 | |
| Formerly | Knowledge Adventure, Inc. (1991–2012) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Video games Education |
| Predecessor | Davidson & Associates CUC Software Cendant Software Havas |
| Founded | 1991; 35 years ago (1991) |
| Defunct | July 1, 2023; 2 years ago (2023-07-01) |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products |
|
Number of employees | 201–500 |
| Parent | Vivendi Universal Games (1997–2004) NetDragon Websoft (2017–2023) |
JumpStart Games, Inc., formerlyKnowledge Adventure, Inc., was an Americanedutainment video game company based inTorrance, California. Founded in 1991, it was acquired by Chinese holding companyNetDragon Websoft in 2017.
From 1991 to 1997, Knowledge Adventure developed games forIBM PC compatibles runningMS-DOS.[1]
On November 5, 1996,CUC International announced that it would acquire Knowledge Adventure;[2] the acquisition was completed on January 31, 1997 with a press release on February 3, 1997.[3] In February 1996, CUC had acquiredDavidson & Associates;[4] this subsidiary was later merged with Knowledge Adventure in October 1998.[5]
On May 28, 1997, CUC International announced plans to merge withHospitality Franchise Systems to create a single, "one-stop" entity.[6][7] The merger was finalized in December that year and createdCendant.[8] As a result of the merger, CUC Software was renamed Cendant Software.[9] On November 20, 1998, French media companyHavas (later acquired by water utilityVivendi) announced that it would acquire Cendant Software for$800 million in cash and up to$200 million contingent on the performance of Cendant Software.[10][11] Subsequently, the division was renamed Havas Interactive.[12]
During that time, Knowledge Adventure released many branded games such asJumpStart,Dr. Brain,Fisher-Price,Barbie,Bear in the Big Blue House,Blaster,Teletubbies,Noddy,Jurassic Park III,Captain Kangaroo,Curious George andAmerican Idol.[citation needed] The Cendant Software/Knowledge Adventure family of products had the #1 Educational Software market share according to PC DATA during 1998.
Knowledge Adventure releasedJumpStart Baby in 2000.[13]
In October 2004, Vivendi sold Knowledge Adventure to a group of investors interested in taking a more active management strategy, and in developing new educational software. The company released new products under both the JumpStart and Math Blaster brands.[14]
In October 2012, Knowledge Adventure changed its name to JumpStart Games.[15]
On March 17, 2014, JumpStart Games purchasedNeopets fromViacom.[16]
On July 7, 2017, JumpStart Games was acquired by Chinese online game publisherNetDragon Websoft.[17]
On November 25, 2014, five Knowledge Adventure titles were re-released digitally as DRM-Free exclusives on ZOOM-Platform.com through a partnership between JumpStart Games and the Jordan Freeman Group. The five titles included3D Body Adventure,3D Dinosaur Adventure,Dinosaur Adventure (Original),Space Adventure, andUndersea Adventure.[18]
On March 6, 2015, another Knowledge Adventure title,Bug Adventure, was re-released digitally as a DRM-Free exclusive on ZOOM-Platform.com. This title was also released through the partnership between JumpStart and the Jordan Freeman Group. ZOOM-Platform.com indicated the game was released due to the "incredible reaction" they got to the first batch of Knowledge Adventure titles.[19]
On June 13, 2023, Jumpstart Games announced it was ceasing all of its operations and ending support of all games, excludingNeopets,[20] on June 30, 2023. The company officially closed July 1, 2023 at 3am EST with servers and their website also shutting down. No reason upon the closure was given.
Neopets was briefly transferred over to Fluffy Dog Studios, which was formerly JumpStart Vancouver,[20] but then was spun off as World of Neopia, Inc. in a management buyout deal.