Time Warner Interactive (TWI) was a video game developing and publishing division within Time Warner. It was formed in 1993 after Time Warner acquired a controlling interest in Atari Games, which was already partly held by Time Warner. It was active until 1996 when WMS Industries, the owners of the Williams, Bally and Midway arcade brands, bought the company.
Time Warner Interactive was formed in 1984 as Warner New Media, a multimedia music division that focused on the release of CD-ROMs during the final years under the name. In June 1993, the company was renamed as the Time Warner Interactive Group with a focus on both CD-ROM material and interactive content for Time Warner's Full Service Network (FSN), which was a planned two-way cable system due for release the following year.[3]
In March 1994, the Time Warner Interactive Group expanded to the video game market when Time Warner acquired a controlling interest in Atari Games, an arcade game developer and publisher which Time Warner's predecessor Warner Communications already held a 25% interest in. The purchase of the stake increased Time Warner's ownership in the company to 27%.[4][5] In April, The Time Warner Interactive Group, Atari Games and Tengen were consolidated as Time Warner Interactive.[6] In June, Tengen Inc. was renamed to Time Warner Interactive (California) Inc., with the Tengen brand ceasing to exist on video games.[7][8][9] The Japanese division of Tengen, was rebranded as Time Warner Interactive Japan.
In 1995, Time Warner acquired an additional development studio, the UK-based Renegade Software, and formed a standalone video game division, Warner Interactive Entertainment. Shortly afterward, the European branch of Time Warner Interactive merged into it, becoming Warner Interactive Europe.
On March 29, 1996, WMS Industries announced they had purchased Time Warner Interactive/Atari Games from Time Warner.[10] The publishing division was folded into Williams Entertainment (later renamed Midway Home Entertainment), while Atari Games became part of Midway, and eventually was renamed Midway Games West in 1999. Several titles begin development by TWI, including Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey, which was eventually released by Williams Entertainment after the acquisition.[11] In November 1996, GT Interactive purchased Warner Interactive Europe for $6.3 million.[12]
The only remaining division of the company, Time Warner Interactive Japan, ceased operations and was liquidated in July 1997[13] after releasing its last game, Shinrei Jusatsushi Tarōmaru, in limited quantities for the Sega Saturn in January.
Time Warner would eventually regain ownership of the library of the former Time Warner Interactive when they acquired the assets of Midway in 2009.
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