JumpStart Games, Inc., formerly Knowledge Adventure, Inc., was an American

edutainment Educational entertainment, also referred to by the portmanteau edutainment, is media designed to education, educate through entertainment. The term has been used as early as 1933. Most often it includes content intended to teach but has inciden ...

video game company based in

Torrance, California Torrance is a coastal city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the metropolitan ...

. Founded in 1991, it was acquired by Chinese holding company NetDragon Websoft in 2017.

History

From 1991 to 1994, Knowledge Adventure created

DOS DOS (, ) is a family of disk-based operating systems for IBM PC compatible computers. The DOS family primarily consists of IBM PC DOS and a rebranded version, Microsoft's MS-DOS, both of which were introduced in 1981. Later compatible syste ...

games.

Purchase by CUC International

On November 5, 1996,

CUC International CUC (Comp-U-Card) International Inc. was a membership-based consumer services conglomerate with travel, shopping, auto, dining, home improvement and financial services offered to more than 60 million customers worldwide based in Stamford, Connect ...

announced that it would acquire Knowledge Adventure; the acquisition was completed on February 3, 1997. In February 1996, CUC had acquired Davidson & Associates; this subsidiary was later merged with Knowledge Adventure in October 1998. On May 28, 1997, CUC International announced plans to merge with

Hospitality Franchise Systems Cendant Corporation was an American provider of business and consumer services, primarily within the real estate and travel industries. In 2005 and 2006, it broke up and spun off or sold its constituent businesses. Although it was based in New Yo ...

to create a single, "one-stop" entity. The merger was finalized in December that year and created

Cendant Cendant Corporation was an American provider of business and consumer services, primarily within the real estate and travel industries. In 2005 and 2006, it broke up and spun off or sold its constituent businesses. Although it was based in New Yo ...

. As a result of the merger, CUC Software was renamed Cendant Software. On November 20, 1998, French media company

Havas Havas NV () is a French multinational corporation, multinational advertising agency, advertising and public relations company, with its registered office and head office in Puteaux, France. Havas operates in more than 100 countries. The group ...

(later acquired by water utility

Vivendi Vivendi SE (stylized in all lowercase) is a French investment company headquartered in Paris. It currently wholly-owns Gameloft as well as a number of investments in several companies, primarily involved in content, entertainment, media, and t ...

) announced that it would acquire Cendant Software for in cash and up to contingent on the performance of Cendant Software. Subsequently, the division was renamed Havas Interactive. During that time, Knowledge Adventure released many branded games such as '' JumpStart'', '' Dr. Brain'', ''

Fisher-Price Fisher-Price, Inc. is an American company that produces educational toys for infants, toddlers and preschoolers, headquartered in East Aurora, New York, East Aurora, New York (state), New York. It was founded in 1930 during the Great Depression ...

'', ''

Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...

'', ''

Bear in the Big Blue House ''Bear in the Big Blue House'' is an American children's television series created by Mitchell Kriegman and produced by Jim Henson Television for Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney preschool television block. Debuting on October 20, 1997, it a ...

'', '' Blaster'', ''

Teletubbies ''Teletubbies'' is a British children's television series created by Anne Wood and Andrew Davenport for the BBC. The programme focuses on four differently coloured characters known as the Teletubbies, named after the television screens on t ...

'', '' Noddy'', ''

Jurassic Park III ''Jurassic Park III'' is a 2001 American Science fiction film, science fiction adventure film, adventure action film directed by Joe Johnston and written by Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor (writer), Jim Taylor. It is the third ...

'', ''

Captain Kangaroo ''Captain Kangaroo'' is an American children's television series that aired weekday mornings on the American television network CBS for 29 years, from 1955 to 1984, making it the longest-running nationally broadcast children's television program ...

'', ''

Curious George Curious George is a fictional monkey who is the title character of a series of popular children's picture books written and illustrated by Margret and H. A. Rey. Various media, including films and TV shows, have been based upon the original ...

'' and ''

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...

''. Knowledge Adventure released ''JumpStart Baby'' in 2000.

Separation from Vivendi

In October 2004, Vivendi sold Knowledge Adventure to a group of investors interested in taking a more active management strategy, and in developing new educational software. The company released new products under both the JumpStart and Math Blaster brands. In October 2012, Knowledge Adventure changed its name to JumpStart Games. On March 17, 2014, JumpStart Games purchased ''

Neopets ''Neopets'' is a free-to-play virtual pet site, virtual pet browser game. First launched in 1999, the game allows users to own virtual pets ("Neopets") and explore a virtual world called "Neopia." Players can earn one of two virtual currency, v ...

'' from Viacom. On July 7, 2017, JumpStart Games was acquired by Chinese online game publisher NetDragon Websoft.

Back-catalog digital re-releases

On November 25, 2014, five Knowledge Adventure titles were re-released digitally as DRM-Free exclusives on ZOOM-Platform.com through a partnership between JumpStart Games and the Jordan Freeman Group. The five titles included ''3D Body Adventure'', ''3D Dinosaur Adventure'', ''Dinosaur Adventure'' (Original), ''Space Adventure'', and ''Undersea Adventure''. On March 6, 2015, another Knowledge Adventure title, ''Bug Adventure'', was re-released digitally as a DRM-Free exclusive on ZOOM-Platform.com. This title was also released through the partnership between JumpStart and the Jordan Freeman Group. ZOOM-Platform.com indicated the game was released due to the "incredible reaction" they got to the first batch of Knowledge Adventure titles.

Closure and transfer of ''Neopets''

On June 13, 2023, Jumpstart Games announced it was ceasing all of its operations and ending support of all games, excluding ''Neopets'', on June 30, 2023. The company officially closed July 1, 2023 at 3am EST with servers and their website also shutting down. No reason upon the closure was given. Neopets was briefly transferred over to Fluffy Dog Studios, which was formerly JumpStart Vancouver, before being spun off as World of Neopia, Inc. in a management buyout deal.

References

{{Reflist Educational software companies Software companies based in California Video game companies established in 1991 Software companies established in 1991 Video game development companies Companies based in Torrance, California Former Vivendi subsidiaries 2017 mergers and acquisitions 1991 establishments in California American companies established in 1991 American companies disestablished in 2023