Virgin Interactive Entertainment

Avalon Interactive Group, Ltd.
FormerlyUK Branch
  • Virgin Games Ltd. (1983–1988, 1991–1993)
  • Virgin Mastertronic Ltd. (1988–1991)
  • Virgin Interactive Entertainment (Europe) Limited (1993–2003)
Company typePrivate
IndustryVideo games
PredecessorVirgin Games
Mastertronic
Founded1983; 41 years ago (1983) (as Virgin Games)
Defunct1998 (1998) (US)
November 22, 2005 (2005-11-22) (UK)[1]
FateUK Branch
Closed down after the bankruptcy of Titus Interactive
American branch
Purchased by Electronic Arts
French branch
Closed due to Titus' bankruptcy
Spanish branch
Split off and re-established as Virgin Play
SuccessorEA Pacific
Westwood Studios
Interplay Entertainment
Virgin Play
HeadquartersLondon, England, UK (international HQ)
Irvine, California, US (global HQ)[2]
Key people
Revenue£67 million ($99 million) (1993)[4]
Number of employees
500 (1997)
ParentVirgin Group (1983–1994)[a]
Hasbro (1993–1994)[b]
Blockbuster (1994)[5][c]
Spelling Entertainment (1994–1998)[6][d]
Independent (1998–1999)[e]
Interplay Entertainment (1999–2001)[f]
Titus Interactive SA (1999–2005)[7][g]
SubsidiariesAvalon Interactive (Holdings) Limited[8]
Avalon Interactive (Investments) Limited[1]
Avalon Interactive (Overseas) Limited[9]
Avalon Interactive (UK) Limited[10]
Avalon Interactive SARL
Avalon Interactive Deutschland GmbH[11]
Websitewww.avaloninteractive.co.uk (defunct)

Avalon Interactive Group, Ltd., formerly known as Virgin Interactive Entertainment, was a British video game distributor based within Europe that formerly traded as the video game publishing and distributing division of British conglomerate the Virgin Group.

During the company's time under the Virgin brand, they had developed and published games for major platforms and employed developers, including Westwood Studios co-founder Brett Sperry and Earthworm Jim creators David Perry and Doug TenNapel. Others include video game composer Tommy Tallarico and animators Bill Kroyer and Andy Luckey.

Formed as Virgin Games in 1983,[12] and built around a small development team called the Gang of Five, the company grew significantly after purchasing budget label Mastertronic in 1987.[12][13] As Virgin's video game division grew into a multimedia powerhouse, it crossed over to other industries from toys[14] to film[15] to education.[16] To highlight its focus beyond video games and on multimedia, the publisher was renamed Virgin Interactive Entertainment in 1993.[13]

As result of a growing trend throughout the 1990s of media companies, movie studios and telecom firms investing in video game makers to create new forms of entertainment, VIE became part of the entertainment industry after being acquired by media companies Blockbuster and Viacom, who were attracted by its multimedia and CD-ROM-based software development. Being located in close proximity to the thirty-mile zone and having access to the media content of its parent companies drew Virgin Interactive's U.S. division closer to Hollywood as it began developing sophisticated interactive games, leading to partnerships with Disney and other major studios on motion picture-based games such as The Lion King, Aladdin, RoboCop, and The Terminator, in addition to being the publisher of popular titles from other companies like Capcom's Resident Evil series and Street Fighter Collection and id Software's Doom II in the European market.

Within the late-1990s, the North American operations were sold to Electronic Arts, while the European division later went under the hands of Interplay Entertainment and Titus Interactive. They soon transitioned exclusively as a distributor and were rebranded by Titus as Avalon Interactive in August 2003, and closed in 2005 following the former's bankruptcy. Currently, the VIE library and intellectual properties are owned by Interplay Entertainment as a result of its acquisition of Titus. A close affiliate and successor of Spanish origin, Virgin Play, was formed in 2002 from the ashes of former Virgin Interactive's Spanish division and kept operating until it folded in 2009.

  1. ^ a b "AVALON INTERACTIVE (INVESTMENTS) LTD". opencorporates.com.
  2. ^ "Company Line". Virgin Interactive Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 11, 1998.
  3. ^ "Mastertronic". The Anthony Guter Official Site.
  4. ^ "Blockbuster Buys Slice Of Virgin Video Game Division". Billboard. January 29, 1994. p. 5.
  5. ^ "Blockbuster, Spelling Add Videogame Maker To Stable". Orlando Sentinel. Bloomberg News Service. 1994-06-30.[dead link‍]
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Variety was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Titus Interactive Agrees Terms to Acquire Control Of Virgin Interactive Entertainment LTD" (Press release). Paris: Titus Interactive. PRNewswire. October 7, 1999.
  8. ^ "AVALON INTERACTIVE (HOLDINGS) LIMITED". opencorporates.com.
  9. ^ "AVALON INTERACTIVE (OVERSEAS) LIMITED". opencorporates.com.
  10. ^ "AVALON INTERACTIVE (UK) LTD". opencorporates.com.
  11. ^ "Avalon Interactive (Deutschland) GmbH". opencorporates.com.
  12. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference 1NF0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ a b Takahashi, Dean (1994-02-10). "O.C.'s Virgin Interactive to Sell Stock : Offering: The video and computer game publisher will deal 16% of shares. Owner's share will dip under 50%". Los Angeles Times.
  14. ^ Takahashi, Dean (1994-02-06). "Big Bets Placed on Game Discs". Los Angeles Times.
  15. ^ Harmon, Amy (1994-06-30). "Spelling to Buy a 75% Stake in Virgin Interactive". Los Angeles Times.
  16. ^ "About VSV". Virgin Sound And Vision. Archived from the original on February 2, 1998.


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