WildTangent#Genesis3D
{{Short description|American video game developer}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Gamigo Inc.
| logo = WildTangent logo.png
| trade_name = WildTangent
| type = Subsidiary
| industry = Video games
| founders = {{Unbulleted list|Alex St. John|Jeremy Kenyon}}
| founded = {{Start date and age|1998}}
| hq_location_city = Round Rock, Texas
| hq_location_country = US
| key_people = Jens Knauber (CEO)
| products = See List of WildTangent games
| parent = {{Interlanguage link|Gamigo|de}} {{nowrap|(2019–present)}}
| website = {{URL|https://company.wildtangent.com/}}
}}
Gamigo Inc., doing business as WildTangent, is an American video game developer based in Round Rock, Texas. In April 2019, it was acquired by the German games company {{Interlanguage link|Gamigo|de}}.[https://corporate.gamigo.com/en/presse/gamigo-ag-acquisition-of-the-game-publisher-wildtangent-inc-in-the-form-of-an-asset-deal-leads-to-further-profitable-growth/ gamigo AG: acquisition of the game publisher WildTangent Inc. in the form of an asset deal leads to further profitable growth] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922050603/https://corporate.gamigo.com/en/presse/gamigo-ag-acquisition-of-the-game-publisher-wildtangent-inc-in-the-form-of-an-asset-deal-leads-to-further-profitable-growth/ |date=2020-09-22 }}/
Games
{{Main|List of WildTangent games}}
Approximately 30 of the games in the WildTangent catalog were produced by the company's own WildTangent Game Studios. The rest of the games on the WildTangent game network are from other game developers and publishers. This includes games like Mall World which the company has represented to integrate major brands like Levi's.{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/04/08/prweb8285497.DTL |title=WildTangent Collaborates with the Levi's® Brand to Bring Levi's® Curve ID Product Line to Popular Facebook Game, Mall World |publisher=SFGate |date=2011-04-08 |access-date=2012-12-27}}
Criticism
Users have complained that the company's products have an adverse effect on their PC's performance or are intrusive to the user's experience.{{Citation needed|date=January 2012}} PC Magazine wrote in 2004 that although the WildTangent WebDriver was "not very" evil, some privacy complaints were justified as the program's user manual states that it may collect name, address, phone number, e-mail, and other contact information and could distribute the collected information with the user's consent. Concerns were also raised about the software's self-updating feature.{{cite news |last=Machrone |first=Bill |url=https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1601598,00.asp |title=Spyware or Slyware? |publisher=PCMag.com |date=2004-06-22 |access-date=2012-12-27 |archive-date=2011-06-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606172044/http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,1601598,00.asp |url-status=live }} In 2003, antispyware program Spybot classified WildTangent's original WebDriver as a potentially unwanted program.[http://www.safer-networking.org/en/threats/234.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427224226/http://www.safer-networking.org/en/threats/234.html|date=April 27, 2006}}[http://www.safer-networking.org/en/updatehistory/2008-08-27.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605141343/http://www.safer-networking.org/en/updatehistory/2008-08-27.html|date=June 5, 2011}}
In 2011, WildTangent challenged a patent infringement ruling against Hulu and itself by Ultramercial, LLC, which contended that the two companies had violated its 2001 patent {{patent|US|7346545}}, "Method and system for payment of intellectual property royalties by interposed sponsor on behalf of consumer over a telecommunications network", alleging that the patent was too abstract. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld Ultramercial's patent, stating that it "does not simply claim the age-old idea that advertising can serve as currency. Instead [it] discloses a practical application of this idea." The court also asserted that the technical elements required to implement the system described were intricate enough to not be abstract. On June 21, 2013, after being ordered by the Supreme Court to re-examine the case, the Federal Circuit upheld its decision and ruled that Ultramercial's patents were valid.{{cite web|title=Supreme Court orders do-over on key software patent ruling|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/05/supreme-court-orders-do-over-on-key-software-patent-ruling/|work=Ars Technica|date=23 May 2012|access-date=24 June 2013|archive-date=30 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630153616/http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/05/supreme-court-orders-do-over-on-key-software-patent-ruling/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=One of the worst patents ever just got upheld in court|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/24/one-of-the-worst-patents-ever-just-got-upheld-in-court/|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=24 June 2013|archive-date=24 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624160819/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/06/24/one-of-the-worst-patents-ever-just-got-upheld-in-court/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Take That, SCOTUS: Appeals Court Reinstates Patent On Video-Ad Technology|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2013/06/21/take-that-scotus-appeals-court-reinstates-patent-on-video-ad-technology/|work=Forbes|access-date=24 June 2013|first=Daniel|last=Fisher|archive-date=24 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624032650/http://www.forbes.com/sites/danielfisher/2013/06/21/take-that-scotus-appeals-court-reinstates-patent-on-video-ad-technology/|url-status=live}} However, the 2014 Supreme Court ruling in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank Int'l narrowed patent eligibility for software, and the Supreme Court subsequently sent Ultramercial's case back to the Federal Circuit. In November 2014, the Federal Circuit invalidated Ultramercial's patent in light of the ruling in Alice, undoing two of its own previous rulings and freeing WildTangent from liability.{{cite news|title=Federal Circuit: Novelty in Implementation of an Abstract Idea Insufficient to Overcome Alice|url=http://patentlyo.com/patent/2014/11/implementation-abstract-insufficient.html|work=Patently-O|access-date=5 August 2015|first=Dennis|last=Crouch|archive-date=19 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219170032/http://patentlyo.com/patent/2014/11/implementation-abstract-insufficient.html|url-status=live}}
Genesis3D
WildTangent owns the Genesis3D game engine created by Eclipse Entertainment in 1997.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DvYmFr_uaWwC&pg=PA166 |title=Game Design Foundations |first=Roger E. |last=Pedersen |year=2003 |publisher=Wordware Publishing |isbn=9781556229732 |page=166 |via=Google Books |access-date=June 29, 2020 |archive-date=September 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230911002811/https://books.google.com/books?id=DvYmFr_uaWwC&pg=PA166 |url-status=live}} The engine was announced on July 4, 1998.{{cite web |url=https://www.bluesnews.com/archives/july98-1.html |title=Cry Havoc Engine Demo |first=Stephen |last=Heaslip |date=July 4, 1998 |website=Blue's News |access-date=September 11, 2023 |archive-date=September 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230911214327/https://www.bluesnews.com/archives/july98-1.html |url-status=live}} The first beta version was released on July 30, followed by release candidate 1 on March 2, 1999.{{cite web |url=https://www.bluesnews.com/archives/july98-4.html |title=Genesis 3D SDK |first=Stephen |last=Heaslip |date=July 29, 1998 |website=Blue's News |access-date=June 29, 2020 |archive-date=September 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210913005646/https://www.bluesnews.com/archives/july98-4.html |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.bluesnews.com/s/415/genesis-3d-engine-release-candidate-news |title=Genesis 3D Engine Release Candidate, News |first=Stephen |last=Heaslip |date=March 2, 1999 |website=Blue's News |access-date=June 29, 2020 |archive-date=July 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714145739/https://www.bluesnews.com/s/415/genesis-3d-engine-release-candidate-news |url-status=live}} The engine was free and open-source software under the "Eclipse" license, requiring companies to pay {{US$|10,000|long=no}} to make closed source changes. In 1999, WildTangent acquired the assets for Genesis3D from Eclipse Entertainment to use for their web driver. While working on improving the engine's source code, Mark O'Hara and his team decided to instead create a new engine, Destiny3D, from the obtained knowledge. WildTangent then acquired Eclipse Entertainment in January 2002.{{cite web |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/short-take-wildtangent-acquires-3d-firm/ |title=Short Take: WildTangent acquires 3D firm |first=Paul |last=Festa |date=January 2, 2002 |website=CNET |access-date=June 29, 2020 |archive-date=July 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714145739/https://www.cnet.com/news/short-take-wildtangent-acquires-3d-firm/ |url-status=live}} Notable games developed using Genesis3D include the first-person shooter games Catechumen (2000) and its successor Ominous Horizons: A Paladin's Calling (2001),{{cite web |url=https://hg101.kontek.net/christianfps/christianfps2.htm#catechumen |title=Christian FPS Games |first=Nick |last=Gibson |date=February 20, 2012 |website=Hardcore Gaming 101 |page=2 |access-date=August 30, 2023 |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001105806/https://hg101.kontek.net/christianfps/christianfps2.htm#catechumen |url-status=live}} Ethnic Cleansing (2002),{{cite web |url=https://www.cnet.com/culture/video-games-raise-concerns-over-racism/ |title=Video games raise concerns over racism |first=David |last=Becker |date=August 8, 2002 |website=CNET |access-date=June 29, 2020 |archive-date=January 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120011120/https://www.cnet.com/news/video-games-raise-concerns-over-racism/ |url-status=live}} and Special Force (2003),{{cite web |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/kino/computerspiele-fuer-8-50-dollar-in-den-krieg-gegen-israel-1132335.html |title=Für 8,50 Dollar in den Krieg gegen Israel |language=de |trans-title=To war against Israel for $8.50 |first=Stefan |last=Piasecki |date=November 19, 2003 |website=Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung |page=1 |access-date=September 10, 2023 |archive-date=September 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926002212/https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/kino/computerspiele-fuer-8-50-dollar-in-den-krieg-gegen-israel-1132335.html |url-status=live}} as well as the action-adventure game Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair (2002).{{cite web |url=https://www.cgw.com/Publications/CGW/2003/Volume-26-Issue-1-Jan-2003-/A-knight-to-remember.aspx |title=A Knight to Remember |first=Karen |last=Moltenbrey |date=January 2003 |website=Computer Graphic World |access-date=September 11, 2023 |archive-date=September 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230911215812/https://www.cgw.com/Publications/CGW/2003/Volume-26-Issue-1-Jan-2003-/A-knight-to-remember.aspx |url-status=live}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.wildtangent.com}}
{{Software digital distribution platforms}}
Category:Video game development companies
Category:Video game companies of the United States
Category:Browser-based game websites
Category:Companies based in Bellevue, Washington
Category:1998 establishments in Washington (state)
Category:Video game companies established in 1998