Difference between revisions of "Sierra On-Line"

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{{CompanyBob
 
{{CompanyBob
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| logo=Sierra logo.svg
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| logo=SierraOnLine logo 1998.svg
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| width=300
 
 
| founded=1979 (as On-Line Systems)
 
| founded=1979 (as On-Line Systems)
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| defunct=
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| defunct=2008
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| tseries=
 
 
| mergedwith=
 
| mergedwith=
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| mergedinto=[[Activision]] (2008)
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| mergedinto=
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| headquarters=
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| headquarters=36575 Mudge Ranch Road, Coarsegold, California 93614, United States
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| headquarters2=[[wikipedia:Oakhurst, California|40033 Sierra Way, Oakhurst, California 93644, United States]]
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| headquarters3=[[wikipedia:Bellevue, Washington|3060 139th Avenue Southeast, Suite 500, Bellevue, Washington 98005, United States]]{{fileref|E32001 Directory.pdf|page=104}}
 
}}
 
}}
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{{sub-stub}}'''Sierra On-Line''' (known as '''Sierra Entertainment''' since 2002 and formed as '''On-Line Systems''' in 1979) was one of the premier adventure games developers in the 80's and 90's. They owned [[Dynamix]].
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{{sub-stub}}'''Sierra On-Line''' was a US video game developer and publisher.
  
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==Softography==
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==History==
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[[Category:Use CompanyHistoryAll template]]
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The company was founded as '''On-Line Systems''' in 1979, changing its name to Sierra On-Line after a move from Los Angeles to Oakhurst, California{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20000302131325/http://www.sierra.com/corp/info/history/content.html}} in the foothills of the [[wikipedia:Sierra Nevada|Sierra Nevada]]. It saw successes in the 1980s with its line of computer adventure games, expanding and going public in 1989{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20000302131325/http://www.sierra.com/corp/info/history/content.html}}.
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===[[Master System]]===
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*''[[King's Quest: Quest for the Crown]]'' (1989)
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Sierra acquired a number of software companies in the following decade, notably [[Dynamix]] in 1990{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20000302131325/http://www.sierra.com/corp/info/history/content.html}}, becoming a worldwide publisher. They additionally operated an internal development team named '''PyroTechnix'''.
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The company was acquired by CUC International in July{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/19970712001749/http://www.davd.com/press/corp/cucdone.html}} 1996{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20001001024549/http://sierra.com/corp/info/history/content.html}}, which itself merged with HFS Incorporated in December 1997 to become Cendant Corporation. It was at this time when significant accounting fraud at CUC was uncovered, with Cendant subsequently selling its software division to the Paris-based Havas S.A. (part of Vivendi Communications) in January 1999{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20001001024549/http://sierra.com/corp/info/history/content.html}}. Sierra subsequently became a part of [[Havas Interactive]], laid of much of its development staff and became purely a sofware publisher. The company would change its name to '''Sierra Entertainment, Inc.''' in February 2002{{ref|1=https://web.archive.org/web/20020808063001/http://sierra.com/pr/display_pr.php?prid=700}}.
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After a series of mergers in 2000, Sierra's parent company, Havas S.A. became Vivendi Universal Publishing. A series of unsuccessful products saw more cost-cutting and redundancies Sierra, reducing the company to little more than a brand of Vivendi Universal Games. 2008 saw Vivendi merge with [[Activision]] to form the holding company Activision Blizzard, and Sierra was closed in the months which followed, with many of its IP rights being sold to third-parties.
  
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===[[Mega-CD]]===
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Activision briefly brought back the Sierra name in 2014 to re-release older Sierra titles and some independently-developed games, but is otherwise unrelated to the original Sierra On-Line.
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*''[[Bouncers]]'' (1994)
 
  
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===[[Saturn]]===
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==Softography==
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*''[[Phantasm]]'' (1997)
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{{CompanyHistoryAll|Sierra On-Line|PyroTechnix}}
  
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===[[Dreamcast]]===
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==Gallery==
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*''[[Maximum Pool]]'' (2000)
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<gallery>
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*''[[Hoyle Casino]]'' (2000)
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OnLineSystems logo 1979.png|1979 logo
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*''[[Half-Life]]'' (unreleased)
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Sierra logo 1980.png|1980 logo
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*''[[SWAT 3D]]'' (unreleased)
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Sierra logo 1984.png|1984 logo
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Sierra logo 1994.png|1994 logo
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SierraOnLine logo 1998.svg|1998 logo
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Sierra logo.svg|2002 logo
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Sierra logo 2014.png|2014 logo
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</gallery>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==

Latest revision as of 08:18, 15 July 2023

https://segaretro.org/images/1/19/SierraOnLine_logo_1998.svg

SierraOnLine logo 1998.svg
Sierra On-Line
Founded: 1979 (as On-Line Systems)
Defunct: 2008
Headquarters:
36575 Mudge Ranch Road, Coarsegold, California 93614, United States
40033 Sierra Way, Oakhurst, California 93644, United States
3060 139th Avenue Southeast, Suite 500, Bellevue, Washington 98005, United States[1]

This teeny-tiny article needs some work. You can help us by expanding it.

Sierra On-Line was a US video game developer and publisher.

History

The company was founded as On-Line Systems in 1979, changing its name to Sierra On-Line after a move from Los Angeles to Oakhurst, California[2] in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It saw successes in the 1980s with its line of computer adventure games, expanding and going public in 1989[2].

Sierra acquired a number of software companies in the following decade, notably Dynamix in 1990[2], becoming a worldwide publisher. They additionally operated an internal development team named PyroTechnix.

The company was acquired by CUC International in July[3] 1996[4], which itself merged with HFS Incorporated in December 1997 to become Cendant Corporation. It was at this time when significant accounting fraud at CUC was uncovered, with Cendant subsequently selling its software division to the Paris-based Havas S.A. (part of Vivendi Communications) in January 1999[4]. Sierra subsequently became a part of Havas Interactive, laid of much of its development staff and became purely a sofware publisher. The company would change its name to Sierra Entertainment, Inc. in February 2002[5].

After a series of mergers in 2000, Sierra's parent company, Havas S.A. became Vivendi Universal Publishing. A series of unsuccessful products saw more cost-cutting and redundancies Sierra, reducing the company to little more than a brand of Vivendi Universal Games. 2008 saw Vivendi merge with Activision to form the holding company Activision Blizzard, and Sierra was closed in the months which followed, with many of its IP rights being sold to third-parties.

Activision briefly brought back the Sierra name in 2014 to re-release older Sierra titles and some independently-developed games, but is otherwise unrelated to the original Sierra On-Line.

Softography

Master System

Mega-CD

Saturn

Dreamcast

Atari 8-bit family

Apple II

Commodore 64

IBM PC

Gallery

  • 1979 logo

  • 1980 logo

  • 1984 logo

  • 1994 logo

  • 1998 logo

  • 2002 logo

  • 2014 logo

References

  1. ↑ E3 2001 Directory, page 104
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 http://www.sierra.com/corp/info/history/content.html (Wayback Machine: 2000-03-02 13:13)
  3. ↑ http://www.davd.com/press/corp/cucdone.html (Wayback Machine: 1997-07-12 00:17)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://sierra.com/corp/info/history/content.html (Wayback Machine: 2000-10-01 02:45)
  5. ↑ http://sierra.com/pr/display_pr.php?prid=700 (Wayback Machine: 2002-08-08 06:30)
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