Editing Activision (section)

=== Mediagenic (1988–1991) ===
[[File:3885 Bohannon Drive.jpg|thumb|right|Mediagenic's former headquarters in Menlo Park, {{Circa|2021}}<ref name="InfoWorld">{{cite journal |title=News Briefs: Company Releases Free Upgrade of Reports 1.2 |journal=InfoWorld |date=June 6, 1988 |volume=10 |issue=23 |page=35 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-j4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA35 |access-date=11 November 2021 |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916165916/https://books.google.com/books?id=-j4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA35#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }} This source indicates that as of 1988, Mediagenic was based at 3885 Bohannon Drive in Menlo Park.</ref>]]
In 1988, Activision began involvement in software besides video games, such as business applications. As a result, Activision changed its corporate name to '''Mediagenic''' to better represent all of its activities.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oDoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA34 |title=Mediagenic Rises from the Ashes, Will Publish Range of Products |page=34 |volume=10 |issue=40 |first=Rachel |last=Parker |magazine=[[InfoWorld]] |date=October 3, 1988 |publisher=InfoWorld Media Group, Inc. |access-date=December 30, 2016 |via=Google Books |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230160846/https://books.google.com/books?id=oDoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA34&lpg=PA34&dq=mediagenic%20activision%20divisions&source=bl&ots=bW8gBM1_xe&sig=Q99Dme4yB05X7U04oS5zex9SwzI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjB4P-ti6bQAhWn64MKHdrkDWQQ6AEIWDAN |archive-date=December 30, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Gamasutra" />

Mediagenic consisted of four groups:
* Activision: video game publisher for various platforms, notably the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[Master System]], [[Atari 7800]], [[Atari ST]], [[Commodore 64]], and [[Amiga]]
* [[Infocom]]: developer of interactive fiction games
* [[Scott Orr#GameStar|Gamestar]]: initially an independent company but purchased by Activision in 1986. Specialized in sports video games
* Ten Point O: business application software

In 1989, after several years of losses, Activision closed down the Infocom studios, extending to only 11 of the 26 employees an offer to relocate to Activision's [[Silicon Valley]] headquarters. Five of them accepted this offer.<ref name="mit infocom" />

Notably during this time, Mediagenic was known to have worked on the early version of a football game that was the basis for ''[[Joe Montana Football]]''. Sega of America's Michael Katz had been able to get Sega to pay Mediagenic around early 1990 to develop this into the branded version after securing the rights to [[Joe Montana]]'s name, but was unaware of internal troubles that had been going on within the company, which had left the state of the game mostly unfinished. Katz and Sega were forced to take the incomplete game to [[Electronic Arts]], which had been developing its own ''[[John Madden Football]]'' series for personal computers, to complete the game.<ref>{{cite book | title = The Ultimate History of Video Games, Volume 1: From Pong to Pokemon and Beyond ... the Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World | first= Steven L. | last = King | publisher = Crown  | year = 2010 | isbn = 978-0307560872 | chapter = Chapter 22: The Year of the Hardware }}</ref>

During this period Mediagenic, via Activision, secured the rights to distribute games from [[Cyan Worlds]]. The first game published by Activision from Cyan was ''[[The Manhole]]'', on [[CD-ROM]] for personal computers, the first major game distributed in this format.<ref>[https://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2008/09/sept-24-1993-beautiful-myst-ushers-in-era-of-cd-rom-gaming/ "Sept. 24, 1993: Beautiful 'Myst' Ushers In Era of CD-ROM Gaming"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104182909/http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2008/09/sept-24-1993-beautiful-myst-ushers-in-era-of-cd-rom-gaming/ |date=November 4, 2012}} Wired Magazine</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=100 |title=3900 Games Later... |magazine=Computer Gaming World |date=November 1992 |access-date=July 4, 2014 |author=Sipe, Russell |page=8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702235552/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=100 |archive-date=July 2, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="gi activision start"/>