7th Level
7th Level (later 7th Street.com, then Learn2.com ) ( NASDAQ: SEVL ) was a publicly traded software company with headquarters in Richardson, Texas, which developed computer games and children's educational software and sales. From 1997, 7th Level, a game development and focused after a merger on Internet applications. Later merged 7th level with various other business and sales software training courses and tutorials.
Among the most successful products include three Monty Python games that originated between 1994 and 1998 in collaboration with Terry Gilliam, and the Mech- simulation G- NOME. Other software products included the proprietary playback engine TopGun, the 2D animation program Studio 7 and the Internet Software Agent 7
- 2.1 Developed Games
- 2.2 Publisher for
Company History
Computer Games and Software for Kids
7th Level was founded by George D. Grayson, previously president and founder of the software company Micrografx, the musician Scott Page and entertainment producer Bob Ezrin in 1993. Grayson became CEO of the company. The investors included Michael Milken and the co-founder of Lorimar Telepictures Corp.. Merv Adelson. It had its headquarters in Richardson, Texas, with a production studio in Los Angeles. Since 1994, 7th Level on the American Stock Exchange NASDAQ was listed (ticker symbol: SEVL ).
7th Level has developed various computer games, from both the adventure and the action genre. In addition, the internal division called Kids World Entertainment developed several, some award-winning children's educational software products.
In 1996, the led on the trade show 's Consumer Electronics Show, the strategy game Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3 before. Competitor Blizzard showed so impressed that they rejected the work done on a strategy game StarCraft, and the development began again from scratch by the alleged live demonstration of the game. Years later it was revealed that there had not been a live demonstration of a playable version of the game, but only to a pre- video for the presenters only did so when they were playing the game live.
7th Level struggled from the beginning with financial difficulties. Although the games and children's software were successfully achieved 7th level in the first four years of no profit. His Great - Adventures program series for children had to contend with strong competition from CUC International. In corporate governance, there was disagreement as to whether one should focus on the further development of shoot-em -up computer games or children's educational software. The computer games had made up 90 % of the 20.5 million U.S. dollars in sales last year. After the development of children's software has been set, co-founder Grayson left the company. Eventually, however, they decided to pull out completely from the computer game industry and instead to develop applications for the still relatively new Internet.
In November 1997, 7th Level announced to want the company Pulse Entertainment and buy up to merge the two companies into a new company called P7 Solutions. 21 million shares at 7th level should be issued to the shareholders of Pulse Entertainment. In 1998, however, revoke, without specifying exact reasons for this agreement.
The games division has been largely resolved, the existing projects have been abandoned or sold. The largely completed strategy game Dominion: Storm Over Gift 3 could be sold to the young company Ion Storm. The Ion Storm- founder Todd Porter and Jerry O'Flaherty had previously been responsible for the design and development of the game at 7th level before they left the company to found Ion Storm. Along with playing acquired Ion Storm the license for 7th level TopGun technology and the first mission pack.
Mid-1990s had 7th Level obtain the rights to a work based on the books by Raymond Feist Riftwar - RPG. For the development of Return to Krondor they picked the developers added PyroTechnix Inc.. As a 7th level now gave up the games division, Sierra On -Line took over the role as publisher for PyroTechnix.
The distribution rights for its Monty Python Games were acquired by Panasonic Interactive.
Internet software, tutorials and mergers
In May 1998, the company received from private investors 10 million U.S. dollars to finance the completion and delivery of a new Internet software, called Agent 7. With this software, it was possible to integrate animated cartoon characters in Web pages and other applications. In the period following contracts were signed with several companies such as RealNetworks closed, the agent inserting 7.
In 1999, merged with 7th Level, a private company Street Technologies Inc. of White Plains, New York and was renamed in February 1999 in 7th Street.com. We now drove tutorials and courses for computer programs known, among other things, at the web address Tutorials.com. In the same year bought the company Panmedia on 7th Street, the parent company of online learning community learn2.com. 7th Street was this from 1.544 million shares, more details about the purchase remained secret. The contents of the websites learn2.com and tutorials.com were merged under learn2.com. In June 1999 7th Street bought another company in the field of training software that ViaGrafix Corporation ( Nasdaq: VIAX ). Viagrafix was then the top-selling computer training companies in the United States.
A month later, in July 1999, it was announced that 7th Street and its bought up companies and brands were united under the new name Learn2.com. The company also changed its stock ticker symbol from SEVL to LTWO.
In August 2002, the Company acquired Learn.com finally Learn2 Corp., and thus the name " Learn2 " and the sites learn2.com and tutorials.com.
Games
Developed Games
- Tuneland feat. Ron Williams ( 1993)
- Monty Python 's Complete Waste of Time (1994 )
- Battle Beast (1995 )
- Take Your Best Shot (1995 )
- Ace Ventura (1996 )
- Arcade America ( 1996)
- Monty Python & The Quest for the Holy Grail (1996 )
- Tracer (1996 )
- G- Nome ( 1997)
- Tamagotchi CD -ROM ( 1997)
- Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life (1998)
Publisher for
- Helicops (1997)