Mindscape (company)

Mindscape is a Dutch video game publisher headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands. Operating globally, Mindscape develops and publishes its own games, including ''Dog Man: Mission Impawsible, Life in Willowdale: Farm Adventures,'' and ''Windstorm'' and distributes them worldwide through digital platforms (such as Steam, the Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, and Xbox Store) as well as physical retail channels (e.g. Amazon and Walmart). The company was originally founded in 1983 in Northbrook, Illinois, by Roger Buoy, and was a major developer and publisher through the 1980s and 1990s. Mindscape released numerous titles over nearly three decades (notably the MacVenture series, ''Balance of Power'', ''Moonstone: A Hard Days Knight'', ''Legend'', ''Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat'', ''Warhammer: Dark Omen'', and ''Lego Island''). Although the original US and French entities were liquidated in 2011, the Dutch subsidiary Mindscape B.V. continued and re-established the brand. Today, Mindscape B.V. carries on the Mindscape brand with a focus on family-friendly franchises and worldwide distribution of video games.

History

Early years (1983–1988)

Mindscape was founded in October 1983 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the holding company SFN Companies. 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. Buoy acted as the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Mindscape, and the company released its first product in April 1984. Early games include ''Déjà Vu'', '' Balance of Power'', and '' Sub Mission: A Matter of Life and Death''. In its early years, Mindscape lost about annually.

In July 1986, Mindscape acquired the assets of Scarborough Systems, a software company from Tarrytown, New York. Scarborough Systems continued its operations through Lifeboat Associates, a subsidiary that was not acquired by Mindscape. In October, SFN announced that it would be selling or closing large parts of its business, including plans to liquidate Mindscape. On December 31, Mindscape bought the assets of Roslyn, New York-based company Learning Well. Since Mindscape was not liquidated by the end of 1986, it was assigned to SFN Partners L.P., a limited partnership company. 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 . Buoy retained his positions in the company, while Purcell became its chairman. Around this time, Mindscape had 74 employees.

With sales of , Mindscape was profitable for the first time in the fourth quarter of 1986; it started publishing black numbers by 1987. 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. 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. 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. The move aimed at raising through sale of stock to reduce bank loan debts of . The IPO was completed later that month, with the company beginning trading over-the-counter, and the first shares were issued by July. Bob Ingersoll and Dennis O'Malley were appointed vice president (VP) of marketing and VP of sales, respectively, in May 1987. In November, Mindscape signed a lease of of office space in Wheeling, Illinois, for . Robert A. Drell, formerly of Dresher Inc., became VP of finance and chief financial officer in October 1988.

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. The deal was completed on March 13, 1990, and valued at . 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. The two companies merged, and Buoy joined Les Crane on Toolworks's board of directors. Following the acquisition, Mindscape became Toolworks's division working exclusively on games for Nintendo platforms, which sharply increased Toolworks's earnings. Subsequently, in March 1994, Pearson plc agreed to acquire Toolworks for , with the deal closing on May 12, 1994.

Pearson was criticized for overpaying in the acquisition, and the acquired company lost within its first few years under the new ownership. By November 1994, the Toolworks name was discontinued in favor of the Mindscape brand. The same year, Mindscape acquired the video game developer Strategic Simulations. In September 1995, it acquired Micrologic Software of Emeryville, California, to undisclosed terms. In January 1996, John F. Moore became CEO after leaving the same position at Western Publishing. In November, Mindscape laid off twelve developed staff as a cost reduction measure. In 1997, Mindscape acquired software company Multimedia Design. In 1997, the final year under Pearson, Mindscape became profitable again, earning . 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.

Under The Learning Company (1998–2001)

Pearson proceeded to sell Mindscape to The Learning Company (TLC) in March 1998 for in cash and stock. A waiting period was temporarily imposed by the Federal Trade Commission and subsequently terminated the same month. TLC expected that its stocks would rise per share as a result of the acquisition, while Pearson lost around . Later that year, when TLC integrated its Broderbund division, Mindscape took over Broderbund's productivity, reference and entertainment brands. The company's Mindscape unit would acquire '' Petz'' developer PF.Magic in 1998. 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. 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.

Under Mindscape SA (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. 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.

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; and a budget reissue deal with Focus Multimedia in June 2006. The company secured a distribution deal with Koch Media in July 2006 that would focus on titles for the Nintendo DS.

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.

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., announcing a new a third generation Nabaztag, called "Karotz" in October 2010. In November, the company opened up an internal development studio, Punchers Impact, in Paris to develop multi-platform digital download games. 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.

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

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. 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. On August 10, Mindscape announced its exit from the video game industry by closing Punchers Impact and laying off its forty employees. On 24 August, the Nanterre Commercial Court converted Mindscape's insolvency status into judicial liquidation. In November, Aldebaran Robotics, the makers of the Nao robot range, acquired Mindscape's robotic assets.

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

2011–present: Revival and global publishing

In August 2011, Mindscape’s French parent company was liquidated, but the Dutch subsidiary Mindscape B.V. continued operations independently, taking over the “Mindscape” brand and business. Under new leadership, Mindscape was relaunched in 2013 with a focus on international publishing and new original intellectual properties. Mark Huijmans, who became Mindscape’s owner and chief executive, redirected the company’s strategy toward developing and releasing its own games globally.https://www.gematsu.com/2024/08/side-scrolling-adventure-platformer-dog-man-mission-impawsible-announced-for-ps5-xbox-series-switch-and-pc The company established its headquarters in Amstelveen, Netherlands.https://www.mindscape.com/blog/new-partnership-mindscape-ui-entertainment

Mindscape B.V. also serves as a regional distributor for various international game publishers in the Benelux region, handling titles from companies such as GameMill Entertainment, Microids, and U&I Entertainment. At the same time, it publishes its own titles worldwide.

Notable self-published games include ''Life in Willowdale: Farm Adventures'' (2022), a family-friendly farming game;https://thegg.net/press-releases/life-in-willowdale-farm-adventures-is-coming-to-pc-and-the-nintendo-switch-on-september-27th-2022/ ''Dog Man: Mission Impawsible'' (2024), a side-scrolling action game based on Dav Pilkey’s best-selling graphic novels; and ''Windstorm: The Legend of Khiimori'', an open-world adventure game set in 13th-century Mongolia, planned for early access release in 2025.https://store.steampowered.com/app/3112730/Windstorm_The_Legend_of_Khiimori/ Mindscape also introduced the annual ''Games Advent Calendar'' series in 2022, a seasonal title that reveals a new mini-game each day leading up to Christmas.https://www.gamespress.com/en-GB/25-days-25-surprises-Mindscape-releases-Games-Advent-Calendar-2024-for

Software developed and/or published

References

External links

Mindscape
at Giant Bomb

Mindscape
at MobyGames

Mindscape
at IGDB
{{Authority control

Novato, California
Video game companies established in 1983
Video game companies disestablished in 2011
Defunct video game companies of the United States
Defunct video game companies of France
Video game development companies
Video game publishers
Mattel
1983 establishments in Illinois