Activision

1979. Activision opens its doors as the first independent developer and distributor of entertainment software.

1980. Activision launches the first in a series of multi-million selling Atari 2600 titles including the Pitfall! series followed by Kaboom! (1981) and River Raid (1982).

1982. The first officially published version of the text adventure game, Zork, is introduced by Infocom. It is followed by 4 text-adventure sequels and 2 spin-offs, Enchanter and Sorcerer.

1983. Activision becomes publicly held. Revenues exceed $150 million.

1987. Activision signs license agreement with Nintendo of America. Activision purchases Infocom, the leading adventure game developer and producer.

1988. Activision changes name to Mediagenic and broadens focus to include business application software. Mediagenic signs license agreement with Sega of America.

1989. Mediagenic establishes office in Japan. Mediagenic publishes the first interactive entertainment product on CD-ROM, The Manhole.

1991. BHK Corporation, a company controlled by Activision's current executive management team, purchases a controlling interest in Mediagenic.

1992. The Disc Company, a creative services company, is merged into the Mediagenic family in order to provide additional revenue and access to capital. Mediagenic is renamed Activision and is restructured. Activision opens Australian office. Activision relocates to Santa Monica from Northern California.

1993. Activision opens office in United Kingdom. Return to Zork awarded "Adventure Game of the Year" by both Games magazine and Strategy Plus magazine and "CD-ROM Game of the Year" by PC Entertainment magazine.

1994. Activision raises $42.5 million to boost production and distribution of new titles. Activision releases Return to Zork as the first fully interactive MPEG adventure game. Activision signs license agreement with Sony Computer Entertainment of America. Industry analysts and game magazines name Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure, sequel to the best-selling video game series for Atari, Intellivision, and Commodore platforms, among the top 10 video game titles for 1994.

1995. Activision's MechWarrior 2 named "Game of the Year" by leading game publications PC Gamer, PC Entertainment, and Computer Gaming World. Activision introduces several new multimedia titles: Shanghai: Great Moments; Atari Action Packs; MechWarrior 2, Ghost Bearšs Legacy; Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure for Windows 95 and Earthworm Jim for Windows 95. This is the first multimedia version of the popular Shanghai series.

1996. Activision launches revolutionary CD-ROM thriller Spycraft: The Great Game. Activision releases Zork Nemesis, the sequel to the hit game Return to Zork and the seventh title in the blockbuster Zork series. Activision releases MechWarrior 2: Mercenaries, the blockbuster sequel to its hit title MechWarrior 2. Activision releases Crystal Dynamic's hit role-playing action-adventure game Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain on the Sony Playstation in the United States and Canada. Activision secures worldwide publishing rights to id Software's official Quake Mission Packs No. 1 and No 2.

1997. Activision acquires worldwide interactive rights to the Heavy Gear giant robot role-playing universe, the company's successor universe to the MechWarrior 2 product line. Film superstar Bruce Willis teams up with Activision on Playstation game Apocalypse. Announcement marks first time an original creative property has been designed specifically for an actor of Willis' stature on the Sony Playstation. Activision secures worldwide distribution rights to id Software's stunning 3-D action/role playing game Hexen II the sequel to the best-selling title Hexen: Beyond Heretic. Activision releases Interstate '76, a funky 3-D combat-simulation game set in an alternate '70s universe. Activision acquires worldwide rights to id Software's Quake II. Activision forms German subsidiary with the acquisition of Take Us!, a German marketing firm Activision acquires worldwide rights to develop and publish interactive titles based on Avalon Hill's Civilization board game. Activision acquires premier game developer Raven Software.