The Future of Sierra Online

The future of Sierra and what their games will become (and did)

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• Sierra
• Old
• Games

[shades2]

@Taking1n1 At the end of the day, Sierra was a highly successful business over the years, and Ken Williams took the right opportunity to do very well out of packaging and selling his/Roberta's and the employee's creation at a very good time. I would love nothing more than Sierra to rise like a phoenix in the right hands. Interactive TV based entertainment is not quite with most of us yet, and our PC's provide a lot of that social network type gaming currently, not our TVs.

[shades2]

@Taking1n1 1.5 Billion reasons? It was an extremely good price during a boom-time for Sierra Online to be sold. Because CUC was involved in a massive accounting scandal and ended up having to pay out $2.85 billion in compensation. Sierra was apparently closed down as an entity by Activision in 2008 for future re-sale (of the brand I suspect, when Vivendi Games ceased to exist). Sierra is a much loved brand of course, but I don't feel it has much substance beyond that anymore.

[Taking1n1]

@shades2 can you tell me why this happened? Or why sierra allowed this?

[shades2]

@Taking1n1 The story is on Wikipedia under "CUC International". Sierra ceased to trade at all as Sierra Co. in 2008-2009.

[shades2]

@Taking1n1 Sierra was sold to CUC (Comp-U-Card) for about 1.5 Billion US in 1996. They also bought a educational software company called Davidson & Associates for 1.6 Billion in the same year. CUC merged with HFS in 1997, company was renamed to Cedant. Cedant was spun off and sold to a French advertising group Havas. Then merged with Vivendi, which finally merged with Activision.

CUC was later caught out over-stating it's earnings by over $500 million USD. Cedant stock fell $39 to $9.

[Taking1n1]

can someone tell me what happened to sierra?

[Soylentgreen2000]

I grew up playing all the quests when I was young. I actually learned English playing them ( I am French ) I will definitely have my kids play the games as well so they can learn some basic functioning English.

I miss mostly Police Quest. I remember playing hours in my speedo

coming back from the pool during summer break. I almost give up on SP1, I couldn't find the key on the dead guard so I was stuck for months :)

[DeadVideoGamer]

Always will enjoy their entertaining games.

[mattdannald]

Sig Heil!

[wmotamedi03]

Tell them that their passion is missed in the profession of game design.

I was taken as a guest by two friends into Dynamix HQ in Eugene when it was thriving and busy at work on Tribes 2. I've never seen people happier to be at work! (And it payed off.) I believe that everyone at Sierra Online, your Aunt and Uncle included, are more or less just as passionate about games as the folks at Dynamix. I am grateful for how they shaped my childhood. And Vivendi just isn't the same.