Encore, Inc.
| Company type | Limited liability company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco Bay Area , United States |
Area served | North America |
| Products | Software products including Punch! Home Design Software, Broderbund titles, Hoyle Card Games, Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, Diner Dash series, Torchlight (distribution rights), Panda Security software, WildTangent games |
Encore Software, LLC operates as a limited liability company registered in Delaware, focusing on the sales, distribution, and creation of software products.
In November 2008, Encore broadened its licensing agreement with Riverdeep, assuming control over the Broderbund product portfolio along with its direct-to-consumer operations. Subsequently, in May 2010, Encore purchased the assets belonging to Punch! Software.
Previously, Encore functioned as a fully owned subsidiary of WYNIT Distribution, LLC. WYNIT acquired the majority of Encore's assets from Speed Commerce, Inc. (formerly known as Navarre Corporation) around July 2014. Navarre had originally secured these assets through a bankruptcy proceeding in August 2002.
After WYNIT Distribution filed for bankruptcy in 2017, Sereno Ventures, LLC acquired nearly all of Encore’s assets through an auction process. Sereno Ventures is a Delaware-registered LLC headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Following this acquisition, Encore shut down its office located in Eden Prairie, Minnesota; however, it maintains a sales call center based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The oversight of technical support and software development is managed by senior executives within the United States, complemented by offshore assistance from Lahore, Pakistan.
Titles
Encore publishes several brands targeted at the retail market, including:
- Echelon: Wind Warriors
- Punch! Home Design Software
- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Broderbund and The Learning Company, primarily distributed via the Broderbund website operated by Encore. Notable series encompass Adventure Workshop, Carmen Sandiego, ClickArt, Disney Fun & Skills, Mavis Beacon, The Oregon Trail, The Print Shop, PrintMaster, and Reader Rabbit.
- Hoyle Card Games, Hoyle Casino, and Hoyle Puzzle & Board Games
- PC/Mac versions of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune
- Titles from PlayFirst, such as the Diner Dash series
- Distribution rights for Runic Games' Torchlight within North America
- Software products from Panda Security
- Games from WildTangent, including Fate: The Traitor Soul