BAM! Entertainment explained

BAM! Entertainment, Inc.
Former Name:Bay Area Multimedia, Inc.
Type:Private
Industry:Video games
Founder:Ray Musci
Fate:Bankruptcy
Hq Location City:San Jose, California
Hq Location Country:US
Key People:Ray Musci (CEO)

BAM! Entertainment, Inc. (formerly Bay Area Multimedia, Inc.) was an American video game publisher based in San Jose, California, that was founded by Ray Musci in October 1999.[1] BAM!'s partnership with Cartoon Network in 2000 led to the development of a number of licensed video games featuring Cartoon Network IPs, including The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and Ed, Edd n Eddy.

A 2001 distribution deal allowed French publisher Ubi Soft to distribute BAM!'s games internationally. BAM! suffered financial turmoil beginning in 2002, during which time the NASDAQ threatened to delist it from the stock exchange. The company sold off their London-based development studio to VIS Entertainment in 2003. BAM! acquired VIS in 2004 but was delisted from the NASDAQ. The company continued to publish licensed games until 2005, when the company went defunct after filing for bankruptcy.

History

Formation

American entrepreneur Ray Musci founded Bay Area Multimedia on October 7, 1999.[2] The company signed a deal with Takara in April 2000 to localize and publish for the Nintendo 64 in North America as a rental-only release.[3] The company also signed distribution deals with Virgin Interactive and Victor Interactive Software to distribute and Contender 2 for the North American market.

In 2000, Bay Area Multimedia secured an exclusive licensing deal with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Cartoon Network to publish games based on Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, and Yogi Bear. The company also secured a licensing agreement with Franchise Pictures to publish video games based on their films.[4] A separate licensing agreement with Warner Bros. and DC Comics was also made for the licensing of Sgt. Rock.[5]

Expansion

In December 2000, the company was renamed BAM! Entertainment.

Shortly afterward, the company opened an office in the United Kingdom to publish their games in Europe. They soon signed a deal with Ubi Soft in February 2001 for the distribution of BAM!'s games in the entirety of Europe except for the United Kingdom.[6] The company launched their first Palm OS titles Strike it Rich[7] and CardTopia[8] at the end of June 2001. From September onward, the company secured more publishing and licensing deals, including a deal to publish the Game Boy Advance port of on September 17,[9] a licensing agreement with Spyglass Entertainment for a video game based on Reign of Fire on October 9 and 16[10] [11]

On January 8, 2002, BAM! announced that their Cartoon Network partnership would expand to include Samurai Jack[12] and later and Ed, Edd n Eddy. Shortly afterwards, BAM! signed a five-year agreement with Aardman Animations to publish games based on Wallace and Gromit.[13] In February, the company announced a port of Driven as their first GameCube title.[14] and at the end of the month signed a publishing agreement with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe to release World Rally Championship in North America.[15] The SCEE agreement soon expanded to include Wipeout Fusion and in March.[16] In June, a deal was made with Riverdeep for video games based on the Carmen Sandiego educational franchise.[17] In November, BAM! signed a publishing deal with Disney Interactive to release two Winnie the Pooh educational titles and My Disney Kitchen for the PlayStation.[18]

Fate and bankruptcy

In 2002, BAM! started to suffer from financial problems, which led to the NASDAQ threatening to delist the company.[19]

In April 2003, the company's London-based development studio was purchased by VIS Entertainment,[20] however, VIS later announced that the studio would close following the completion of its remaining projects.[21] In the same year, following the expiration of their distribution deal with Ubi Soft, BAM! entered into a new distribution deal with Acclaim Entertainment in August. Unlike the Ubi Soft partnership, the Acclaim deal included all PAL region countries. The deal ended after Acclaim's bankruptcy the following year.[22]

In 2004, BAM! acquired VIS Entertainment and fellow subsidiary State of Emergency Development. The NASDAQ finally delisted BAM!'s stock in the same year.[23] VIS Entertainment was placed into bankruptcy in April 2005; BAM! then sold the rights to VIS's State of Emergency 2 to DC Studios in May that year and filed for bankruptcy shortly thereafter.[24]

Games

YearTitlePlatform(s)Developer(s)
2000PlayStationTakara
Nintendo 64
Game Boy ColorSennari Interactive
Game Boy ColorAltron
Game Boy ColorSennari Interactive
Game Boy ColorTaito
Sgt. Rock: On the FrontlineGame Boy ColorAltron
Contender 2PlayStationVictor Interactive Software
PlayStationAwesome Developments
2001Game Boy ColorSennari Interactive
Xtreme WheelsGame Boy ColorSpike
Fire Pro WrestlingGame Boy AdvanceSpike
Hot PotatoGame Boy AdvancePukka Games
Sports Illustrated for Kids: BaseballGame Boy AdvanceSennari Interactive
Game Boy AdvanceVirtucraft
Microsoft WindowsIntelligent Games
Microsoft WindowsIntelligent Games
Dexter's Laboratory: Science Ain't FairMicrosoft WindowsIntelligent Games
PlayStationVIS Entertainment
Asylum Entertainment
Nintendo 64
DrivenPlayStation 2BAM! Studios Europe
Game Boy AdvanceCrawfish Interactive
Game Boy AdvanceSennari Interactive
2002Broken Sword: The Shadow of the TemplarsGame Boy AdvanceRevolution Software
WRC: World Rally ChampionshipPlayStation 2Evolution Studios
Wolfenstein 3DGame Boy AdvanceStalker Entertainment
DrivenGameCubeBAM! Studios Europe
Savage SkiesPlayStation 2Irock Interactive
PlayStationRed Lemon Studios
Star XGame Boy AdvanceGraphic State
PlayStation 2Team Soho
Way of the SamuraiPlayStation 2Acquire
Wipeout FusionPlayStation 2Studio Liverpool
Game Boy AdvancePlanet Interactive
Riding SpiritsPlayStation 2Spike
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever IIGame Boy AdvanceCrawfish Interactive
Game Boy AdvanceClimax Group
Fire Pro Wrestling 2Game Boy AdvanceSpike
XboxI-Imagine Interactive
Game Boy AdvanceVirtucraft
Reign of FirePlayStation 2Kuju Entertainment
GameCube
Xbox
Game Boy AdvanceCrawfish Interactive
Game Boy AdvanceVicarious Visions
PlayStation 2Climax Entertainment
Disney's Winnie the Pooh: PreschoolPlayStationHi Corp
Disney's Winnie the Pooh: KindergartenPlayStationHi Corp
My Disney KitchenPlayStationAtlus
PlayStation 2VIS Entertainment
2003Game Boy AdvanceVirtucraft
Sports Illustrated for Kids: FootballGame Boy AdvanceSennari Interactive
4x4 Evo 2PlayStation 2Terminal Reality
Wallace & Gromit in Project ZooPlayStation 2Frontier Developments
GameCube
Xbox
Microsoft Windows
The Powerpuff Girls: Relish Rampage - Pickled EditionGameCubeVIS Entertainment
2004A Sound of ThunderGame Boy AdvanceMöbius Entertainment
PlayStation 2Artificial Mind and Movement
GameCube
Xbox
PlayStation 2Taito
2005Ice NineGame Boy AdvanceTorus Games

Notes and References

  1. Web site: April 19, 2005 . BAM! History . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050419022052/http://www.bam4fun.com/history.html . April 19, 2005 . June 24, 2020 . Bam4Fun.com.
  2. Web site: Business Search—Business Entities - Business Programs - California Secretary of State . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180911191207/https://businesssearch.sos.ca.gov/CBS/SearchResults?SearchType=CORP&SearchCriteria=BAY+AREA+MULTIMEDIA,+INC.&SearchSubType=Keyword . September 11, 2018 . September 10, 2019 . BusinessSearch.sos.ca.gov.
  3. Web site: IGN Staff . April 8, 2000 . Transformers 64 Heading to the US . 2024-03-29 . IGN.
  4. New Publisher Snags Licenses from Cartoon Network and Moviemaker . August 1, 2000 . 2024-03-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20010306013003/http://www.bam4fun.com/corporate/prreleases/pr080100.htm . 2001-03-06 . Bam4Fun.com.
  5. Web site: IGN Staff . October 24, 2000 . Sgt. Rock: On the Frontline . 2024-03-29 . IGN.
  6. Web site: Software Distribution Agreement - BAM Entertainment Ltd. and Ubi Soft Entertainment S.A. - FindLaw . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180705005058/https://corporate.findlaw.com/contracts/operations/software-distribution-agreement-bam-entertainment-ltd-and-ubi.html . July 5, 2018 . September 10, 2019 . FindLaw.com.
  7. Web site: Strike It Rich on the Palm OS . https://web.archive.org/web/20010629074445fw_/http://www.bam4fun.com/rich.html . 2001-06-29 . 2024-03-29 . Bam4Fun.com.
  8. Web site: CardTopia for the Palm OS . https://web.archive.org/web/20010627074855fw_/http://www.bam4fun.com/card.html . 2001-06-27 . 2024-03-29 . Bam4Fun.com.
  9. Bam! Entertainment Signs Deal to Publish Broken Sword for the Game Boy Advance and Is Releasing Its First Set of Official Screens . September 17, 2001 . . 2024-03-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20030803141723if_/http://www.bam4fun.com/pr-09-17-01.html . 2003-08-03 . Bam4Fun.com.
  10. Bam! Entertainment to Bring Spyglass Entertainment's Upcoming Action Movie Reign of Fire to the PlayStation®2 . October 9, 2001 . . 2024-03-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20030621200746if_/http://www.bam4fun.com/pr-10-09-01.html . 2003-06-21 . Bam4Fun.com.
  11. Bam! Entertainment to Publish and Distribute Reign of Fire for Xbox . October 16, 2001 . . 2024-03-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20030803135520if_/http://www.bam4fun.com/pr-10-16-01.html . 2003-08-03 . Bam4Fun.com.
  12. BAM! Entertainment Expands License Agreement with Cartoon Network(TM) and Warner Bros. Consumer Products to Include Samurai Jack(TM) . January 8, 2002 . . 2012-11-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150504032322/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bam-entertainment-expands-license-agreement-with-cartoon-networktm-and-warner-bros-consumer-products-to-include-samurai-jacktm-75335922.html . 2015-05-04 . PR Newswire.
  13. BAM! Entertainment Partners with the Creators of "Wallace & Gromit" and "Chicken Run" . January 24, 2002 . . 2024-03-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20030802140634if_/http://www.bam4fun.com/pr-01-24-02.html . 2003-08-02 . Bam4Fun.com.
  14. BAM! Entertainment Enters Gamecube Market . February 14, 2002 . . 2024-03-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20030802150859if_/http://www.bam4fun.com/pr-02-14-02.html . 2003-08-02 . Bam4Fun.com.
  15. Sony Chooses BAM! Entertainment to Publish World Rally Championship in North America . February 26, 2002 . . 2024-03-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20030802151350if_/http://www.bam4fun.com/pr-02-26-02.html . 2003-08-02 . Bam4Fun.com.
  16. Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and BAM! Entertainment Expand North American Agreement . March 21, 2002 . . 2024-03-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20030802135503if_/http://www.bam4fun.com/pr-03-21-02a.html . 2003-08-02 . Bam4Fun.com.
  17. Riverdeep and BAM! Entertainment Announce Partnership to Deliver the Legendary Carmen Sandiego to the Gaming World . June 25, 2002 . . 2024-03-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20030610003812if_/http://www.bam4fun.com/pr-06-25-02.html . 2003-06-10 . Bam4Fun.com.
  18. BAM! Entertainment Ships Family Favorites Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse for PlayStation This Week . November 18, 2002 . . 2024-03-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20030802151506if_/http://www.bam4fun.com/press_releases/pr_111802.html . 2003-08-02 . Bam4Fun.com.
  19. Web site: Fahey . Rob . February 12, 2004 . BAM! Threatened with NASDAQ Delisting . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140504222954/http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/bam-threatened-with-nasdaq-delisting . 2014-05-04 . 2024-03-29 . . Eurogamer Network.
  20. Web site: IGNPS2 . 3 October 2003 . VIS Entertainment Axes London Studio . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220109191314/https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/10/03/vis-entertainment-axes-london-studio . January 9, 2022 . 2018-07-01 . IGN.
  21. Web site: Fahey . Rob . September 30, 2003 . VIS Shuts London Studio . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20220111091611/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/vis-shuts-london-studio . January 11, 2022 . 1 July 2018 . GamesIndustry.biz.
  22. Web site: Calvert . Justin . July 23, 2003 . Acclaim Signs PAL Games from Bam . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180705004009/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/acclaim-signs-pal-games-from-bam/1100-6072155/ . 2018-07-05 . 2019-09-10 . GameSpot.
  23. News: February 11, 2004 . Bam! Entertainment, Inc. Announces Nasdaq Delisting Notice and Plans Appeal . https://web.archive.org/web/20140504225824/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Bam!+Entertainment,+Inc.+Announces+Nasdaq+Delisting+Notice+and+Plans...-a0131539703 . 2014-05-04 . 2012-11-30 . . . TheFreeLibrary.com.
  24. Web site: Sinclair . Brendan . June 5, 2006 . Report: State of Emergency 2 Developer Shuttered . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211228123011/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/report-state-of-emergency-2-developer-shuttered/1100-6152318/ . 2021-12-28 . 2021-12-28 . GameSpot.

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