Humongous Entertainment#Acquisitions, decline, dissolution (1996–2006)

{{Infobox company

| name = Humongous, Inc.

| former_name = Humongous Entertainment, Inc. (1992-2005)

| logo = Humongous Entertainment logo.svg

| logo_caption = Logo used since Tommo's purchase of the brand; earlier versions of this logo were purple

| type = Subsidiary

| industry = Video games

| founded = {{Start date and age|1992|03}} in Woodinville, Washington, US

| defunct = {{Start date and age|2013}}

| fate = Chapter 11 bankruptcy, assets split off

| founder = {{Unbulleted list|Ron Gilbert|Shelley Day}}

| hq_location_city = Bothell, Washington

| hq_location_country = US

| parent = Atari, Inc. (1996–2005)
Atari SA (2005-2013)

| website = {{URL|humongous.com}}

}}

Humongous, Inc. (formerly Humongous Entertainment, Inc.) was an American video game developer based in Bothell, Washington. Founded in 1992, the company developed multiple edutainment franchises, most prominently Putt-Putt, Freddi Fish, Pajama Sam, Spy Fox, and Backyard Sports, which, combined, sold over 15 million copies and earned more than 400 awards of excellence.{{cite web |url=http://www.gamezone.com/news/majesco_brings_humongous_best_selling_children_s_properties_to_wii |title=Majesco Brings Humongous' Best-Selling Children's Properties to Wii |publisher=GameZone |date=March 25, 2008 |access-date=June 6, 2015 |archive-date=January 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117060342/http://www.gamezone.com/news/majesco_brings_humongous_best_selling_children_s_properties_to_wii |url-status=live}}

Humongous Entertainment was acquired by GT Interactive (later renamed Infogrames, Inc., then Atari, Inc.) in July 1996. By October 2000, sales of Humongous games had surpassed 16 million copies.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161012195555/https://www.awn.com/animationworld/theres-humongous-rewards-edutaining-little-kids | url=https://www.awn.com/animationworld/theres-humongous-rewards-edutaining-little-kids | title=There's Humongous Rewards in Edutaining Little Kids | date=October 1, 2000 | author=Kubin, Jacquie | work=Animation World Network | archive-date=October 12, 2016 | url-status=live}} GT, which had by that point became Atari, Inc. sold the Humongous business to its parent company, Infogrames (later renamed Atari SA), in August 2005 and reduced the company solely as a management firm for their assets until its bankruptcy in 2013, in which the assets were sold to Tommo, who re-released some of its games on digital distribution channels using the Humongous name.

History

= Formation (1992–1996) =

Humongous Entertainment was formed by Shelley Day and Ron Gilbert in March 1992,{{cite web |url=http://www.humongous.com/about/pr/more/corp.html |title=Humongous Entertainment Fast Facts |date=August 26, 1997 |publisher=Humongous Entertainment |archive-date=February 10, 1998 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980210015436/http://www.humongous.com/about/pr/more/corp.html |url-status=dead}} then based in Woodinville, Washington.{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-sep-15-fi-32531-story.html |title=Humongous Entertainment's Child's Play Develops Maturity |work=Los Angeles Times |date=September 15, 1997 |access-date=February 19, 2021 |archive-date=September 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925134248/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-sep-15-fi-32531-story.html |url-status=live}} The name Humongous Entertainment was suggested by Gilbert's ex-LucasArts colleague, Tim Schafer.{{cite web |url=https://community.telltale.com/discussion/comment/138550/#Comment_138550 |title=Q&A With the Team |quote=True fact: It was Tim Schafer who suggested the name "Humongous Entertainment". |author=Dave Grossman |author-link=Dave Grossman (game developer) |website=Telltale Games |date=June 19, 2009 |access-date=February 19, 2021 |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518095841/https://community.telltale.com/discussion/comment/138550/#Comment_138550 |url-status=live}} It became known for creating four point-and-click adventure game series intended for young children, branded collectively as "Junior Adventures", with the four series being the Putt-Putt, the Freddi Fish, the Pajama Sam and the Spy Fox series. Characters from one series do not cross over with ones in another (with the exception of Putt-Putt and Fatty Bear's Activity Pack) and instead appear as cameos or Easter eggs in any of the three other series. All of Humongous's games until 2003 were built on the SCUMM game engine, which Gilbert had developed for LucasArts years prior; following his departure from the company, LucasArts agreed to grant Humongous a license to use SCUMM for its games, on the condition that Gilbert continue to develop updates to the engine for both companies' use.{{cite web|url=https://www.nightdivestudios.com/interview-ron-gilbert/|title=Interview with Ron Gilbert|website=Nightdive Studios|date=June 22, 2014|access-date=October 16, 2023}} By 1995, the company had become the third largest children's educational-software company.{{cite web|title=Cyber Elite - Shelley Day |url=http://time.com/time/digital/cyberelite/24.html |author=Robert Sorbo |access-date=September 4, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090409061314/http://time.com/time/digital/cyberelite/24.html |archive-date=April 9, 2009}}

In 1995, Gilbert and Day established a company division, Cavedog Entertainment, in Seattle, set to develop games of alternative genres, and released Total Annihilation, a real-time strategy (RTS) game, in 1997. This was followed by two expansion packs in 1998, as well as a variation called Total Annihilation: Kingdoms plus an expansion pack in 1999.{{cite web|url=http://www.cavedog.com/aboutfrm.html |title=Cavedog Entertainment |date=December 12, 1998 |access-date=April 23, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030808142442/http://www.cavedog.com/aboutfrm.html |archive-date=August 8, 2003}}

= Acquisitions, decline, dissolution (1996–2006) =

In July 1996, Humongous Entertainment was purchased by GT Interactive for {{US$|76 million|link=yes}}.{{cite news |date=July 11, 1996 |title=Company News; GT Interactive acquires Humongous Entertainment |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/11/business/company-news-gt-interactive-acquires-humongous-entertainment.html |newspaper=New York Times |access-date=January 4, 2017 |archive-date=September 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925134248/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/11/business/company-news-gt-interactive-acquires-humongous-entertainment.html |url-status=live}} In November 1997, Humongous Entertainment signed a five-year worldwide deal with Nickelodeon to develop games based on the Nick Jr. series, Blue's Clues, making it the first and only time that Humongous has developed games based on a licensed character as opposed to its original characters.{{cite news|title=Nickelodeon and Humongous Entertainment Ink Exclusive Five-Year Worldwide Deal To Create CD-ROMs for Blue's Clues, Nick Jr.'s Top-Rated Preschool TV Show|url=http://humongous.com/parents/Pr/More/news/bluesclues.html|publisher=Humongous Entertainment and Nickelodeon|date=November 6, 1997|access-date=March 11, 2021|archive-date=October 31, 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001031085055/http://www.humongous.com/parents/pr/more/news/bluesclues.html|url-status=live}} The same year, Humongous released their first Backyard Sports title, Backyard Baseball. Backyard Sports would go on to become the company's longest-running series. In November 1999, GT Interactive was acquired by Infogrames and renamed to Infogrames, Inc. In 2000, Humongous Entertainment released a One-Stop Fun Shop activity center game for each Junior Adventure series, with the exception of Spy Fox.{{cite web|url=http://www.gamezone.com/news/humongous_entertainment_s_one_stop_fun_shops|title=Humongous Entertainment's One-Stop Fun Shops|date=May 4, 2012|access-date=June 10, 2017|archive-date=November 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118222416/http://www.gamezone.com/news/humongous_entertainment_s_one_stop_fun_shops|url-status=live}} The co-founders tried to buy Humongous Entertainment back from Infogrames, Inc., using external funding, but the day of the planned purchase was the day of the dot-com collapse, wherefore the funding was pulled. The founders soon left Humongous, alongside many other key employees, and formed a new studio, Hulabee Entertainment, in 2001. In June 2001, Infogrames, Inc. laid off 82 personnel, over 40% of staff from Humongous Entertainment.{{cite news |title = Humongous cuts 40% of its staff |url = http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Humongous-cuts-40-of-its-staff-1057280.php |publisher = Seattle Post-Intelligencer |date = June 15, 2001 |access-date = October 9, 2006 |archive-date = August 14, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170814064440/http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Humongous-cuts-40-of-its-staff-1057280.php |url-status = live}} In May 2003, after Infogrames, Inc. purchased Hasbro Interactive, which owned the rights to the Atari brand, the company was renamed Atari, Inc.

= Humongous, Inc. (2005-2013) =

In Atari, Inc.'s fourth quarter results in June 2005, the company announced that they would divest and dispose of various "non-core" assets that they no longer saw as part of their upcoming strategic visions or creative directions, with Humongous Entertainment being the only named division to fulfill this purpose.https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-reports-fiscal-2005-fourth-quarter-and-year-end-results Shortly afterward, Atari laid off much of the development portion of the company and renamed them from Humongous Entertainment, Inc. to solely Humongous, Inc. around the same time.{{cite web | url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/infogrames-announces-relaunch-for-humongous-brand | title=Infogrames Announces Relaunch for Humongous Brand}}https://contracts.onecle.com/atari-inc/infogrames-transfer-2005-08-22.shtml During this time, Atari, Inc. was in the midst of heavy financial struggles and was cutting costs as much as they could.

On August 22, 2005, Atari, Inc. announced that it would transfer Humongous, Inc. over to its majority parent, Infogrames Entertainment SA, for shares worth {{US$|10.3 million}}. The deal would include all licensing rights, trademarks, intellectual property, and existing inventory. The deal would also allow for Atari, Inc. to use a fifth of the payment as a down payment, alongside continuing to exclusively distribute Humongous titles in North America and Mexico up until March 31, 2006.https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/08/26/infogrames-buys-humongous{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2005-08-28/atari-sells-humongous-to-infogrames-for-10-dot-3-million |title=Atari Sells Humongous to Infogrames for $10.3 Million |date=August 28, 2005 |access-date=January 27, 2014 |publisher=Business Week |archive-date=September 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923200601/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2005-08-28/atari-sells-humongous-to-infogrames-for-10-dot-3-million |url-status=live}} In October 2005, Infogrames announced they would relaunch the Humongous brand, and hired Alyssa Padia and Lauren Schechtman as the new CEOs. Infogrames stated that Humongous would focus mainly on new entries in the Backyard Sports franchise and will follow up with a business strategy to relaunch the Junior Adventure series.https://web.archive.org/web/20071014111554/http://www.backyardsports.com/corporate/press/NewTeam.pdf In March 2006, Atari, Inc.'s distribution deal with Humongous, Inc. was extended another year through to March 2007.{{cite web |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1002607/000095012306008390/y22324e10vk.htm |title=Form 10-K |publisher=Atari, Inc. |date=June 29, 2006 |via=Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval |access-date=December 4, 2023}}

Following the expiration of the Atari deal aside from Backyard Sports, Humongous began to publish games on their own and in October 2007, they had signed a retail exclusivity deal with Target to release remastered versions of select Junior Adventure titles.https://web.archive.org/web/20080727004834/http://www.backyardsports.com/corporate/index.php{{Cite web |title=Pajama Sam: Don't Fear the Dark (Only at Target Edition) - PC - GameSpy |url=http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/pajama-sam-dont-fear-the-dark-only-at-target-edition/ |access-date=2025-05-12 |website=pc.gamespy.com}} In March 2008, Interactive Game Group LLC (I2G) and Humongous, Inc. signed a North American publishing deal with Majesco Entertainment to allow the latter to publish a selection of Junior Adventure titles for the Wii. These titles were the first installments of each title in the series, except Putt-Putt. Atari Europe would handle publication and distribution in European territories.{{cite web | url=https://purenintendo.com/majesco-entertainment-and-interactive-game-group-bring-humongous-best-selling-childrens-properties-to-wii-in-the-us/ | title=Majesco Entertainment and Interactive Game Group Bring Humongous' Best-Selling Children's Properties to Wii in the U.S. | date=March 26, 2008 | access-date=December 27, 2021 | archive-date=December 27, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227224607/https://purenintendo.com/majesco-entertainment-and-interactive-game-group-bring-humongous-best-selling-childrens-properties-to-wii-in-the-us/ | url-status=live}}{{Cite web |date=2008-08-24 |title=TWiG 2008-08-25: A Week with the Shovel, PopMatters |url=https://www.popmatters.com/twig-2008-08-25-a-week-with-the-shovel-2496125092.html |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=www.popmatters.com |language=en-US}} The ports were developed by Mistic Software, but their availability was greatly limited by a legal conflict concerning their development.{{Cite web |url= https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/01/maniac-tentacle-mindbenders-of-atlantis-how-scummvm-kept-adventure-gaming-alive/ |title= Maniac Tentacle Mindbenders: How ScummVM's unpaid coders kept adventure gaming alive |work= Ars Technica |date= January 16, 2012 |access-date= February 16, 2016 |first= Richard |last= Moss |archive-date= February 23, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160223212330/http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/01/maniac-tentacle-mindbenders-of-atlantis-how-scummvm-kept-adventure-gaming-alive/ |url-status= live}} In November of the same year, Humongous and Atari released the Nintendo DS game Freddi Fish: ABC Under The Sea in European territories.{{Cite web |title=Freddi Fish: ABC Under The Sea - Nintendo DS - GameSpy |url=http://ds.gamespy.com/nintendo-ds/freddi-fish-abcs-under-the-sea/ |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=ds.gamespy.com}}

In April 2008, Infogrames announced that they would purchase out the remaining shares of Atari, Inc. that they didn't own previously and would merge with them.[http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080430/nyw164.html?.v=1 Infogrames Entertainment S.A. and Atari, Inc. Announce Agreement to Merge: Financial News] Yahoo! Finance {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527190525/http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080430/nyw164.html?.v=1 |date=May 27, 2008}}{{cite web |url=http://corporate.infogrames.com/infogramesgb/2008/10/infogrames_entertainment_sa_an_1.php |title=Atari GB |publisher=Corporate.infogrames.com |date=October 9, 2008 |access-date=January 3, 2018 |archive-date=February 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219211304/http://corporate.infogrames.com/infogramesgb/2008/10/infogrames_entertainment_sa_an_1.php |url-status=dead}} Following this merger, Infogrames Entertainment's company name was changed to Atari SA, who would go on to publish numerous more Backyard Sports titles.{{cite web |url=http://files.atari.com/corporate/0908-GB_annual%20report.pdf |title=Infogrames Entertainment Fiscal Year 2008/2009 Earnings |publisher=Infogrames |date=May 29, 2009 |access-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103073426/http://files.atari.com/corporate/0908-GB_annual%20report.pdf |url-status=live}} Beginning in November 2011, in collaboration with Nimbus Games, Atari began releasing Android and iOS ports of several Humongous Entertainment Junior Adventure titles.{{Cite press release |last=Atari |title=Atari Brings Award Winning HUMONGOUS Kids Edutainment Games to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch for the First Time |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/atari-brings-award-winning-humongous-kids-edutainment-games-to-iphone-ipad-and-ipod-touch-for-the-first-time-133874673.html |access-date=January 17, 2024 |website=www.prnewswire.com |language=en}} These releases continued into 2012.{{Cite web |last= |date=May 16, 2012 |title=Nimbus Games to bring their newest title, Spy Fox in Dry Cereal, to Android |url=https://www.droidgamers.com/news/game-news/nimbus-games-to-bring-their-newest-game-spry-fox-in-dry-cereal-to-android/ |access-date=January 17, 2024 |website=Droid Gamers |language=en-GB}}

= Purchase of assets by Tommo (2013-present) =

In January 2013, following continued financial struggles from their parent company Atari SA, Humongous, Inc., and the rest of Atari's US operations all filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in an attempt to secure independence from its profit-losing parent.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21124214 During Atari's bankruptcy sale on July 19, Humongous' assets were separated as they all went to different owners. Backyard Sports was sold to private equity firm The Evergreen Group,{{cite web |url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130724006402/en/Evergreen-Group-Agreed-Acquire-Backyard-Sports-Video |title=The Evergreen Group Has Agreed to Acquire Backyard Sports Video Game Franchise |publisher=Business Week |date=July 24, 2013 |access-date=January 12, 2014 |archive-date=February 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208001206/http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130724006402/en/Evergreen-Group-Agreed-Acquire-Backyard-Sports-Video |url-status=live}} while Moonbase Commander went to Rebellion Developments.{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/wargaming-rebellion-and-stardock-all-bid-on-atari-assets |title=Wargaming, Rebellion and Stardock all bid on Atari assets |publisher=Gamasutra |date=July 22, 2013 |access-date=January 27, 2014 |archive-date=January 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106222324/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/196701/Wargaming_Rebellion_and_Stardock_all_bid_on_Atari_assets.php |url-status=live}} The Humongous brand and assets concerning the Junior Adventure and Junior Arcade series were sold to Tommo alongside a selection of other Atari-owned properties.

At the start of 2014, Tommo officially relaunched the Humongous Entertainment brand by re-releasing the original Junior Adventure and Junior Arcade titles for Windows and Mac; ports for most of these titles were also released for mobile devices.{{Cite web |last=Clark |first=Nicole |date=May 9, 2019 |title=From 'Putt Putt' to 'Freddi Fish'—How Humongous Entertainment Made Edutainment Fun |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/from-putt-putt-to-freddi-fishhow-humongous-entertainment-made-edutainment-fun/ |access-date=January 8, 2024 |website=Vice |language=en}}

Beginning in 2022, Tommo and Hong Kong-based business Billionsoft began releasing ports of Junior Adventure titles for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 consoles.{{cite tweet|number=1489282536366690306|title=Get your adventure on with four of the best games you've ever played, arriving for #NintendoSwitch on February 10th.|user=HumongousEnt|author=Humongous|date=February 3, 2022|access-date=February 10, 2022}}{{cite tweet|number=1475506007992246276|title=Freddi Fish 3 and Putt-Putt Travels Through Time on January 3rd, 2022!|user=HumongousEnt|author=Humongous|date=December 27, 2021|access-date=January 4, 2022}}{{Cite web |date=November 2, 2022 |title=Once trapped in fragile plastic diskettes... |url=https://twitter.com/humongousent/status/1587973171080097792 |website=Twitter}} A digital compilation of the first six releases, titled Humongous Classic Collection was released in December 2022 for both systems, while a Nintendo Switch exclusive physical compilation was released in 2023.{{Cite web |title=Humongous Classic Collection |url=https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP2035-CUSA33979_00-8565719255820321 |access-date=January 8, 2024 |website=store.playstation.com}}{{Cite web |title=Amazon.com: Humongous Classic Collection - Nintendo Switch: Video Games |url=https://www.amazon.com/Humongous-Classic-Collection-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B0BPDVVTPX |access-date=January 9, 2023 |website=www.amazon.com |archive-date=January 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230109020142/https://www.amazon.com/Humongous-Classic-Collection-Nintendo-Switch/dp/B0BPDVVTPX |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |title=Humongous Classic Collection for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site |url=https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/humongous-classic-collection-switch/ |access-date=January 8, 2024 |website=www.nintendo.com |language=en-US}} In May 2024, a digital compilation of all five of the Freddi Fish Junior Adventure games titled Freddi Fish Collection was released.{{Cite web |title=The Freddi Fish Collection |url=https://www.humongous.com/games-switch/the-freddi-fish-collection |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=HE |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Freddi Fish Collection for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site |url=https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/freddi-fish-collection-switch/ |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=www.nintendo.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Freddi Fish Collection |url=https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10010196 |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=store.playstation.com}}

Games developed

= ''Putt-Putt'' =

Putt-Putt Joins the Parade (1992)
Putt-Putt Goes to the Moon (1993)
Putt-Putt's Fun Pack (1993)
Putt-Putt and Fatty Bear's Activity Pack (1994)
Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo (1995)
Putt-Putt and Pep's Balloon-o-Rama (1996)
Putt-Putt and Pep's Dog on a Stick (1996)
Putt-Putt Travels Through Time (1997)
Putt-Putt Enters the Race (1999){{cite press release |url=http://humongous.com/parents/pr/more/News/putt5.html |title=Humongous Entertainment Brings a New Perspective to Children's Software; Putt-Putt's Newest Junior Adventure™ Puts Kids in the Driver's Seat Putt-Putt Enters the Race™ Hits Retail Stores This Week; Humongous.com Kicks off Online Launch Party for Putt-Putt on January 14 |publisher=Humongous Entertainment |date=January 5, 1999 |archive-date=October 2, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991002163246/http://www.humongous.com/parents/pr/more/News/putt5.html |url-status=dead}}
Putt-Putt's One-Stop Fun Shop (2000)
Putt-Putt Joins the Circus (2000)
Putt-Putt: Pep's Birthday Surprise (2003)

= ''Freddi Fish'' =

Freddi Fish and the Case of the Missing Kelp Seeds (1994)
Freddi Fish 2: The Case of the Haunted Schoolhouse (1996)
Freddi Fish and Luther's Maze Madness (1997){{Cite web |date=1997-02-23 |title=Remember the fun of creating mazes when you were a kid |url=http://www.humongous.com:80/company/pr/more/news/freddilutherarcade.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970223033420/http://www.humongous.com:80/company/pr/more/news/freddilutherarcade.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=1997-02-23 |access-date=2025-04-22 }}
Freddi Fish and Luther's Water Worries (1997)
Freddi Fish 3: The Case of the Stolen Conch Shell (1998)
Freddi Fish 4: The Case of the Hogfish Rustlers of Briny Gulch (1999)
Freddi Fish's One-Stop Fun Shop (2000)
Freddi Fish 5: The Case of the Creature of Coral Cove (2001)