Welcome to The Piranha Cenotaph, a memorial to the now defunct software publishing corporation, Piranha Interactive Publishing, Inc. This page is part of Geo's Place on the Web - a clean, well-lighted space since May 2002.
[Cenotaph: a monument erected in honor of a dead person whose remains lie elsewhere.]
A very brief overview of my involvement in Piranha Interactive Publishing, Inc.:
Originally an effort by three of my friends and me working out of a house in Ahwatukee, Piranha incorporated as a software publishing firm in early 1995 with seven principals. The business plan was to secure and publish third-party developer software, thus avoiding the high risk and cost of in-house development, and therefore passing on higher royalties to the licensed developers.
With significant prior experience as a Project Director in retail software development, I became the Vice President of Product Planning and Development at Piranha. In this capacity, I was the "rain maker" for the company. It was my responsibility to conduct strategic product planning, find, negotiate and secure viable new products for our company, manage developer relationships and coordinate engineering and quality control efforts as the "Producer" for each title to ensure it met deadlines and minimum deliverables. I served in this capacity for about three years, until our hard work led to a multi-million dollar Initial Public Offering on NASDAQ, in 1997.
In early 1998, I followed through on a plan to transition from business to community development work. However, I agreed to remain available to the company in a consulting capacity to provide feedback on their products and assist them with product technical and quality issues. About six months after I stepped down as the VP, products we had lined up were still in the channels and the company posted a healthy balance sheet. However, weaker product acquisitions after after I left (among other factors) led to very weak Fall and Winter quarters in 1998. The problem continued into 1999 as revenues continued to decline dramatically.
The trend reached its conclusion eighteen months after I stepped out of the company, when Piranha Interactive filed bankruptcy and closed its doors in July 1999. The following press release was sent out and posted on the company's web site:
Piranha Interactive Publishing, Inc. Terminates Operations
For Immediate Release
(July 9, 1999) Tempe, Arizona - Piranha Interactive Publishing, Inc.
Piranha Interactive Publishing, Inc. announced today that it has ceased operations effective as of the close of business on Friday, July 2, 1999. The Company has been unable to generate sufficient cashflow from its operations to meet its expenses and has been unable to secure additional working capital. The Company's securities were delisted from the Nasdaq SmallCap market as of the close of business on June 23rd. The lack of an active market for Company's securities drastically limited the Company's ability to secure additional capital. The Company is in the process of liquidating all remaining assets and the proceeds will be distributed to creditors. The Company's liabilities are far in excess of its assets. The final distribution to creditors is expected to be de minimis.
There appears to be some confusion on the Web as to what happened to Piranha after that. Basically, the company was completely closed and is no longer extant. Two of the employees bought the licenses to some of the products and continued to publish them under their own, different company, Tiburon Interactive Publishing. There seems to be an assertion in some circles that Piranha was a label of a British company. However, unless some company arrogated the name after our company closed, this is incorrect. I'm quite certain there was no British label of that name when we were in business, in any event, as we held the registered trademark on the name and the logo.
I greatly appreciated and learned a lot working with Tim, Wade and others, from those early days in Tim's den to the beautiful office build-out and move I coordinated, all the way through the IPO. And during my tenure there, I developed relationships with some outstanding developers and helped them craft and improve some excellent products that made their way from our hands to the far corners of the retail earth. Like my colleagues, I poured a LOT of my life and passion into Piranha Interactive in those years. Starting a company and taking it public involves long, intense hours and I regret that the company and it's web site are no longer around to bear witness to the successes that came as a result. So for some time I've wanted to put up a web page to serve as a memorial and homage to that prodigious effort.
Finally, nearly a decade later, here it is!
Geo
April, 2006
These were Piranha's products, ca. 1998, shortly after I left the company (text taken from the old Piranha website):
"Edutainment" titles:
1. REDSHIFT 3 turns amateur astronomers into experts. Easy to learn controls make RedShift 3 instantly accessible to the beginner, while professionals will find a host of interactive tools for study and research. With a few mouse clicks, you can know what to look for from your yard tonight. View the Earth from 20,000 kilometers away. Witness the birth of a star. RedShift 3 transforms the desktop computer into a high powered observatory! [N.B., RedShift 3 was the winner of the 1999 Codie "Excellence In Software" Award for "Best New Home Education For Teenagers and Adults."]
2. SKYBASE - Build your own version of the International Space Station with SkyBase, the only scientifically accurate 3-D sim dedicated to the greatest international space project ever! After you've built your station, test its functionality, take a 3-D tour inside or go outside for a breathtaking 3-D space walk.
3. ANCIENT ORIGINS - For the archaeologist in all of us. Dig up virtual artifacts at various famed locations around the globe as you learn all about our planet's rich history.
4. PLANETARY MISSIONS - Travel to all of the planets of the solar system in this realistic simulation of interplanetary travel. Launch probes to learn more about the planets, their moons and all the other celestial objects that surround us.
5. AIRBLOCKS - Airblocks allows kids of all ages to use virtual building blocks to mould their own 3-D creations. It's easy-to-use interface allows even small children to start quickly.
6. TRAVEL CD PIRANHA PACK - Whether you are a business traveler or vacation planner, you can now take control of your own travel plans - whenever, wherever and however you travel, with this 11-CD set of useful travel programs.
7. ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND - Treasured Tales presents Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. See the classic story come alive with this CD-ROM that features animations and classic musical scores.
8. PRESCHOOL MOTHER GOOSE - Preschool Mother Goose is a developmentally appropriate preschool and kindergarten readiness program that teaches children the fundamentals of counting, reading, music appreciation, foreign language, and other cognitive skills.
Gaming titles:
9. MORPHEUS - We can't say enough nice things about Morpheus, and apparently, neither can the software reviewers! Everywhere it goes, Morpheus finds kudos awaiting in spades for its brilliant graphics, superb animation and immersive gameplay. If you are a fan of the adventure/puzzle genre, Morpheus breaks all the boundaries. Gamezilla's review here.
10. DEAD RECKONING - Entertainment? Yes, but not for you - you're the sport for the pleasure of a gruesome Master Race of murderous aliens. Taken from your bed in the dead of night and pitched into battle against hordes of monstrous aliens.
11. EXTREME TACTICS - Extreme Tactics offers the serious gamer unsurpassed customization of war machines. Strategize before you hit the battlefield. Create and specialize each unit from scratch, choosing among thousands of variations. Only your brain can save your ass.
12. REVENGE OF THE TOYS - We've all had one of those days where we sit and stare blankly at the monitor while we try and come up with an idea. Revenge Of The Toys gives you 9 engrossing games to play (using your mouse) to help you get over that creative slump!
13. SYN-FACTOR - The sequel to the popular Majestic! A resourceful space engineer on a ship which has suddenly been attacked by the mysterious forces known as the "dog ships," your adventure begins as you try to uncover the dread mysteries behind the attack.
14. MAJESTIC - The classic that started it all. She was the most luxurious pleasure cruiser ever built, The S.S. Majestic. On her maiden voyage, she set sail from Earth's harbor for deep space, and never returned. She was never found... until now.
And here are some images from our old site, which may mean nothing to you, but bring back fond memories:
Coming soon...The Mythos Monument.
|
