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NewKidCo LLC
Company typeSubsidiary
Founded1997
Defunct2005
FateClosed
ProductsVideo game
ParentNewKidCo International Inc. (1998-2005)

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]

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]

Games

Title Platform(s) Developer(s) Year(s)
Tiny Toon Adventures: The Great Beanstalk PlayStation Terraglyph Interactive Studios 1998
Sesame Street: Elmo's Letter Adventure Nintendo 64, PlayStation Realtime Associates 1998 (PS)
1999 (N64)
Sesame Street: Elmo's Number Journey
Disney's Story Studio: Mulan PlayStation Revolution Software 1999
Hello Kitty's Cube Frenzy Game Boy Color, PlayStation Culture Publishers (PlayStation)
Torus Games (Game Boy Color)
Sesame Street: The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland Game Boy Color Bonsai Interactive Corporation
Sesame Street: Elmo's 123s Bonsai Entertainment
Sesame Street: Elmo's ABCs
Doug's Big Game ImaginEngine/Magellan Interactive 2000
Dragon Tales: Dragon Seek PlayStation Zed Two Game Design Studio
Dragon Tales: Dragon Wings Game Boy Color
Tigger's Honey Hunt Nintendo 64, PlayStation Doki Denki Studio
Tom and Jerry in Fists of Furry Nintendo 64, Windows VIS Entertainment
Tom and Jerry in House Trap PlayStation Warthog Games
Tom and Jerry in Mouse Attacks! Game Boy Color
Winnie the Pooh: Adventures in the 100 Acre Wood TOSE
Dragon Tales: Dragon Adventures Handheld Games 2001
E.T.: Digital Companion Powerhead Games
E.T.: Escape from Planet Earth Saffire
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Game Boy Advance Fluid Studios
Goofy's Fun House PlayStation The Code Monkeys
Sesame Street Sports Game Boy Color, PlayStation Bonsai Interactive Corporation (GBC)
Realtime Associates (PlayStation)
E.T.: Away from Home PC Lexis Numérique 2002
E.T.: Interplanetary Mission PC, PlayStation Lexis Numérique (PC)
Digital Eclipse Software (PlayStation)
E.T.: Phone Home Adventure PC Lexis Numérique
E.T. and the Cosmic Garden Game Boy Color Zed Two Game Design Studio
Little League Baseball 2002 Game Boy Advance Handheld Games
Muppet Pinball Mayhem Digital Eclipse
Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring Cave+Barn Studios
Droopy's Tennis Open Warthog Games
Tom and Jerry in Infurnal Escape CinéGroupe
Dora the Explorer: The Search for Pirate Pig's Treasure
Tom and Jerry in War of the Whiskers GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox VIS Entertainment 2002 (PS2)
2003 (NGC/Xbox)
Dr. Seuss: Green Eggs and Ham Game Boy Advance Handheld Games 2003
Dr. Seuss: The Cat in the Hat PlayStation DC Studios 2004
The Cat in the Hat Game Boy Advance Game Titan 2005

Canceled

References

  1. ^ "About NewKidCo International Inc." NewKidCo. December 29, 2001. Retrieved on July 28, 2010.
  2. ^ "Corporate Directory." NewKidCo. October 7, 1999. Retrieved on July 27, 2010.
  3. ^ "Corporate Directory." NewKidCo. January 4, 2002. Retrieved on July 27, 2010.
  4. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20000104032617/http://www.newkidco.com/press_releases/4-21-98_1.html
  5. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/19991009012454/http://www.newkidco.com/press_releases/4-21-98_2.html
  6. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/19991104055341/http://www.newkidco.com/press_releases/6-9-98.html
  7. ^ "SoftQuad International Explores Strategic Alternatives for Web Tools Unit - Press Centre". Xml.coverpages.org. 1998-06-10. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
  8. ^ "NewKidCo and Warner Brothers to Bring Tiny Toon Adventures to PlayStation Buster & the Beanstalk PlayStation Game Offers Fast-Paced Family Fun" (Press release). Atlanta: NewKidCo. May 29, 1998. Archived from the original on February 26, 2001. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  9. ^ "SoftQuad International Inc. NASDAQ Listing Status". Silicon Investor. October 9, 1998. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
  10. ^ "Business Wire: SoftQuad International Inc. Announces Special Meeting of Shareholders". 15 May 2005. Archived from the original on 15 May 2005. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  11. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/19991103231002/http://www.newkidco.com/press_releases/10-7-98.html
  12. ^ https://www.gamespot.com/articles/newkidco-gets-learning-co-distribution/1100-2451880/
  13. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/19991104033413/http://www.newkidco.com/press_releases/5-13-99SSN64.html
  14. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/19991009031902/http://www.newkidco.com/press_releases/5-13-99GLD.html
  15. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/19991104012939/http://www.newkidco.com/press_releases/5-13-99GK1.html
  16. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/19990829052008/http://www.newkidco.com/press_releases/6-15-99.html
  17. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/19991127230108/http://www.newkidco.com/press_releases/10-7-99.html
  18. ^ https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/12/18/dragons-flock-to-game-boy-color
  19. ^ https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/05/18/et-has-dial-up
  20. ^ "Ubi Soft to take NewKidCo's Video Games to Kids Around the World".
  21. ^ https://spong.com/press_release/973/NewKidCo-and-Ubi-Soft-Extend-International-Publishing-Agreement-For-NewKidCos-Line-Up-Of-Popular-Childrens-Video-Games
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