Starwave
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Software, Web content, Video games |
| Founded | 1993 in Seattle, Washington, United States |
| Founder | Paul Allen |
| Defunct | 1998 |
| Fate | Acquired by The Walt Disney Company |
| Headquarters | Seattle , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Mike Slade (CEO) |
| Products | Muppets Inside, Castle Infinity, ESPN.com, ABCNEWS.com, Outside Online, Mr. Showbiz.com, TheStreet.com website infrastructure |
| Parent | The Walt Disney Company (from 1998) |
Starwave was a software and web enterprise headquartered in Seattle, established in 1993 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen with Mike Slade serving as CEO. The company created original CD-ROM products including Muppets Inside and collaborated on projects involving Clint Eastwood, Sting, and Peter Gabriel. Among its developments was Castle Infinity, recognized as the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game designed specifically for children. However, Starwave's most notable contribution was in the realm of web content creation. It launched influential websites such as ESPN.com, ABCNEWS.com, Outside Online, and Mr. Showbiz.com, playing a pivotal role in driving the commercial Internet surge during the late 1990s. Additionally, Starwave built the original website and publishing infrastructure for Jim Cramer’s TheStreet.com.
Disney
Prior to its acquisition by The Walt Disney Company, Starwave merged with Infoseek. In April 1998, Disney completed the purchase of the remaining shares from Allen after initially acquiring approximately 30% ownership in 1997. This acquisition resulted in the establishment of the Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG), which was responsible for developing the Go.com portal.
In 2004, Disney brought back the Starwave name as Starwave Mobile, targeting the casual gaming market on mobile devices. This division released licensed games such as Scarface: Money. Power. Respect. along with titles from Capybara Games, including Critter Crunch.
External links
- Starwave Takes the Web ... (Seriously) | Fast Company
- Starwave in Disneyland | Salon
- Starwavers List of Former Starwave Employees
- The Long Strange Trip to Java by Patrick Naughton, who left Sun for Starwave
- Articles with short description
- American companies established in 1993
- American companies disestablished in 1998
- Companies based in Bellevue, Washington
- Defunct software companies of the United States
- Defunct video game companies of the United States
- Disney acquisitions
- Software companies established in 1993
- Software companies disestablished in 1998
- Video game companies established in 1993
- Video game companies disestablished in 1998
- Software companies based in Seattle