Focus Multimedia Ltd is a multi-faceted publisher and retailer of video games, consumer

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...

and mobile apps. Founded in 1995, the company is headquartered in the town of

Rugeley Rugeley ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cannock Chase District in Staffordshire, England. It lies on the north-eastern edge of Cannock Chase next to the River Trent; it is situated north of Lichfield, south-east of Stafford, nort ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and has about 30 employees. The company's original concept was to sell bundles of CD-ROM titles. ''That's Multimedia Volume 1'' was launched in 1995, marketed as "15 titles for all the family". It included CD-ROM games such as '' International Sensible Soccer'', ''

Lombard RAC Rally Wales Rally GB was the most recent iteration of the United Kingdom's premier international motor rally, which ran under various names since the first event held in 1932. It was consistently a round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) calen ...

'', '' Jack Nicklaus Golf'' and ''

F-15 Strike Eagle II ''F-15 Strike Eagle II'' is an F-15E Strike Eagle combat flight simulator released in 1989 by MicroProse and is the sequel of '' F-15 Strike Eagle''. It was followed in 1992 by ''F-15 Strike Eagle III'', the final game of the series. The fighter ...

'', alongside encyclopedias, music and software. In the following years Focus established itself as a market leader in impulse price PC games and software in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, taking PC CD-ROM titles into many high street and non-traditional retailers for the first time. Past publishing partners included

Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Assassin's Creed'', ''Far Cry'', '' ...

THQ THQ Inc. was an American video game company based in Agoura Hills, California. It was founded in April 1990 by Jack Friedman, originally in Calabasas, and became a public company the following year through a reverse merger takeover. Initi ...

Rovio Entertainment Rovio Entertainment Oyj (formerly Relude Oy and Rovio Mobile Oy and doing business internationally as the Rovio Entertainment Corporation) is a Finnish video game developer based in Espoo. Founded in 2003 by Helsinki University of Technology s ...

Lego Software Lego A/S (trade name: The Lego Group) is a Danish toy production company based in Billund, Denmark. It manufactures Lego-brand toys, consisting mostly of interlocking plastic bricks. The Lego Group has also built several amusement parks aroun ...

Encyclopædia Britannica The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...

Big Fish Games Big Fish Games is a casual gaming company based in Seattle, with a regional office in Oakland, California, owned by Aristocrat Leisure. It is a developer and distributor of casual games for computers and mobile devices. It has been accused of k ...

and

PopCap Games PopCap Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Seattle, and a subsidiary of Electronic Arts. The company was founded in 2000 by John Vechey, Brian Fiete and Jason Kapalka. Originally founded under the name "Sexy Action Cool", ...

. Focus has two flagship brands, Fanatical.com and Driving Test Success. In 1997, Focus first published ''Driving Test Success'' CD-ROM revision software, designed for learner drivers and motorcyclists in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

and

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. In 2010 Focus launched its first mobile apps for iPhone, ''Theory Test'' and '' Hazard Perception''. Driving Test Success apps are now available for iPhone, iPad, Android, Amazon Kindle, and the company also provides digital downloads and online training subscriptions. Focus has also launched revision software for trainee driving instructors, LGV and PCV drivers. Since launch, the brand has helped over 11 million learner drivers pass their theory test. In 2021, Focus Multimedia was acquired by the entertainment company focusing on content about gaming, comic books, movies and TV shows,

Fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...

, owned by private equity firm TPG. The deal is yet another instance of Fandom attempting to increase its market through both selling products directly to its customers while better luring marketers. Financial terms were not disclosed.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Software companies of the United Kingdom Software companies established in 1995 British companies established in 1995 1995 establishments in England