demillo@uwmacc.UUCP (Rob DeMillo) (04/08/86)
Roughly quoting from PC Products magazine regarding Infocom, Inc. and
its venture into the business community with a DB product called
"Cornerstone:"
"...although Cornerstone was received favorably in the trade press,
the $495 package failed to attract enough attention to survive in
the tough and un-gamely business software market. The result:
Infocom reduced the price of its software to $99. A few days later,
it was announced that the firm was acquired by Activision...for
a reported $7.5 million stock swap."
The article goes on to say that the development - and flop - of Cornerstone
drained enough of Infocom's resources that they had to let 65 employees
go, and this is part of what made it an easy target for a takeover.
This may explain why I haven't received my "New Zork Times" lately. Also, does
this mean that all future "Infocom" games are actually coming from the
"Mind of Activision"?
Depressing news always makes me thirsty...
--
--- Rob DeMillo
Madison Academic Computer Center
...seismo!uwvax!uwmacc!demillo
"If you can't trust wimp lawyers anymore,
who can you trust...?"
-- Mildred Crebs jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA (John Purbrick) (04/12/86)
> Does [buyout of InfoCom by ActiVision] > mean that all future "Infocom" games are actually coming from the > "Mind of Activision"? > > Depressing news always makes me thirsty... > --- Rob DeMillo I know enough people at InfoCom to feel able reply to this. Yes, they took a beating on Cornerstone. Supposedly sales have picked up a fair bit since the price reduction. ActiVision has (so far) not been very intrusive, but that may change. The best game-writers are still with InfoCom. Basically, InfoCom's problem was in not saving its pennies. They had a very bad habit of profliigacy--like renting their expensive new headquarters, just in time to lay off half the staff and have to let a good bit of it sit empty. Hacker-entrepreneurs take warning!