PF.Magic, Inc. was a video game developer founded in 1991 and located in San Francisco, California, United States. Though it developed other types of video games, it was best known for its virtual pet games, such as Dogz and Catz. The company was able to make extra revenue by selling plush toys under the Petz trademark.[1][2] It was bought out in 1998 by Mindscape, Inc.[3] After changing hands a few more times, Ubisoft now owns the copyright on its Petz, Oddballz and Babyz titles.
One of PF.Magic's earliest efforts was the 1994 video game Ballz, published by Accolade. The innovative game featured main characters composed completely of spheres. This early game failed in the marketplace, though it would inspire many of their following games, such as Petz.
PF.Magic's designer and programmer, Andrew Stern, created an experimental project with Michael Mateas and others for five years. The project became Façade, a freeware game in which the player interacts with a couple whose ten-year marriage is in trouble.