Jack of All Games

Jack of All Games, Inc.
Subsidiary
Industry Video game industry
Fate Merged into New Age Electronics
Founded 1989 (1989)
Founder David Rosenbaum
Defunct February 27, 2010 (2010-02-27)
Headquarters West Chester, Ohio, U.S.
Area served
 North America, Europe
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 Italy

Jack of All Games, Inc. was an American distributor of video games and video game-related hardware based in West Chester, 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.

History

Jack of All Games was founded by David Rosenbaum in 1989,[1] based in West Chester, 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] In October 1999, Take-Two Interactive acquired Italian publisher CD Verte, who became Jack of All Games Italy.[9]

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.[10]

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.[11] 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.[12][13]

On December 21, 2009, Take-Interactive announced that they had agreed to sell Jack of All Games to Synnex for $43.25 million.[14] 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.[15] The acquisition closed on February 27, 2010, and Jack of All Games was effectively merged into Synnex' New Age Electronics division.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Jack of All Games Founder David Rosenbaum Joins Solutions 2GO (USA)". gamasutra.com. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Take-Two to outsource distribution business". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  3. ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (August 24, 1998). "Take Two Acquires Distributor". ign.com. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  4. ↑ "COMPANY BRIEFS". nytimes.com. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  5. ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (February 17, 1999). "News Briefs". ign.com. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  6. ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (March 30, 1999). "Take-Two Takes Norway". ign.com. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  7. ↑ Jebens, Harley (April 27, 2000). "Take-Two Grabs Nordic Publisher". gamespot.com. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  8. ↑ Mullen, Micheal (April 27, 2000). "Take-Two Invades Germany". gamespot.com. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  9. ↑ Staff, I. G. N. (October 1, 1999). "Take Two Italians and Call Me Mario". ign.com. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  10. ↑ Caoili, Eric. "Take-Two, Ditan Enter Distribution Agreement". gamasutra.com. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  11. ↑ Staff, Gamespot (October 20, 2008). "Take-Two slapped with $50M suit". gamespot.com. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Take-Two Hit With $50M Lawsuit From Former Executive". Shacknews. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  13. ↑ Alexander, Leigh. "Report: Distribution Exec Sues Take-Two For $50 Million". gamasutra.com. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  14. ↑ McWhertor, Michael. "Take-Two Sells Off Jack Of All Games, Goes All In On Publishing". kotaku.com. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Take-Two sells Jack of All Games distribution business". gamesindustry.biz. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  16. ↑ "SYNNEX Corporation Completes Acquisition of Jack of All Games, Inc. - SYNNEX Corporation". SYNNEX Corporation. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
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