cover art image featuring Will Hare was used from Chessmaster 2000 to Chessmaster 9000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Software Toolworks</span> American software developer

The Software Toolworks, Inc., was an American software and video game developer based in Novato, California. The company was founded by Walt Bilofsky in 1980 out of his Sherman Oaks garage, which he converted into an office, to develop software for the Heathkit H89 microcomputer. It quickly expanded into video games, releasing Airport and MyChess in 1980; other notable games include Chessmaster 2000, Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, and Mario Is Missing!. Toolworks merged with its distributor, Software Country, in 1986 and, after going public in 1988, acquired IntelliCreations, DS Technologies, and Mindscape. By 1994, Toolworks employed 600 people and had a revenue of US$150 million. In May that year, it was acquired by Pearson plc for $462 million, which converted it to bear the Mindscape identity by November.

Chuck Kroegel is an American video game designer. He was an executive for many years with Strategic Simulations (SSI), and played a role in developing their position as an industry leader in war games and role-playing video games. His career in the video game industry now spans over 30 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coktel Vision</span> French video game developer and publisher

Coktel Vision was a French video game developer and publisher based in Paris. It was best known for its educational and adventure games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Orb Entertainment</span> Video game publishing company

Red Orb Entertainment was a publishing division created by the Broderbund software company to market its video game titles, distinguishing them from its library of edutainment titles, which it marketed to schools. Launched on May 21, 1997, and based in Novato, California, the name comes from the first six letters of "Broderbund," which spell "Red Orb" when reversed.

<i>Reader Rabbit</i> Video game series

Reader Rabbit is an educational video game franchise created in 1984 by The Learning Company. The series is aimed at children from infancy to the age of nine. In 1998, a spiritual successor series called The ClueFinders was released for older students aged seven to twelve.

SoftKey International was a software company founded by Kevin O'Leary in 1986 in Toronto, Ontario. It was known as The Learning Company from 1995 to 1999 after acquiring The Learning Company and taking its name.

Margaret Wallace is an American entrepreneur, gaming and media professional. In 2009, she co-founded Playmatics with Nicholas Fortugno in New York, New York. The company focuses on bringing new kinds of immersive experiences to casual gamers. In 2006, she was named one of the hundred most influential women in the game industry.

<i>Close Combat: Battle of the Bulge</i> 1999 war video game

Close Combat: Battle of the Bulge, sometimes known as Close Combat IV: Battle of the Bulge, is a 1999 computer wargame developed by Atomic Games and published by Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI). A simulation of the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, it is the fourth game in the Close Combat series. A remake, Close Combat: Wacht am Rhein, was released in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mattel Interactive</span> Video game publisher and software distributor

Mattel Interactive was a video game publisher and software distributor.

Madeline is a series of educational point-and-click adventure video games which were developed during the mid-1990s for Windows and Mac systems. The games are an extension of the Madeline series of children's books by Ludwig Bemelmans, which describe the adventures of a young French girl. The video-game series was produced concurrently with a TV series of the same name, with characters and voice actors from the show.

<i>Marios Early Years!</i> 1993-1994 video games

The Mario's Early Years! series is a trilogy of point-and-click educational games released on MS-DOS and Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed and published by The Software Toolworks under license from Nintendo. The three games consist of Fun with Letters, Fun with Numbers and Preschool Fun.

Adibou is an educational video gaming series first developed by Coktel Vision in the 1990s. The franchise expanded into comic books, music and television series. Titles in the series follow Adiboo, a young alien who teaches children about a variety of topics including nature, maths, and language. Most stories are set in the world of Celesta.

<i>Close Combat: Invasion: Normandy</i> 2000 video game

Close Combat: Invasion: Normandy is a 2000 computer wargame developed by Atomic Games and published by Mattel Interactive for Windows. It is the fifth game in the Close Combat series. A remake, Close Combat: The Longest Day was released in 2009.

References

  1. 1 2 Winter, Christine (March 13, 1987). "MINDSCAPE TO BUY SOFTWARE GROUP". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 Winter, Christine (December 2, 1985). "MINDSCAPE". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Cifaldi, Frank (August 10, 2011). "Report: Mindscape Leaves Video Game Industry After Nearly 30 Years". Gamasutra . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  4. Aaron, David (December 28, 1985). "PLAYING WITH APOCALYPSE". The New York Times . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  5. Bertoli, Ben (October 10, 2016). "The self-destructing game of 1986". Polygon . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  6. Storch, Charles (January 31, 1985). "N COS. SHAREHOLDERS APPROVE LEVERAGED BUYOUT". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Winter, Christine (January 19, 1987). "NORTHBROOK SOFTWARE COMPANY BOUGHT BY NEW CORPORATION". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on June 27, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  8. "MINDSCAPE BUYS SCARBOROUGH". Chicago Tribune . July 28, 1986. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  9. Storch, Charles (October 15, 1986). "SFN SELLING TEXTBOOK FIRMS". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Winter, Christine (June 7, 1988). "$9.6 MILLION STOCK SALE PLANNED BY MINDSCAPE". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on June 27, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  11. "New Mindscape Division". Computer Entertainer . January 1987. p. 6.
  12. "MINDSCAPE OFFERS STOCK". Chicago Tribune . June 24, 1988. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  13. Rudd, David C. (December 6, 1986). "TOOLWORKS TO BUY MINDSCAPE". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on June 27, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  14. Lazarus, George (May 14, 1987). "MORE BRITONS ON MADISON AVE". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on June 27, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  15. "ZURICH-AMERICAN ADDS TO HQ". Chicago Tribune . November 22, 1987. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  16. "DRESHER OFFICER NAMED VP AT MINDSCAPE". Chicago Tribune . October 27, 1988. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  17. "COMPANY BRIEFS". The New York Times . December 6, 1989. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  18. 1 2 3 Federal Securities Law Reporter: Federal Regulation of Securities : Laws, Regulations, Forms, Rulings and Decisions Currently Supplemented and Indexed. Commerce Clearing House. 1940. p. 351. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  19. 1 2 3 Merger Yearbook: Domestic. Securities Data Company. 1991. p. 327.
  20. Cuff, Daniel F. (April 13, 1990). "BUSINESS PEOPLE; New President Named At Software Toolworks". The New York Times . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  21. "Software Toolworks Acquires Mindscape". Computer Gaming World . No. 67. January 1990. p. 64. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  22. Gould, Carole (July 1, 1990). "Mutual Funds; When Small Is Beautiful". The New York Times . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  23. Lohr, Steve (April 1, 1994). "Pearson Enters Multimedia Software Arena". The New York Times . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  24. Bloomberg News (May 13, 1994). "Pearson Completes Deal". The New York Times . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  25. Fabrikant, Geraldine; Myerson, Allen R. (May 18, 1998). "SIMON & SCHUSTER IN SALE TO BRITISH". The New York Times . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  26. "INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS;Pearson Says Mindscape Will Have Loss in 1996". The New York Times . May 4, 1996. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  27. "TOP OF MIND". Billboard . Vol. 106, no. 46. Nielsen Business Media. November 12, 1994. p. 90. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  28. Nutt, Christian (December 16, 2013). "Strategic Simulations, Inc. founder donates company collection to ICHEG". Gamasutra . Archived from the original on June 27, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  29. "COMPANY BRIEFS". The New York Times . September 8, 1995. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  30. "Western Publishing CEO leaves: John F. Moore,..." Chicago Tribune . January 26, 1996. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  31. "Layoffs Hit Mindscape". GamePro . No. 101. IDG. February 1997. pp. 26–27.
  32. Tannenbaum, Fred (August 20, 2007). "Tech firm is taking new product to market for free". The Business Journals . Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  33. 1 2 Buerkle, Tom (March 7, 1998). "Pearson Sells Mindscape, Taking Big Loss". The New York Times . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  34. "Lego Island studio Mindscape fired staff to avoid paying bonuses". Eurogamer.net. January 4, 2021.
  35. Dow Jones (March 7, 1998). "COMPANY NEWS; LEARNING COMPANY SETS DEAL FOR MINDSCAPE". The New York Times . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  36. "The Learning Co. moves forward with Mindscape buy". The Business Journals . March 25, 1998. Archived from the original on September 28, 2002. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  37. "Pearson loses Mindscape". CNNMoney . March 6, 1998. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  38. "Learning Co. cuts 500 jobs". CNNMoney . September 11, 1998. Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  39. "Learning Co. to acquire PF.Magic". CNET. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  40. "Mattel/The Learning Co. In $3.8B merger". ZDNet . Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  41. Schofield, Jack (January 18, 2001). "Games watch". The Guardian . Archived from the original on June 28, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  42. https://web.archive.org/web/20020823015413/http://www.mindscape.co.uk/about/CorporateInfo.asp
  43. "Mindscape ou l'objet intelligent à votre service" [Mindscape or the smart object at your service](PDF). Boulogne-Billancourt (in French). October 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  44. https://www.01net.com/actualites/mindscape-reprend-montparnasse-et-cest-pas-fini-181981.html
  45. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/2005-marks-the-60th-anniversary-of-the-thomas-friends-brand
  46. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/focus-multimedia-signs-sales-and-distribution-agreement-for-mindscape-budget-range
  47. Poischich (October 21, 2005). "VU Games cède Coktel à Mindscape" [VU Games sells Coktel to Mindscape]. Gamekult (in French). Archived from the original on July 22, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  48. Crookes, David (December 28, 2018). "From the Archives: Coktel Vision". Retro Gamer . No. 189. Future Publishing. pp. 44–47.
  49. "Mindscape rachète officiellement Violet et son Nabaztag" (in French). Neteco.com. October 21, 2009. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  50. "MindScape's Karotz continues the proud Nabaztag lineage". Engadget.com. October 15, 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  51. 1 2 Martin, Matt (December 1, 2009). "Mindscape opens new digital studio Punchers Impact". GamesIndustry.biz . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  52. Pearson, Dan (September 17, 2010). "Punchers Impact bosses found new studio". GamesIndustry.biz . Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  53. https://web.archive.org/web/20110627045808/https://www.01net.com/editorial/534754/l-editeur-mindscape-place-en-redressement-judiciaire/
  54. Weber, Rachel (August 11, 2011). "Publisher Mindscape exits industry, 40 jobs lost". GamesIndustry.biz . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  55. Nunneley, Stephany (August 10, 2011). "Publisher Mindscape moving out of game sector, 40 jobs reported lost". VG247 . Archived from the original on June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  56. MCV Staff (August 10, 2011). "40 jobs gone as Mindscape quits games". MCV . Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  57. http://www.pvg24.com/n11094
  58. https://robohub.org/aldebaran-robotics-acquires-siri-like-front-end-for-their-nao-robot/
  59. MCV Staff (August 12, 2011). "Mindscape Asia-Pacific unaffected by French withdrawal from games". MCV . Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2019.