NewKidCo
Defunct American video game publisher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NewKidCo LLC was an American video game publisher of children's titles based on popular licensed characters, for Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft consoles. The company was a subsidiary of NewKidCo International Inc. (TSE:NKC; OTC BB: NKCIF)[1]
| |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1997 |
| Defunct | 2005 |
| Fate | Closed |
| Products | Video game |
| Parent | NewKidCo International Inc. (1998-2005) |
NewKidCo had subsidiary offices in Burlington, Massachusetts and Midtown Manhattan, New York City.[2] At a later point, it was headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, with its only office being there.[3]
History
NewKidCo Holdings, LLC was formed as a start-up company in 1997 by Henry Kaplan and Jonathan D. Harber, the latter being the former CEO of fellow video game publisher Hi Tech Expressions, with Harber also having worked for the company. Shortly afterwards, the company secured a licensing deal with Children's Television Workshop to publish Sesame Street games for the PlayStation. This was done though Kaplan's long-time partnership with the organization.
On April 21, 1998, NewKidCo Holdings, LLC announced that they had entered into a joint venture with Alpha Software Corporation, a subsidiary of SoftQuad International Inc. to secure game publishing rights; of which Alpha Software would own a majority stake in the business.[4] On the same day, the venture announced that the Sesame Street titles would release in the Fall of 1998.[5] The joint-venture with Alpha Software was finalized on June 10 as NewKidCo LLC, with Alpha holding 75% in the combined company. SoftQuad International soon announced a possible diversion of its hardware assets to focus strictly on video games.[6][7] At E3 1998, the company secured its third license: Tiny Toon Adventures with the announcement of Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster and the Beanstalk.[8] SoftQuad International was delisted from the NASDAQ on October 9,[9] and on November 10, they had entirely sold SoftQuad Inc.'s assets to private investors and management, sending the company private. This completed the international division's move to children's video games and were renamed NewKidCo International Inc.[10] Prior to that, the company began releasing games for the Game Boy Color with Elmo' ABCs and Elmo's 123s.[11]
In March 1999, The Learning Company (later Mattel Interactive) secured North American distribution rights to NewKidCo's titles in North America. These rights expired in July 2000 when NewKidCo decided to open up their own distribution network.[12]
At E3 1999, the company entered the Nintendo 64 market with enhanced ports of Elmo's Letter Adventure and Elmo's Number Journey,[13] as well as a Game Boy Color tie-in game to the film The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland.[14] The company also secured a license to release video games based on Hello Kitty from Sanrio.[15] On June 15, NewKidCo International Inc. purchased out NewKidCo Holdings LLC's 25% share in NewKidCo LLC, becoming a fully owned subsidiary.[16] On October 7, the company entered into a publishing deal with Disney Interactive to release titles based on the Winnie the Pooh franchise, as well as a PlayStation port of Disney's Animated Storybook: Mulan.[17] On December 18, the company secured a license from Sony Pictures Family Entertainment Group to release Dragon Tales video games.[18]
At E3 2000, the company secured the E.T. license from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment[19] and Tom & Jerry from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. In July 2000, Ubi Soft signed a publishing deal with the company to allow them to release the company's titles in PAL region territories.[20] The partnership was extended in January 2001.[21]
In April 2002, NewKidCo signed a deal with Nickelodeon to release games based on Dora the Explorer.[22] In November 2002, the company signed a new North American distribution deal with Jack of All Games.[23]
Games
Canceled
- Droopy's Miniature Golf (Game Boy Advance)
- E.T.: Return to the Green Planet (PlayStation 2)
- E.T.: Salerian Project (Game Boy Advance)
- E.T.: Search for Dragora (GameCube, Xbox)
- Little League Baseball 2002 (GameCube)
- The Super-Stoo-Pendus World of Dr. Seuss (Game Boy Advance)
- U.S. Youth Soccer: Power-Up Soccer (Game Boy Advance)
