Starwave

Starwave was a Seattle, Washington-based software and Internet-content company founded in 1993 by Paul Allen, the Microsoft co-founder. Although it began by producing interactive entertainment software, including CD-ROM titles and games, its most consequential work involved building branded websites and the publishing systems behind them. Under chief executive Mike Slade, Starwave developed or helped launch a number of prominent online properties, including ESPN.com, ABCNEWS.com, Outside Online, and Mr. Showbiz.com. It also created the first website and publishing system for Jim Cramer's TheStreet.com. The company's early software activity included original CD-ROM products such as Muppets Inside, as well as projects associated with entertainers including Clint Eastwood, Sting, and Peter Gabriel. Starwave was also the original developer of Castle Infinity, described in the reference material as the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game designed for children. These projects placed the company at the intersection of interactive entertainment, celebrity licensing, and emerging consumer software. Starwave's larger historical importance came from its contribution to the commercial Web during the mid- and late 1990s. Rather than operating only as a conventional game publisher, it built content sites, digital publishing infrastructure, and online media experiences for established brands. Its work helped demonstrate how sports, news, entertainment, and lifestyle publishers could extend their businesses onto the Internet. The company therefore became associated with the rapid commercialization of the Web and with the development of online media properties that reached audiences beyond the technology sector. Starwave's corporate independence ended through a series of transactions involving Infoseek and Disney. Disney initially acquired approximately 30 percent of Starwave in 1997. In April 1998, Disney purchased the remaining outstanding shares held by Allen, and Starwave was combined with Infoseek. The resulting organization became part of the Walt Disney Internet Group, which developed the Go.com portal. This transition placed Starwave's technology and Internet experience within Disney's broader digital strategy, while the original standalone brand ceased to operate as an independent company. Disney later reactivated the name in 2004 as Starwave Mobile. The revived operation published casual games for mobile phones, including licensed Scarface titles such as Scarface: Money. Power. Respect., and games from Capybara Games, including Critter Crunch. Starwave Mobile represented a shift from the original company's Web-publishing focus toward mobile entertainment distribution. Publicly available reference material does not establish the later operating status, ownership structure, or complete product catalogue of Starwave Mobile. As a historical brand, Starwave is best understood for its role in early commercial Internet publishing, its experimentation with interactive entertainment, and its eventual integration into Disney's digital-media organization.

Starwave was established in Seattle in 1993 by Paul Allen, who had co-founded Microsoft. Its initial business combined interactive software development with the creation of entertainment products for recognizable cultural properties. The company produced original CD-ROM software, including Muppets Inside, and developed projects connected with performers and entertainers such as Clint Eastwood, Sting, and Peter Gabriel. This work reflected the prevailing multimedia-software market of the early 1990s, when publishers expected CD-ROMs to serve as a major platform for interactive entertainment and reference content. The company also entered online gaming. Starwave was the original developer of Castle Infinity, identified in the reference material as the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game for children. The project demonstrated an early interest in persistent, connected entertainment rather than purely offline software. At the same time, Starwave began moving toward a broader digital-media model in which the company supplied technology, design, and publishing expertise to established brands. Led by chief executive Mike Slade, Starwave developed several significant commercial websites during the expansion of the World Wide Web. Its work included ESPN.com, ABCNEWS.com, Outside Online, and Mr. Showbiz.com. The company also built the first website and publishing system for TheStreet.com, the financial-media venture associated with Jim Cramer. These projects made Starwave an important participant in the transition of sports, news, lifestyle, entertainment, and financial publishing from traditional channels to browser-based services. Starwave's significance was not limited to the individual sites it produced. By helping major media brands establish online presences, it contributed to the operating models and technical practices of commercial Web publishing. Its portfolio illustrated how an Internet company could work as a development partner for recognizable publishers and entertainment properties rather than relying solely on a single consumer product. This role helped distinguish Starwave from a conventional game studio or CD-ROM publisher. Disney became increasingly involved in Starwave's ownership. In 1997, Disney acquired approximately 30 percent of the company. In April 1998, it purchased the remaining outstanding shares from Allen. Starwave then merged with Infoseek, and the combined operation became part of the Walt Disney Internet Group. WDIG subsequently developed the Go.com portal, placing Starwave's personnel, capabilities, and digital-media experience inside Disney's larger Internet strategy. The transaction ended Starwave's period as an independent company. In 2004, Disney revived the name as Starwave Mobile. The mobile operation published casual games for mobile phones, including several games based on the Scarface property, among them Scarface: Money. Power. Respect. It also published Capybara Games' Critter Crunch. This second phase extended the name into mobile entertainment, a market distinct from the original company's CD-ROM and Web-publishing activities. The available reference material does not provide enough information to document Starwave Mobile's subsequent corporate history or current status. Historically, the Starwave brand is chiefly associated with early Internet media development, interactive entertainment experiments, and its absorption into Disney's digital-business structure.

• 2004

  Starwave Mobile is launched

  [1]Starwaveen.wikipedia.org

  Disney reactivated the Starwave identity for a mobile-games publishing operation.

• 1998

  Disney purchases the remaining Starwave shares

  [1]Starwaveen.wikipedia.org

  Disney bought the outstanding shares held by Paul Allen. Starwave was then combined with Infoseek and became part of the Walt Disney Internet Group.

• 1997

  Disney acquires a minority stake

  [1]Starwaveen.wikipedia.org

  The Walt Disney Company acquired approximately 30 percent of Starwave, beginning the company's transition into Disney's digital-media organization.

• 1993

  Starwave is founded in Seattle

  [1]Starwaveen.wikipedia.org

  Paul Allen founded Starwave as a software and interactive-entertainment company in Seattle, Washington.

An early digital-entertainment and Internet-publishing company focused on combining interactive software, licensed content, and branded online media experiences.

• Interactive CD-ROM software

  Muppets Inside

  Muppets Inside was one of Starwave's original CD-ROM titles. It represented the company's early focus on interactive entertainment software and on translating established entertainment properties into multimedia computer experiences.

• Massively multiplayer online role-playing game

  Castle Infinity

  Castle Infinity was developed by Starwave as an online role-playing game aimed at children. It is described in the reference material as the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game for children, making it an early example of persistent online entertainment designed for a younger audience.

• Sports website

  ESPN.com

  ESPN.com was among the major branded websites developed by Starwave during the commercial expansion of the Web. The project demonstrated Starwave's role as a technology and publishing partner for established media brands entering online distribution.

• News website

  ABCNEWS.com

  ABCNEWS.com was developed by Starwave as an online extension for the ABC News brand. It formed part of the company's broader portfolio of sites that brought recognized broadcast and publishing properties to the Web.

• Lifestyle and outdoor website

  Outside Online

  Outside Online was another Starwave-developed content site. Its inclusion in the portfolio shows the company's work across specialist publishing categories, not only sports, news, and entertainment.

• Entertainment website

  Mr. Showbiz.com

  Mr. Showbiz.com was an entertainment-focused website developed by Starwave. It extended the company's online publishing activities into celebrity and show-business coverage.

• Web publishing platform

  TheStreet.com publishing system

  Starwave developed the first website and publishing system for Jim Cramer's TheStreet.com. The work illustrates the company's contribution not only to visible websites but also to the underlying systems used to create and manage online editorial content.

• Mobile casual games · 2004

  Starwave Mobile games

  Starwave Mobile published casual games for mobile phones after Disney revived the Starwave identity in 2004. Its catalogue included licensed Scarface games and Capybara Games' Critter Crunch.

• Licensed mobile game

  Scarface: Money. Power. Respect.

  Scarface: Money. Power. Respect. was among the Scarface-related games published by Starwave Mobile. It reflected the revived operation's emphasis on licensed casual and mobile entertainment.

• Mobile casual game

  Critter Crunch

  Critter Crunch was a game from Capybara Games published by Starwave Mobile. It formed part of the mobile publisher's post-2004 catalogue.

• 2004

  Disney reactivates the Starwave name for mobile publishingStrategy

  Background

  Following the absorption of the original company into Disney's Internet operations, Disney reused the brand in the growing mobile-games market.

  Action taken

  Disney launched Starwave Mobile to publish casual games for mobile phones, including licensed Scarface titles and Capybara Games' Critter Crunch.

  Aftermath

  The brand shifted from early Web development and CD-ROM software toward mobile entertainment publishing. The available sources do not establish the operation's later history.

  Source

• 1998

  Disney completes the acquisition and combines Starwave with InfoseekM&A

  Background

  Disney had acquired an approximately 30 percent interest in Starwave in 1997 and then sought the remaining outstanding shares.

  Action taken

  Disney purchased the remaining shares held by Paul Allen. Starwave was combined with Infoseek and incorporated into the Walt Disney Internet Group.

  Aftermath

  The transaction ended Starwave's independence and contributed technology and Internet-publishing capabilities to Disney's development of the Go.com portal.

  Source

• 2004

  Starwave identity returns as Starwave Mobile[1]Starwaveen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Disney reactivated the Starwave name for a mobile-games publishing operation focused on casual games for mobile phones.

• 1998

  Disney acquires the remaining shares of Starwave[1]Starwaveen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  The Walt Disney Company purchased the outstanding Starwave shares held by Paul Allen after acquiring an approximately 30 percent interest in 1997. Starwave was subsequently combined with Infoseek and placed within Disney's Internet activities.

1. 1Starwaveen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Starwave Takes the Web ... (Seriously)fastcompany.com
3. 3Starwave in Disneylandsalon.com
4. 4The Long Strange Trip to Javajoelonsoftware.com