~4 minute readINSIDE THE INDUSTRY
Rumored Activision/Infocom Rift Unfounded
At press time, a plethora of rumors concerning the relationship between Infocom and its parent company, Activision, garnered the attention of CGW. Rumor: There was considerable innuendo that the Infocom division had become a dumping ground for unwanted Activision projects. As a case in point, the move of Infocomics from Activision's provenance to that of Infocom's supervision was cited. The suggestion was made that there were problems between Tom Snyder and Activision which lead to the move. Response: A contract was originally signed between Activision, under then president James Levy, and Tom Snyder Productions for the two companies to develop the product which has become Infocomics. However, a product development decision was made to move all story-telling projects to Infocom, early on in Bruce Davis' administration. Tom Snyder, whose company is geographically located less than a mile from Infocom's headquarters, was delighted with the change. He noted that the only problems they had in working with Activision were logistic problems in that the companies were located a continent apart. He further stated, "Our relationship with Infocom is the best we've ever had with any publisher." Bruce Davis, Activision President, stated unequivocally that "Nothing was shunted off on anybody" and responded to the charge that Infocom was being forced to work on secondary projects by insisting "Infocom is an A+ line, not a B line!"
Rumor: It was suggested to CGW that Activision felt that Infocomics were not good enough from a technical standpoint and that the parent company was not pleased with the product. Fact: Activision's president has personally boosted Infocomics more than any other products in recent appearances. Rumor: An assertion that Infocomics had not been tested adequately came to CGW's attention. Response: Infocom realized early on that the broad base of testers used to playtest their interactive fiction games would not be useful in testing this new genre. This was because these testers had little in common with the target audience on the new product. Therefore, the company had to build a new base of testers. Nevertheless, Infocom President Joel Berez insists that the products were "extensively tested." This is confirmed by Tom Snyder who notes that "We had to learn how to test a product of this nature."
Rumor: CGW was presented with an allegation that Infocom was told that they needed to sell 50,000 units of Infocomics prior to March 31, 1988 (end of Activision's fourth fiscal quarter) in order for the company to break even. Response: Knowing that publicly held Activision must be very concerned about its financial image during this fiscal year of turn around, this charge had to be addressed. Bruce Davis responded to CGW's query with a chuckle. He suggested that the company would make less than $6.00 on each Infocomic unit sold and dismissed any suggestion that less than $300,000 worth of business would make the difference in a given fiscal quarter. "If less than $300,000 makes that much of a difference, we're in real trouble," scoffed Davis. Joel Berez was more serious and emphatically denied that Infocom needed to sell 50,000 units to make or break their division's financial outlook for the fourth quarter. Loretta Stagnitto of Activision suggested that four other divisions would have a greater impact on the bottom line for the fourth quarter. These would be: a) Activision's Nintendo products, b) Activision's Hypercard line, c) British Telcom's Firebird products, and d) the success of Triton Products (the mail order merchandising division). If all four of these areas meet expectations, the financial outlook for Activision could be exceptional.
Rumor: CGW was told that Activision was forcing Infocom to produce a Wizardry clone. Response: Neither Berez nor Davis will talk to CGW about unannounced products. However, Berez waxed philosophical in response to this question, explaining "Infocom's role in life is to become the master storyteller and that includes products begun on the West Coast." In fact, Berez noted that Infocom has recently hired their first producer to acquire outside products. This is consistent with Davis' presentation at the Activision Press Conference in Las Vegas where he divided the corporation's entertainment emphases into three basic areas with Infocom's responsibilities being in the area of storytelling.
Rumor: Several sources have indicated that there are projects currently underway to put graphics in Infocom's traditional interactive fiction games. Response: Infocom is attempting to find appropriate ways to use graphics in all their new products. Berez contends that this is not an attempt to "colorize" the classic Infocom games with graphics, but an attempt in the new products " . . . to renew excitement in the field of interactive fiction and introduce new consumers to the games." Recognizing that some purists will resent these changes, Berez suggested that there would possibly be an option to toggle the graphics off. He also admitted, "This is where it gets really hard, because we have to make sure when we add in the new elements that everything that used to be there is still there."
This article appeared in
Computer Gaming World
Apr 1988
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