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Majesco Entertainment

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Majesco Entertainment Company
FormerlyMajesco Sales Inc. (1986–2005)
Company typeSubsidiary
Nasdaq: COOL
IndustryVideo games
FoundedJune 16, 1986; 38 years ago (1986-06-16) in Edison, New Jersey, U.S.
Headquarters
Hazlet, New Jersey
,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Jesse Sutton (CEO)
Parent
  • Majesco Holdings Inc. (2003–2016)
  • PolarityTE, Inc. (2016–2017)
  • Liquid Media Group (2018–present)
SubsidiariesMidnight City
Websitewww.majescoent.com

Majesco Entertainment Company (formerly Majesco Sales Inc.) is an American video game publisher and distributor based in Hazlet, New Jersey. The company was founded as Majesco Sales in Edison, New Jersey in 1986, and was a privately held company until acquiring operation-less company ConnectivCorp in a reverse merger takeover, becoming its subsidiary and thus a public company on December 5, 2003.[1] ConnectivCorp later changed its name to Majesco Holdings Inc. on April 13, 2004.[2]

On December 1, 2016, Majesco Entertainment was acquired by PolarityTE, Inc., a biotech company, in another reverse merger takeover, because of which it formally ceased all video game operations on December 8, 2016. In mid-2017, chief executive officer Jesse Sutton re-acquired the company through a management buyout and continued operating it privately held. On January 15, 2018, Liquid Media Group announced the acquisition of Majesco.[3]

History

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1986-1998

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Majesco was first known as a reissuer of old titles that had been abandoned by their original publisher. By cutting the prices and eventually arranging the rights to self-manufacture games for both Nintendo and Sega systems, the company found a sustainable market niche.[citation needed]

Later, Majesco arranged with Sega to manufacture a version of its Genesis (known as Mega Drive outside North America) 16-bit console, which had been superseded by the 32-bit Saturn. It released this in 1998 as the Genesis 3 and followed up with a version of the handheld Game Gear called the Game Gear Core System. In 1998, it signed a deal with Hasbro Interactive to publish their titles for the 8-bit handheld and 16-bit console formats, notably the Game Boy Color.[4]

1998-2016

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The company's focus shifted to in-house game development, initially under the brand Pipe-Dream Interactive since few believed they could make the transition successfully. It was originally by two lead producers who were employees of Morning Star Multimedia, Dan Kitchen and Kevin Mitchell.[5] Majesco had a licensing agreement with publisher Red Storm Entertainment to bring Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six to the Sega Dreamcast platform in 1999.[6] Pipe Dream Interactive, a Majesco subsidiary would eventually produce their titles for Hasbro Interactive on the Game Boy Color and the Sega Dreamcast in 2000, most notably Q*Bert.[7][8] In 2000, Majesco had a licensing agreement with Activision to publish ports of their classic titles for various platforms, most notably the PlayStation 2 and the Game Boy Advance.[9][10][11] The following year, Majesco had signed an agreement with THQ to bring its vast catalog for the Game Boy Advance for the European market,[12] and the following year, had an agreement with Codemasters to publish two titles for PlayStation 2.[13]

Majesco focused on developing for console systems, such as GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Xbox, and PlayStation 2. A few of the titles it released, involving popular characters, included a few Bomberman titles for the GameCube and Game Boy Advance. Majesco also published computer games with Terminal Reality as the developer, such as BloodRayne and BloodRayne 2.

In 2003, Majesco was slated to publish Black 9, but producers forced the developers, Taldren, Inc., to shut down when the game was about 85% complete.[14][15] The publisher had reached financial trouble with its larger-budget games, such as Psychonauts, which sold poorly although receiving several awards and critical acclaim, and Advent Rising, which generated intense hype but was ultimately panned by critics for being released prematurely and without adequate bug testing. Around this time, the company's best-selling titles in the last few years was the series of GBA Videos for the Game Boy Advance. It also published the game Jaws Unleashed.

On January 19, 2006, the company's financial situation worsened to the degree that it had to cancel two games it was going to publish: Demonik, developed by Terminal Reality, and Taxi Driver, a sequel to the 1976 film of the same name. Majesco's president, Jesse Sutton, said that in the future the company would "focus primarily on publishing value and handheld video games."[16] Since that announcement, the company has followed through with publishing successful budget titles in North America like Cooking Mama for the Nintendo DS.

On September 14, 2006, Majesco released Advent Rising and re-released BloodRayne and BloodRayne 2 on Steam. On November 6, 2007, Majesco announced the opening of a new development facility in the Los Angeles area dedicated to the development of casual game products and properties.[17] On December 10, 2007, Majesco announced that they would be publishing a rhythm-based game, Major Minor's Majestic March, exclusively for the Wii developed by NanaOn-Sha. Majesco has announced that it will be launching an internet version of Bananagrams on August 18, 2008, that will be available on Facebook, a social networking website.[18] On November 4, 2009, Majesco released BloodRayne and BloodRayne 2 on GOG.com. On June 6, 2011, Majesco announced that it was acquiring the assets of social game developer Quick Hit and Quick Hit Football to build out its social gaming strategy.[19]

After a disastrous fiscal year of 2013, the company was expected to enjoy a recovering growth in 2014.[20] It has an online casino gambling subsidiary GMS Entertainment.[21] However, this proved incorrect, as they continued to lose large amounts of money in 2014, resulting in the closure of Midnight City and the cancellation of the console port of Gone Home.[22]

On August 12, 2015, Majesco announced that they had appointed a new CEO, and that only five employees would remain in the company. The company's focus also shifted to develop mobile and downloadable titles. Two new titles, Glue and a new installment in the A Boy and His Blob franchise, were announced after the reconstruction.[23]

On December 9, 2016, Majesco announced it was ceasing operations in the entertainment industry, and merged with biotech firm PolarityTE. Polarity will obtain Majesco's NASDAQ symbol name, COOL.[24][25] On June 29, 2017, PolarityTE divested itself entirely of and subsequently sold, Majesco Entertainment's assets, which were subsequently taken private, leading to the rebirth of the company as an independent corporation.[26]

2017-present

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On November 9, 2017, Majesco announced that it had re-entered the video game business after having previously been brought back to a privately held company, releasing their Romans from Mars onto Steam.[27] On January 15, 2018, 51 percent of Majesco was bought by Liquid Media Group, and Jesse Sutton became LMG's Gaming Advisor.[3] The company announced Coba: Tale of the Moon for the Nintendo Switch on December 7, 2018.[28]

On June 15, 2020, Ziggurat Interactive purchased a number of IP formerly owned by Majesco Entertainment, including the rights to BloodRayne, Advent Rising, Flip's Twisted World, and Raze's Hell. On the same day, Ziggurat announced that the PC release of BloodRayne would receive updates to improve compatibility with current-day systems, with updates done by original developer Terminal Reality. They also announced plans to continue the franchise.[29]

Controversies and Lawsuits

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To promote the release of Advent Rising, a million dollars was offered in a contest via Xbox Live for the first player to find a set of hidden symbols spread throughout the levels of the game. On August 15, 2005, the contest was cancelled, due to concerns that there was "no technically feasible solution that would allow the contest to continue in a fair and secure manner". Majesco offered, as compensation to those players, the choice of two free games (BloodRayne 2, Guilty Gear X2 #Reload, Psychonauts, Raze's Hell, and/or Phantom Dust) and an apology on its home page.[30]

A class action lawsuit was brought against the company by shareholders in 2005, they alleged the company had sent product to retailers knowing it would be returned in an attempt to boost revenue projections and raise the stock price.[31] In 2006 a second lawsuit was filed by Trinad Capital Master Fund who accused the company of mismanagement.[32] The lawsuit was settled in 2007.[33]

In 2011, Majesco was among a list of defendants who were sued over alleged patent violations relating to the use of motion controls in video games for the Nintendo Wii.[34] In 2018, the Federal Circuit court ruled in favour of Majesco and other defendants in the case. [35]

Subsidiaries

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  • Pipe Dream Interactive
  • Majesco Studios Santa Monica[36]
  • Midnight City: On August 29, 2013, Majesco announced the creation of an indie publishing label, Midnight City, in order to bring various indie games to consoles.[37]

Games published

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References

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  1. ^ Burnes, Andrew (December 8, 2003). "Majesco Merges With ConnectivCorp". IGN. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  2. ^ "ConnectivCorp Changes Name to Majesco Holdings Inc". Business Wire. April 13, 2004. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  3. ^ a b "LIQUID MEDIA GROUP ACQUIRES PROVEN GAMING PUBLISHER MAJESCO ENTERTAINMENT" (PDF). Liquid Media Group | News. January 15, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 26, 2018.
  4. ^ "Majesco Entertainment Company | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  5. ^ Staff, IGN (July 28, 1999), Majesco Launches Pipe Dream - IGN, Updated: 21 Jun 2012 5:23 pm, Posted: 28 Jul 1999 12:00 am, archived from the original on November 17, 2021, retrieved November 17, 2021
  6. ^ Staff, IGN (June 2, 1999), Rainbow Six Headed to Dreamcast - IGN, Updated: 21 Jun 2012 6:47 pm, Posted: 2 Jun 1999 12:00 am, archived from the original on November 17, 2021, retrieved November 17, 2021
  7. ^ Harris, Craig (September 29, 2000), Q*Bert - IGN, Updated: 13 Dec 2018 3:27 am, Posted: 29 Sep 2000 12:00 am, archived from the original on November 17, 2021, retrieved November 17, 2021
  8. ^ Staff, IGN (December 19, 2000), Q*bert - IGN, Updated: 13 Dec 2018 3:41 am, Posted: 19 Dec 2000 12:30 am, archived from the original on November 17, 2021, retrieved November 17, 2021
  9. ^ Staff, IGN (December 12, 2000), Majesco Announces First PlayStation 2 Title - IGN, Updated: 18 Jun 2012 12:46 am, Posted: 12 Dec 2000 12:30 am, archived from the original on November 17, 2021, retrieved November 17, 2021
  10. ^ Staff, IGN (March 22, 2001), Hands-on with Majesco's GBA Line-Up - IGN, Updated: 21 Jun 2012 9:38 am, Posted: 22 Mar 2001 12:30 am, archived from the original on November 17, 2021, retrieved November 17, 2021
  11. ^ Staff, IGN (December 2000), New Details on Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force - IGN, Updated: 18 Jun 2012 1:35 am, Posted: 1 Dec 2000 1:00 am, archived from the original on November 17, 2021, retrieved November 17, 2021
  12. ^ "THQ inks publishing deal with Majesco". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  13. ^ "Codemasters bag Ravens". Eurogamer.net. December 18, 2001. Archived from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  14. ^ "Black 9 Officially Canceled". June 28, 2004.
  15. ^ "Cyberpunked: the Fall of Black9". The Escapist Magazine. May 20, 2008. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  16. ^ "Majesco cans two games, shifts to budget/handheld". Eurogamer. January 19, 2006. Archived from the original on June 26, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2006.
  17. ^ "Majesco Announces New Casual Game Studio, Appoints Former Sega Exec In Lead Role". Gamasutra. November 6, 2007. Archived from the original on November 9, 2007. Retrieved November 6, 2007.
  18. ^ "Banagrams Bound for Facebook". Playthings. Archived from the original on September 26, 2008. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  19. ^ "Majesco Expands Social Strategy With Quick Hit Acquisitions". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  20. ^ "Majesco Entertainment Co.: Moving Away From Disastrous 2013 Into Potentially Significant Growth In 2014 And Beyond". January 13, 2014. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  21. ^ McWhertor, Michael (August 6, 2013). "Majesco gambles with online casino gaming investment". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  22. ^ Matulef, Jeffrey (November 17, 2014). "Majesco and Midnight City are in dire straits". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  23. ^ Hillier, Brenna (August 12, 2015). "Majesco is going all digital, new A Boy and His Blob inbound". VG247. Archived from the original on August 12, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  24. ^ Sarkar, Samit (December 9, 2016). "Majesco merges with medical technology company, exits games business". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  25. ^ Sarkar, Samit (December 9, 2016). "Majesco merges with medical technology company, exits games business". Polygon. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  26. ^ "PolarityTe divests Majesco's game business for $0.1M". June 29, 2017. Archived from the original on August 17, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  27. ^ "Majesco's marauding Martian hit 'Romans from Mars' comes to Steam". November 9, 2017. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  28. ^ "Majesco Entertainment announces Coba: Tale of the Moon for Switch, plans for "full media franchise"". Nintendo Everything. May 20, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
  29. ^ "Ziggurat Interactive purchases the rights to Bloodrayne, Flip's Twisted World, and more Majesco IP". GoNintendo. June 15, 2020. Archived from the original on June 15, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  30. ^ "To Our Advent Rising Contest Participants". Xbox.com. Microsoft. August 15, 2005. Archived from the original on October 13, 2005. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  31. ^ "Stockholders sue Majesco en masse". Gamespot. July 19, 2005.
  32. ^ "Majesco shareholders threaten another lawsuit". Gamespot. March 29, 2006.
  33. ^ "Majesco reaches settlement in shareholder suit". Gamespot. October 18, 2007.
  34. ^ "Nintendo, Third Party Devs Face Exercise Game Patent Lawsuit". Game Developer. November 21, 2011.
  35. ^ "Microsoft, Ubisoft, Nintendo, EA, Harmonix, and Majesco win challenge of motion control patent". Patent Arcade. April 10, 2018.
  36. ^ "Building A Trophy Home Is Now Just A Stylus Stroke Away As Majesco Entertainment Announces 'Our House' For Nintendo DS". Games Industry.biz. March 13, 2008.
  37. ^ Sarkar, Samit (August 29, 2013), Majesco launching indie publishing label Midnight City with 10 games, archived from the original on February 17, 2017, retrieved June 29, 2017
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