Jack of All Games

Jack of All Games, Inc. was an American distributor of video games and video game-related hardware based in West Chester Township, Ohio. Founded by David Rosenbaum in 1989, the company was sold to Take-Two Interactive in August 1998. Through a series of acquisitions and mergers, Jack of All Games expanded by nine further offices in nine different countries between February and October 1999. Following an outsourcing deal in October 2008, the company was sold to Synnex in February 2010, where it was merged into Synnex' New Age Electronics division.

Jack of All Games, Inc.
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
Founded1989 (1989)
FounderDavid Rosenbaum
DefunctFebruary 26, 2010 (2010-02-26)
FateMerged into New Age Electronics
Headquarters
West Chester Township, Ohio
,
US
Area served
North America, Europe, Australia
Parent
Subsidiaries
  • Jack of All Games NY
  • Jack of All Games UK
  • Jack of All Games France
  • Jack of All Games Australia
  • Jack of All Games Scandinavia
  • Jack of All Games Germany
  • Jack of All Games Canada
  • Jack of All Games Italy

History

Jack of All Games was founded by David Rosenbaum in 1989,[1] based in West Chester Township, Ohio.[2] The company was acquired by Take-Two Interactive on August 25, 1998,[3] for approximately US$16.8 million in stock.[4]

In February 1999, Take-Two Interactive combined various of their international distribution outlets into Jack of All Games: Alliance Inventory Management (based in New York City) became Jack of All Games NY, LDA Distribution (London and Paris) became Jack of All Games UK and Jack of All Games France, and Directsoft (Sydney) became Jack of All Games Australia.[5] The new offices were followed up by Funsoft Nordic (Oslo, Copenhagen and Stockholm), which was acquired by Take-Two Interactive in March 1999 and subsequently renamed Jack of All Games Scandinavia.[6][7] An office in Munich, Germany, was opened on July 1, 1999.[8] Triad Distributors and Global Star Software, respectively a software distributor and a budget-range game publisher, both of which were founded in 1993 by Craig McGauley and Damian Cristiani, and operated under the same management team and from the same facilities in Concord, Ontario, were acquired by Take-Two Interactive in September 1999 and combined into Jack of All Games Canada.[9] In October 1999, Take-Two Interactive acquired Italian publisher CD Verte, which became Jack of All Games Italy.[10]

On September 9, 2008, Take-Two Interactive announced that, effective immediately, all Jack of All Games operations, including all employees and their West Chester office lease, would be outsourced to Ditan, the distribution arm of Cinram.[11]

In October 2008, Robert Alexander, the president of Jack of All Games at the time of its acquisition, filed a complaint with the United States District Court for the District of Nevada against Take-Two Interactive executives Paul Eibler and Richard Roedel, who Alexander alleged had implemented a scheme that procedurally lowered his compensation as a key employee for the company.[12] According to Alexander, the company owed him "a $240,000 salary with guaranteed 20% raises for three years, a $25,000 monthly expense allowance, a $0.50 royalty on each game passed through his distribution chain, and a large chunk of Take-Two stock", due to which was a seeking a total of $50 million in damages for breach of contract.[13][14]

On December 21, 2009, Take-Interactive announced that they had agreed to sell Jack of All Games to Synnex for $43.25 million.[15] According to Ben Feder, chief executive officer for the company the time, Take-Two Interactive wanted to shift their focus to their "core business strategy"—video game publishing.[16] The acquisition closed on February 26, 2010, and Jack of All Games was effectively merged into Synnex' New Age Electronics division.[17]

References
  1. Kelly, Mike (May 4, 2011). "Jack of All Games Founder David Rosenbaum Joins Solutions 2 GO (USA)". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  2. Martin, Matt (September 9, 2008). "Take-Two to outsource distribution business". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  3. IGN Staff (August 25, 1998). "Take Two Acquires Distributor". IGN. Archived from the original on June 2, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  4. "COMPANY BRIEFS". The New York Times. August 25, 1998. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  5. IGN Staff (February 18, 1999). "News Briefs". IGN. Archived from the original on June 2, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  6. IGN Staff (March 30, 1999). "Take-Two Takes Norway". IGN. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  7. Jebens, Harley (April 27, 2000). "Take-Two Grabs Nordic Publisher". GameSpot. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  8. Mullen, Micheal (April 27, 2000). "Take-Two Invades Germany". GameSpot. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  9. "Press Release 9/1/99". Take-Two Interactive. September 1, 1999. Archived from the original on May 23, 2000.
  10. IGN Staff (October 2, 1999). "Take Two Italians and Call Me Mario". IGN. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  11. Caoili, Eric (September 9, 2008). "Take-Two, Ditan Enter Distribution Agreement". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on June 2, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  12. Gamespot Staff (October 20, 2008). "Take-Two slapped with $50M suit". GameSpot. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  13. Ellison, Blake (October 15, 2008). "Take-Two Hit With $50M Lawsuit From Former Executive". Shacknews. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  14. Alexander, Leigh (October 15, 2008). "Report: Distribution Exec Sues Take-Two For $50 Million". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  15. McWhertor, Michael (December 21, 2009). "Take-Two Sells Off Jack Of All Games, Goes All In On Publishing". Kotaku. Archived from the original on June 2, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  16. Brice, Kath (December 22, 2009). "Take-Two sells Jack of All Games distribution business". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  17. Crowley, Laura (March 1, 2010). "SYNNEX Corporation Completes Acquisition of Jack of All Games, Inc". Synnex. Archived from the original on November 29, 2019.
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