The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is the trade association of the computer and video game industry in the United States. An industry trade group, also known as a trade association, is an organization founded and funded by Businesses that operate in a specific Industry. The video game industry (formally referred to as Interactive entertainment) is the economic sector involved with the development, Marketing The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It was formed in April 1994 as the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) and was renamed to ESA on July 16, 2003. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Events 622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1054 - Three Roman legates fractured relations between the Western and Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar.
Most of the top publishers in the gaming world (or their American subsidiaries) are members of ESA, including Atari, Capcom, Crave Entertainment, Disney Interactive Studios, Eidos Interactive, Electronic Arts, Her Interactive, Konami, Microsoft, Midway Games, Namco Bandai, Nintendo, NovaLogic, SEGA, Sony Computer Entertainment, Square Enix, Take Two Interactive, THQ, Warner Bros. Interactive, and Wild Tangent. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. For the original NASA meaning see capsule communicator. is a leading Japanese International developer Crave Entertainment is an American Video game company It was founded in 1997 by Nima Taghavi Disney Interactive Studios Inc (initially Walt Disney Computer Software, later Disney Interactive and Buena Vista Games Inc Eidos Interactive is a publisher of video and Computer games with its parent company based in England. Her Interactive Inc is a Computer game developer and publisher located in Bellevue Washington, United States () is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys Trading cards, Anime, Tokusatsu, Slot machines Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer Midway Games ( (formerly Midway Manufacturing) is an American Video game publisher. This article is about the holding company and the group of companies it owns is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on NovaLogic is a software developer and publisher established in 1985 and based in Calabasas California. is a multinational Video game Software and Hardware development company and a former Home computer ( SCEI) is a Japanese Video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry mostly in Video game consoles and is a full is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its Console role-playing game franchises which include the Final Fantasy series the Dragon Take-Two Interactive Software Inc ( is an American publisher, developer, and distributor of Video games and video game Peripherals THQ Inc ( Toy Headquarters) is a global American developer and publisher of Video games. Warner Bros Entertainment Inc (or Warner Bros, Warner Bros Pictures) is one of the world's largest producers of Film and WildTangent is a game network privately held in the US that exclusively powers game services for PC manufacturers such as HP Dell Toshiba Lenovo and Gateway
ESA's programs include:
- Presenting the annual E³ (Electronic Entertainment Expo)
- Supporting the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)
- Combatting software copyright infringement
- Combatting governmental regulation of video games
- Combatting governmentally imposed video game censorship
The founder of ESA was Doug Lowenstein. The E3 Media and Business Summit, formerly known as Electronic Entertainment Expo and commonly known as E3, is an annual Trade show for the computer The Entertainment Software Rating Board ( ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization that applies and enforces ratings, Advertising guidelines and The Copyright infringement of Software (also known as software piracy) refers to several practices which involve the unauthorized copying of computer Similar to other forms of media Video games have been the subject of debate and Censorship. Douglas Lowenstein is the founder and former President of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA [1] On December 14, 2006, game blog Kotaku reported[2] that he was resigning to take a job in finance outside the industry. Events 1287 - St Lucia's flood: The Zuider Zee sea wall in the Netherlands collapses killing over 50000 people Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. On May 17, 2007, Mike Gallagher replaced Doug Lowenstein as the president of ESA. Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Michael D Gallagher is the Assistant Secretary for Commerce and Information in the United States Department of Commerce and Administrator of the National Telecommunications [3]
On August 18, 2007, it was discovered that someone from an IP address belonging to the ESA modified the Mod chip and abandonware articles on Wikipedia by changing article content to represent legal opinions held by the ESA. Events 293 BC - The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. A modchip (short for modification chip) is a small electronic device used to modify or disable built-in restrictions and limitations of many popular Videogame consoles Abandonware refers to Computer software that is no longer sold or supported or whose Copyright ownership may be unclear for various reasons [4]
As of May 23, 2008, Activision, Vivendi Universal, LucasArts, and id Software have all discontinued membership in the ESA[5][6][7]. Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Activision Inc is an American Video game developer and publisher. VIVENDI is a software package for care management and staff organisation published by the German software company CONNEXT and introduced in 1995 LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC is an American Video game developer and publisher. id Software (ɪd officially is an American computer game developer based in Mesquite, Texas, a suburb of Dallas.
Contents |
List of ESA members and their subsidiaries
Bold Companies are companies currently mentioned on the ESA homepage [8].
| companies partially owned by multiple ESA members |
|---|
| The 3DO Company • New World Computing • Cyclone Studios • Archetype Interactive |
| Atari |
|---|
| Accolade • Beam Software • FormGen • Gremlin Interactive Ltd. • GT Interactive • Hasbro Interactive • Infogrames Entertainment • Medalist International • MicroProse • Ocean • Spectrum HoloByte |
| Disney Interactive Studios |
| Disney Interactive • Buena Vista Interactive • Walt Disney Computer Software, Inc. |
| Capcom |
| Crave Entertainment |
| Lobotomy Software |
| Eidos Interactive |
| Core Design • Domark • U.S. Gold |
| Electronic Arts |
| Bullfrog • Crack dot Com • EA Games • EA Mythic • EA Sports • EA Sports BIG • Maxis • Origin • Westwood Studios |
| Her Interactive |
| Konami Digital Entertainment |
| Microsoft Corporation |
| Midway Games, Inc |
| Namco Hometek, Inc |
| Nintendo |
| NovaLogic, Inc |
| SEGA |
| Sony Computer Entertainment |
| Psygnosis |
| Square Enix, Inc |
| Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc |
| THQ, Inc |
| Rainbow Arts |
| Ubisoft Entertainment |
| Blue Byte • Brøderbund • The Learning Company • MECC • Microïds • Mindscape • The Software Toolworks • |
| Warner Bros. The 3DO Company (formerly THDO on the NASDAQ stock exchange also known as 3DO, was a Video game console developer and third-party game New World Computing Inc was an American Computer game developer and publisher founded in 1984 by Jon Van Caneghem and Mark Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. Accolade was a Video game developer and publisher of the 1980s and 1990s Krome Studios Melbourne, formerly Melbourne House, is a video game development studio owned by Krome Studios and based in Melbourne Australia FormGen Corporation was a Shareware and Computer game company that was founded in 1987 by Randy MacLean and James Perkins Gremlin Interactive was a British Software house based in Sheffield and working mostly in the Home computer market GT Interactive Software Corporation ( Good Times In 2003 Infogrames Inc Hasbro Interactive was a video game production and publishing subsidiary of Hasbro, the large Game and Toy company Infogrames Entertainment SA ( IESA) ( is an international Holding company headquartered in Villeurbanne, Lyon, France. MicroProse, as a corporation and brand name has been owned by several entities since its original founding by Sid Meier and Bill Stealey in 1982 Ocean Software (or Ocean Software Ltd and sometimes Ocean of America Inc Spectrum HoloByte Inc was a Video game developer and publisher originally based in Alameda California. Disney Interactive Studios Inc (initially Walt Disney Computer Software, later Disney Interactive and Buena Vista Games Inc Disney Interactive Studios Inc (initially Walt Disney Computer Software, later Disney Interactive and Buena Vista Games Inc Disney Interactive Studios Inc (initially Walt Disney Computer Software, later Disney Interactive and Buena Vista Games Inc Disney Interactive Studios Inc (initially Walt Disney Computer Software, later Disney Interactive and Buena Vista Games Inc For the original NASA meaning see capsule communicator. is a leading Japanese International developer Crave Entertainment is an American Video game company It was founded in 1997 by Nima Taghavi Eidos Interactive is a publisher of video and Computer games with its parent company based in England. Core Design is a Video game developer best known for creating the popular Tomb Raider series Domark was a Computer and video games Software house based in the United Kingdom. US Gold was a British Video game publisher and developer from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s producing Bullfrog Productions was a UK computer game developer that was founded in 1987 by Les Edgar and Peter Molyneux. Crack dot Com was a computer game development company The company was co-founded by ex- Id Software programmer Dave Taylor, and Jonathan Clark. EA Sports is a brand name used by Electronic Arts since 1993 to distribute games based on Sports Formerly a gimmick inside Electronic Arts sports EA Sports is a brand name used by Electronic Arts since 1993 to distribute games based on Sports Formerly a gimmick inside Electronic Arts sports Maxis Software is an American company that was founded as a Video game developer and is now a brand name of Electronic Arts (EA Origin Systems Inc (sometimes abbreviated as OSI) was a Computer game developer based in Austin Texas that was active from 1983 to Westwood Studios ( 1985 - 2003) was a computer and Video game developer, founded in 1985 as Westwood Associates by Brett Sperry Her Interactive Inc is a Computer game developer and publisher located in Bellevue Washington, United States () is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys Trading cards, Anime, Tokusatsu, Slot machines Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer Midway Games ( (formerly Midway Manufacturing) is an American Video game publisher. is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on NovaLogic is a software developer and publisher established in 1985 and based in Calabasas California. is a multinational Video game Software and Hardware development company and a former Home computer ( SCEI) is a Japanese Video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry mostly in Video game consoles and is a full Psygnosis was a British Video game developer publisher, perhaps best known for their Lemmings, Wipeout is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its Console role-playing game franchises which include the Final Fantasy series the Dragon Take-Two Interactive Software Inc ( is an American publisher, developer, and distributor of Video games and video game Peripherals THQ Inc ( Toy Headquarters) is a global American developer and publisher of Video games. Rainbow Arts is a German game developer company founded in 1984 by Marc Ulrich which was later bought by Funsoft, and eventually absorbed by Ubisoft Entertainment (formerly Ubi Soft) ( is a French computer and Video game publisher and developer with headquarters in Blue Byte Software is a Video game developer based in Düsseldorf, Germany, founded in 1988 Brøderbund Software was an American maker of Computer games Educational software and The Print Shop productivity tools The Learning Company (TLC is an American Educational software company founded in 1980 The Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (later Corporation) most commonly known as MECC, was an organization founded in 1973 Microïds (also known as MC2-Microïds) is a French software company who publishes and develops Video games Since 2003 they have been part of Mindscape is an international software publishing company, previously part of The Learning Company. Mindscape is an international software publishing company, previously part of The Learning Company. Interactive Entertainment, Inc |
| Monolith Productions |
| Wild Tangent |
See also
- Entertainment Software Association of Canada
- Video Game Voters Network
References
- ^ Illinois Ordered to Pay ESA Half Million by Daemon Hatfield, IGN Entertainment, 2006-08-10
- ^ Rumor:ESA President is Quitting by Brian Crecente, Kotaku, 2006-12-14
- ^ ESA selects new president by Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot, 2007-05-17
- ^ ESA Altered Wikipedia Entries on Mod Chips, Abandonware GamePolitics, 2007-08-18
- ^ http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/02/breaking-activision-and-vivendi-discontinue-esa-membership/
- ^ http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/16/lucasarts-leaves-the-esa/
- ^ http://www.gamepolitics.com/2008/05/23/breaking-id-software-leaves-esa
- ^ ESA Members Entertainment Software Association
External links
Not to be confused with Monolith Soft, a Japanese video game studio. WildTangent is a game network privately held in the US that exclusively powers game services for PC manufacturers such as HP Dell Toshiba Lenovo and Gateway The Video Game Voters Network is a newly formed lobbying organization designed to defend the rights of the video gaming industry and video gaming consumerDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic