Park Place Productions
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video game development |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Founder | Michael Knox, Troy Lyndon, Stephen Quinn |
| Defunct | December 31, 1993 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Number of employees | 130 (1993) |
Park Place Productions was established in 1989 by Michael Knox, Troy Lyndon, and Stephen Quinn.
History
In 1990, under contract with Electronic Arts, the company created John Madden Football for the Genesis system, recognized as "the most successful sports game ever." Other significant releases included Monday Night Football (DOS, 1989) and Muhammad Ali Heavyweight Boxing (Genesis, 1992). By 1993, Park Place Productions had grown into the largest independent developer of computer games, employing 130 developers who produced 45 titles for 14 different publishers.
The firm ceased operations at the close of December 1993 following the departure of co-founder Troy Lyndon two months earlier. Failure to meet project deadlines caused publishers to suspend payments, worsening the company's financial condition. One key client, accounting for 30% of revenue, terminated contracts, prompting others to follow suit. Unable to meet payroll in December 1993, approximately 30 former employees transitioned to a new Sony Imagesoft branch located in San Diego's Sorrento Valley. Park Place subsequently initiated legal action against Sony, accusing the company of a hostile takeover involving the unauthorized transfer of hardware, software, and proprietary source code.
Between 2003 and 2007, ex-staff produced five Baby Einstein videos: Baby Galileo, Baby da Vinci, Baby Wordsworth, Baby's Favorite Places, and Discovering Shapes.
On 15 September 2009, co-founder Michael Knox passed away from colon cancer at age 48 in Kaneohe, Hawaii.