After a brutal year 2000 in which the The Learning Company was unceremoniously shed by Mattel and picked up by Gores Technology Group, the company has announced a new name for its entertainment division, now called "Game Studios".
This Novato, CA-based entertainment division will serve both as third-party publisher and as a developer of PC and console-based titles. As part of the name change, the company also announced its 2001 game lineup. "While The Learning Company name carries a lot of weight in the educational and productivity marketplaces, there has been a great deal of confusion as to our identity in the gaming community," said General Manager Jeff Hoff. "People never fail to recognize our strong franchise lines, such as Myst and Chessmaster, but as an overall brand, we've been referred to as The Learning Company, Broderbund, Mindscape, SSI, Red Orb -- you name it, we've heard it. So, we felt it was time to come up with a name that left no doubt in anyone's mind." According to the company, the Game Studios brand will cover all games released by the studio, regardless of genre or platform, with one exception: its Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) brand. SSI will continue to be associated with the company's RPGs like the upcoming Pool Of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor, as well as real-time strategy, military strategy and simulation titles. The following titles are scheduled tom come out from Game Studios in 2001: The Moon Project (Windows) April Myst III: Exile (Windows /Macintosh) April Destroyer Command (Windows) May Silent Hunter II (Windows) May Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor (Windows) May Larry Bond's Harpoon 4 (Windows) July Flanker Attack (Windows) July Solar (Windows) September Warlords IV (Windows) September Championship Surfer (PS2) September Legend of Alon D'ar (PS2) November
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