Time Warner Interactive

Last updated
Time Warner Interactive
Company type Division
Industry Video games
Predecessor Tengen
FoundedJune 23, 1993;31 years ago (1993-06-23) (as Time Warner Consumer Products)
DefunctApril 12, 1996;28 years ago (1996-04-12)(North America)
November 1996;27 years ago (1996-11)(Europe)
January 17, 1997;27 years ago (1997-01-17)(Japan)
FateSold to WMS Industries, later transferred to Midway Games
Successor Warner Bros. Games
Headquarters
2210 West Olive Avenue, Burbank, CA 91506 [1] [2]
,
Products
Parent Time Warner
Subsidiaries Atari Games

Time Warner Interactive (Group) (TWI) was a video game 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.

Contents

Time Warner Interactive, was responsible for games, such as Rise of the Robots , Primal Rage , and T-MEK .

History

Time Warner Interactive was originally formed in 1984 as Warner New Media, and it was renamed to Time Warner Interactive Group in 1993. [3] In 1994, following the full acquisition of Atari Games by Time Warner, TWIG merged with Atari Games and its associated subsidiary Tengen to form Time Warner Interactive, which serve its functions as a video game and multimedia company. [4] [5] In 1996, WMS Industries purchased it. Time Warner Interactive was previously known as Tengen, the consumer division of Atari Games. Atari Games would continue to operate under its own name until March 29, 1996, when both it and Time Warner Interactive were bought by WMS Industries and was subsequently absorbed into Williams Entertainment (later renamed Midway Home Entertainment), while Atari Games became part of Midway, and eventually was renamed Midway Games West in 1999.

Time Warner also bought the UK publisher Renegade Software in 1995 and kept it independent as Warner Interactive Entertainment, before merging with the European arm of TWI in 1996. Both subsidiaries were short-lived; Time Warner Interactive was formed from the Atari Games acquisition in 1993 and sold to WMS Industries on March 29, 1996, [6] while Time Warner Interactive Japan dissolved in the same year due to WMS not seeing the merit of having a Japanese division in Japan due to how very costly it is for Midway to have a Japanese video game studio in their hands in Lost Decade situation, and European division of Time Warner Interactive (including Renegade Software) existed only two years before being sold to GT Interactive in November 1996 (GT Interactive are best known for distribution of Doom II, Duke Nukem 3D, and Quake as shareware). [7]

Time Warner would eventually regain ownership of the library of the former Time Warner Interactive when they acquired the assets of Midway in 2009.

List of games

Release DateTitlePlatform Developer Publisher
1994 Rise of the Robots Amiga, Amiga CD32, DOS
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1994 The Lawnmower Man Sega Genesis, Sega CD
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1994 Red Zone Sega Genesis
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1994 Generations Lost Sega Genesis
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1994 Sylvester and Tweety in Cagey Capers Sega Genesis
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1994 Dick Vitale's "Awesome, Baby!" College Hoops Sega Genesis
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1994 Mega SWIV Sega Genesis
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1994 R.B.I. Baseball '94 Game Gear
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1994 Tama: Adventurous Ball in Giddy Labyrinth Sega Saturn, PlayStation
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1994 Kawasaki Superbike Challenge Sega Genesis, SNES
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1995 Super R.B.I. Baseball SNES
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1995 Cheese Cat-astrophe starring Speedy Gonzalez Game Gear, Master System
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1995 R.B.I. Baseball '95 32X
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1995 Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars Sega Genesis, SNES
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1995 T-MEK Sega 32X
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1995 Race Drivin' Sega Saturn
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1995 Primal Rage 32X, Amiga, Atari Jaguar CD, DOS, Game Boy, Game Gear, PlayStation, Sega Genesis, Sega Saturn, SNES
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1995 Power Drive Rally Atari Jaguar
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1995 Virtua Racing Sega Saturn
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1995 Endorfun Windows
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1996 Striker '96 PlayStation
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1996 Pitball PlayStation
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1997 Shinrei Jusatsushi Tarōmaru Sega Saturn
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References

  1. "Primal Rage - PC Review". Coming Soon Magazine. 1995. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  2. Peter and the Wolf cover of instructions booklet
  3. Rothman, Matt (1993-06-03). "TW revamps multimedia group". Variety. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  4. Fisher, Lawrence M. (1994-03-26). "COMPANY NEWS; Time Warner Increases Its Stake in Atari". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  5. Archives, L. A. Times (1994-04-12). "Technology: Time Inc. said Monday that Cable..." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  6. Webb, Marcus (June 1996). "WMS Acquires Time Warner/Atari Games". Next Generation . No. 18. Imagine Media. p. 26.
  7. SEC Info - Atari Inc - 10-Q - For 6/30/97