Difference between revisions of "Bobmark International"

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{{CompanyBob
{{Company
 
 
| logo=Bobmark logo.jpg
 
| logo=Bobmark logo.jpg
| founded=
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| founded=1991
| defunct=
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| defunct=2007
 
| mergedwith=
 
| mergedwith=
 
| mergedinto=
 
| mergedinto=
| headquarters=
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| headquarters=18 Smocza Street, Warsaw, Poland
 
}}
 
}}
A company in Poland operating in 1992-1998 which was a distributor of Sega in Poland.
+
'''Bobmark International''' was a video game distributor in Poland mainly known for the Pegasus console release.
  
== History ==
+
==1991-1993==
Two businessmen, Dariusz Wojdyga and Marek Jutkiewicz, used the lack of consoles on the Polish market and decided to bring a Japanese Famicoma clone from Taiwan called Pegasus. After launching the console in 1992, the console quickly became a hit. There were many versions of it. In 1994, the company established [[AGES (distributor)|AGES]] to take over Sega products in 1995. In the summer of 1995, Bobmark took over the distribution functions of AGES. The failure of the Sega Saturn distribution in Poland, which was lost in the Playstation. Ultimately, in 1998, the company ended up working with Sega and the two founders began selling HOOP drinks which are still popular in Poland.
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After reforms in Poland in 1989, people set up various businesses. Marek Jutkiewicz started importing cheap clothing from Taiwan, Thailand and Hong Kong. During one of his stays in Taiwan and looking for a cheap supply of trousers, Jutkiewicz encountered a counterfeit Famicom. He spent a week with the console and saw the potential in the console. The sooner he returned to the country.
 +
 
 +
An investor was needed to create an import company. The savior turned out to be Dariusz Wojdyga, a college friend. Wojdyga came up with the name Pegasus. They started ordering from the Taiwanese console and selling it in the country. To avoid paying more taxes, one of the co-founders of Bobmark was Dane (Peter Horlyck).<ref>https://www.pb.pl/elektronik-z-meliorantem-187459</ref>The console was released in 1991 but gained popularity in 1992. This year, a profit of PLN 30 billion was achieved.
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Consoles of the newly founded company began to sell quickly. In addition, the company ran a car workshop where it sold and repaired parts of American cars. In 1993, the company released the [[Game Boy]] clone named Pegasus Game Boy and also new line of clones called Action Set but none of this products were as popular as Pegasus. Hoop company  was also created to deal with the sale of drinks. However, in addition to drinks, in 1993 it released a new console called the Super Pegasus MT-888DX which was a famiclone modeled on the Super Nintendo. This year, the company generated a profit of PLN 62 billion. It was the biggest profit during its existence. At the end of the year, the first Pegasus games began to appear at the flea market. It was the beginning of the import of the first copies of games and consoles from Taiwan uncontrolled by Bobmark.
 +
 
 +
==1994-1995==
 +
In 1994, Bobmark saw a change in the law that showed the issuance of illegal consoles and games. The company acquired licenses to sell games on Pegasus from companies such as Sachen that illegally created the same games on [[NES]]. The most successful cooperation was with Codemasters. Selling illegal cartridges was ceased but at the flea market and in stores it was possible to still get illegal cartridges.
 +
 
 +
Another problem for Pegasus was the competition of other famiclones which were much cheaper. Everyone could buy them in stores or at the flea market. They were [https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iQhTkm2mtUA/WZ9Jb36eQXI/AAAAAAAAKbg/Ir-Ya_Sk2-0Uzux1BsMV5irZ3Nq8xK-fQCEwYBhgL/s1600/terminator%2B2%2Bcon%2Bcaja.jpg Terminator 2], Hunter, Thompsonic 3500/3600 and many more.
 +
 
 +
 
 +
Bobmark also decided to get along with Sega. The [[AGES (distributor)|AGES]] company was created and in end of 1994, sales of Sega consoles began<ref>PSX Extreme 247</ref>.
 +
 
 +
In 1995, the company also signed cooperation with [[Warner Interactive Entertainment]], [[Ocean]], [[Konami]], [[Acclaim]], [[Gremlin]], [[Electronic Arts]] and [[Disney]] to sell their games on PC and consoles.  
 +
 
 +
In January 1995, Bobmark registered trademarks for new line of famiclones called Fenix.
 +
 
 +
Sega consoles weren't as popular as Pegasus so Bobmark released [[KW-501|Power Pegasus]] which was a clone of [[Sega Mega Drive]]<ref>Top Secret 5/1995 page 58 (announcement)</ref>. However, it was not successful. In 1995, the company recorded profit for the last time.
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 +
==1996-2007==
 +
On March 1, 1996, [[Sega Saturn]] was released<ref>https://retrocdn.net/File:SecretService_34_PL_Bobmark.png</ref>. Bobmark launched large advertisement in press, gaming events (Gambleriada, Playbox) and TV (Escape TV on Polonia). Mega Drive got more owners in Poland which Bobmark also noticed.<ref>https://archive.org/details/swiat_gier_komputerowych_49-1997-1/page/n69/mode/1up</ref>
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From 1997 Playstation became more and more popular and Saturn began losing which resulted in ending of cooperation with Sega on September 1997. The years 1996-1999 were a time of losses for the company.<ref>https://archive.org/details/gambler_magazine-1998-03/page/n36/mode/1up/search/bobmark</ref>
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It was decided to put more capital into Hoop and since then the founders of Bobmark have been selling refreshing drinks. After 1999, Bobmark was one of Hoop's subsidiaries and was took over by them in 2007.
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 +
== Gallery ==
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{{gallery
 +
|{{gitem|VF2 TV advert PL.mp4}}
 +
{{galleryPrintAd
 +
|secretservice|29|4
 +
|gkpl|24|32
 +
}}
 +
{{galleryPrintAd
 +
|secretservice|36|61
 +
|gambler|31|41
 +
|gambler|32|41
 +
|gambler|33|33
 +
|gambler|34|41
 +
}}
 +
{{galleryPrintAd
 +
|secretservice|37|71
 +
|secretservice|38|75
 +
|secretservice|39|71
 +
|gkpl|28|67
 +
|secretservice|40|71
 +
|gkpl|29|67
 +
|secretservice|41|56
 +
|gkpl|30|67
 +
}}
 +
{{galleryPrintAd
 +
|Nights PL advert.jpg|kd|17.96|
 +
|kd|20.96|
 +
|kd|22.96|
 +
|kd|25-26.96|
 +
}}
 +
{{galleryPrintAd
 +
|Gambler 35 PL Win car with Sega Saturn.jpg|gambler|35
 +
|Win car with Sega Saturn advert.png|gambler|36|
 +
|gambler|37|39
 +
}}
 +
|{{galleryPrintAd
 +
|Gambler 38 PL Worldwide Soccer 97.jpg|gambler|38|
 +
}}
 +
|{{galleryPrintAd
 +
|secretservice|39|78
 +
|secretservice|40|76
 +
|secretservice|41|81
 +
|secretservice|43|86
 +
}}
 +
}}
 +
<gallery>
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Bobmark registration card PL.pdf|Registration card used from the end of 1994. Added to most of the products
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Bobmark warranty seal.jpg|Most of the products sold by Bobmark had a warranty seal under the console
 +
</gallery>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==

Revision as of 03:58, 11 September 2020

https://segaretro.org/images/1/19/Bobmark_logo.jpg

Bobmark logo.jpg
Bobmark International
Founded: 1991
Defunct: 2007
Headquarters:
18 Smocza Street, Warsaw, Poland

Bobmark International was a video game distributor in Poland mainly known for the Pegasus console release.

1991-1993

After reforms in Poland in 1989, people set up various businesses. Marek Jutkiewicz started importing cheap clothing from Taiwan, Thailand and Hong Kong. During one of his stays in Taiwan and looking for a cheap supply of trousers, Jutkiewicz encountered a counterfeit Famicom. He spent a week with the console and saw the potential in the console. The sooner he returned to the country.

An investor was needed to create an import company. The savior turned out to be Dariusz Wojdyga, a college friend. Wojdyga came up with the name Pegasus. They started ordering from the Taiwanese console and selling it in the country. To avoid paying more taxes, one of the co-founders of Bobmark was Dane (Peter Horlyck).[1]The console was released in 1991 but gained popularity in 1992. This year, a profit of PLN 30 billion was achieved.

Consoles of the newly founded company began to sell quickly. In addition, the company ran a car workshop where it sold and repaired parts of American cars. In 1993, the company released the Game Boy clone named Pegasus Game Boy and also new line of clones called Action Set but none of this products were as popular as Pegasus. Hoop company was also created to deal with the sale of drinks. However, in addition to drinks, in 1993 it released a new console called the Super Pegasus MT-888DX which was a famiclone modeled on the Super Nintendo. This year, the company generated a profit of PLN 62 billion. It was the biggest profit during its existence. At the end of the year, the first Pegasus games began to appear at the flea market. It was the beginning of the import of the first copies of games and consoles from Taiwan uncontrolled by Bobmark.

1994-1995

In 1994, Bobmark saw a change in the law that showed the issuance of illegal consoles and games. The company acquired licenses to sell games on Pegasus from companies such as Sachen that illegally created the same games on NES. The most successful cooperation was with Codemasters. Selling illegal cartridges was ceased but at the flea market and in stores it was possible to still get illegal cartridges.

Another problem for Pegasus was the competition of other famiclones which were much cheaper. Everyone could buy them in stores or at the flea market. They were Terminator 2, Hunter, Thompsonic 3500/3600 and many more.


Bobmark also decided to get along with Sega. The AGES company was created and in end of 1994, sales of Sega consoles began[2].

In 1995, the company also signed cooperation with Warner Interactive Entertainment, Ocean, Konami, Acclaim, Gremlin, Electronic Arts and Disney to sell their games on PC and consoles.

In January 1995, Bobmark registered trademarks for new line of famiclones called Fenix.

Sega consoles weren't as popular as Pegasus so Bobmark released Power Pegasus which was a clone of Sega Mega Drive[3]. However, it was not successful. In 1995, the company recorded profit for the last time.

1996-2007

On March 1, 1996, Sega Saturn was released[4]. Bobmark launched large advertisement in press, gaming events (Gambleriada, Playbox) and TV (Escape TV on Polonia). Mega Drive got more owners in Poland which Bobmark also noticed.[5] From 1997 Playstation became more and more popular and Saturn began losing which resulted in ending of cooperation with Sega on September 1997. The years 1996-1999 were a time of losses for the company.[6]

It was decided to put more capital into Hoop and since then the founders of Bobmark have been selling refreshing drinks. After 1999, Bobmark was one of Hoop's subsidiaries and was took over by them in 2007.

Gallery

Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Secret Service (PL) #29: "Listopad 1995" (1995-11-01)
also published in:
Logo-pdf.svg
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Secret Service (PL) #36: "Czerwiec 1996" (1996-06-01)
also published in:
Logo-pdf.svg
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Secret Service (PL) #37: "Lipiec/Sierpień 1996" (1996-08-01)
also published in:
Logo-pdf.svg
Nights PL advert.jpg
Print advert in Kaczor Donald (PL) #17.96: "17/1996" (1996-08-15)
also published in:
  • Kaczor Donald (PL) #20.96: "20/1996" (1996-09-26)[19]
  • Kaczor Donald (PL) #22.96: "22/1996" (1996-10-24)[20]
  • Kaczor Donald (PL) #25-26.96: "25-26/1996" (1996-12-05)[21]
Nights PL advert.jpg
link=https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File:Gambler_PL_35.pdf&page=Win car with Sega Saturn advert.png
Print advert in Gambler (PL) #35: "10/1996" (1996-xx-xx)
also published in:
Gambler 35 PL Win car with Sega Saturn.jpg
Gambler 38 PL Worldwide Soccer 97.jpg
Print advert in Gambler (PL) #38: "1/1997" (1997-xx-xx)
Gambler 38 PL Worldwide Soccer 97.jpg
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Secret Service (PL) #39: "Październik 1996" (1996-10-01)
also published in:
Logo-pdf.svg

References

  1. https://www.pb.pl/elektronik-z-meliorantem-187459
  2. PSX Extreme 247
  3. Top Secret 5/1995 page 58 (announcement)
  4. https://retrocdn.net/File:SecretService_34_PL_Bobmark.png
  5. https://archive.org/details/swiat_gier_komputerowych_49-1997-1/page/n69/mode/1up
  6. https://archive.org/details/gambler_magazine-1998-03/page/n36/mode/1up/search/bobmark
  7. Gry Komputerowe, "3/1996" (PL; 1996-xx-xx), page 32
  8. Gambler, "6/1996" (PL; 1996-xx-xx), page 41
  9. Gambler, "7/1996" (PL; 1996-xx-xx), page 41
  10. Gambler, "8/1996" (PL; 1996-xx-xx), page 33
  11. Gambler, "9/1996" (PL; 1996-xx-xx), page 41
  12. Secret Service, "Wrzesień 1996" (PL; 1996-09-01), page 75
  13. Secret Service, "Październik 1996" (PL; 1996-10-01), page 71
  14. Gry Komputerowe, "9-10/1996" (PL; 1996-xx-xx), page 67
  15. Secret Service, "Listopad 1996" (PL; 1996-11-01), page 71
  16. Gry Komputerowe, "11/1996" (PL; 1996-xx-xx), page 67
  17. Secret Service, "Grudzień 1996" (PL; 1996-12-01), page 56
  18. Gry Komputerowe, "12/1996" (PL; 1996-xx-xx), page 67
  19. File:Kaczor Donald 20-1996 PL Mega Drive.png
  20. Kaczor Donald, "22/1996" (PL; 1996-10-24)
  21. Kaczor Donald, "25-26/1996" (PL; 1996-12-05)
  22. Gambler, "11/1996" (PL; 1996-xx-xx)
  23. Gambler, "12/1996" (PL; 1996-xx-xx), page 39
  24. Secret Service, "Listopad 1996" (PL; 1996-11-01), page 76
  25. Secret Service, "Grudzień 1996" (PL; 1996-12-01), page 81
  26. Secret Service, "Luty 1997" (PL; 1997-xx-xx), page 86