Broderbund Forms New Game Unit

Novato-based Broderbund Software Inc. said it has formed a division that will produce strictly entertainment computer games, including some that can be played by several people simultaneously over the Internet. The Red Orb Entertainment unit will publish action and war games that might not appeal to traditional customers of Broderbund, best known for educational software games such as Where in the World Is Carmen SanDiego? “It certainly opens up the possibility that Broderbund would be a publisher of categories of games we haven’t seen before,” said John Taylor, an analyst with Arcadia Investment Corp. Red Orb will use three game developers that haven’t before worked with Broderbund, including Medford, Ore.-based Trilobyte Inc., publisher of the 7th Guest and the 11th Hour games. Broderbund and closely held Trilobyte plan to publish a game that will allow people hooked up to the Internet to play against one another.