Draft:Merscom

  • Comment: I think it's possible this company is notable, but current sourcing does not clearly prove it imo. Gamesindustry.biz sources are press releases so don't contribute to notability. The rest of the sources are about its acquisition, but are basically all covering the same single event. Need coverage to be across time. grapesurgeon (talk) 01:45, 11 March 2026 (UTC)

Merscom, LLC
Company type
Private
IndustryVideo games
PredecessorOctagon Entertainment
Founded1999; 27 years ago (1999)
Founder
  • Kirk Owen
  • Lloyd Melnick
DefunctApril 26, 2010; 16 years ago (2010-04-26)
FateAcquired by and folded into Playdom
SuccessorPlaydom
Headquarters
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
,
U.S.
Key people
  • Kirk Owen (CEO)
  • Lloyd Melnick (CCO)
Number of employees
20 (2010)
Websitewww.merscom.com

Merscom, LLC was an American video game developer and publisher based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The company was founded in 1999 by Kirk Owen and Lloyd Melnick as a successor to Octagon Entertainment, founded in 1993.

In April 2010, Playdom announced its acquisition of Merscom, with the company intending to use the acquisition to "leverage the talented North Carolina game development community"; the company was effectively absorbed into Playdom. In July that year, Playdom itself was acquired by the Walt Disney Company for $763 million.

History

2004–2009: Later years

On September 20, 2004, a development and publishing agreement was reached with Sylum Entertainment, a New York-based game development studio, for the video game WWII Tank Commander, an arcade-style action game.[1] Though originally slated for a December 2004 release, it was instead released on February 14, 2006.

On August 9, 2005, it was revealed that Merscom had acquired the North American publishing rights to Trainz Railway Simulator 2006, a train simulation video game developed by Auran.[2] The game would soon be released on February 2, 2006, titled Trainz Railroad Simulator 2006. On April 19, 2006, Merscom announced that fans had the opportunity to win the TrackIR 4: PRO, an optical head-tracking system that enables players to experience real-time 3D view control through head movements, through sweepstakes to commemorate the success of Trainz Railway Simulator 2006 in North America; the sweepstakes concluded on August 31, 2006.[3]

On February 3, 2009, Merscom announced the release of Coyote's Tale: Fire and Water, a puzzle adventure video game developed by GO! Games.[4]

2010: Acquisition by Playdom

On April 26, 2010, Playdom was announced to acquire Merscom, as confirmed by the company's chief financial officer, Christa Quarles.[5] In a press release issued by Playdom, they intended to use the acquisition to "leverage Merscom's expertise in working with IP owners", as well as "leverage the talented North Carolina game development community". John Pleasants, the CEO of Playdom, remarked, "We believe that brands matter and that over time, as the social gaming industry matures, games which incorporate content from popular culture and widely respected brands will garner larger market share than those without it."[5] Kirk Owen, then the CEO of Merscom, stated, "We are excited to join Playdom. [They understand] the power of branded content and decentralized international game development where we've focused our efforts for many years."[5]

On July 27, 2010, the Walt Disney Company acquired Playdom for $763 million.[a] In a press release issued by Disney, they stated that by buying Playdom, it "will strengthen its already-robust digital gaming portfolio, acquire a first-rate management team and provide consumers new ways to interact with the company on popular social networks like Facebook and MySpace."[10]

Selected games

Games published

Year Title Developer(s) Platform(s) Notes
2004 Michael Schumacher's Kart Challenge 2005 10tacle Studios Microsoft Windows
Space Interceptor: Project Freedom City Interactive
Terrorist Takedown
2005 Laser Squad Nemesis Codo Technologies North American release; co-published with Got Game Entertainment
Squad Assault: Second Wave Freedom
Rag Doll Kung Fu Qi Creations North American release
WWII Tank Commander Sylum Entertainment
2006 Buku Sudoku Absolutist Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360
Trainz Railway Simulator 2006 Auran Microsoft Windows North American release
Trainz: Driver Edition
DNA 5th Cell
2007 Ghost in the Sheet Tri Synergy
The Ship Outerlight North American release
Kabus 22 Son Işık International releases outside Turkey

Notes

  1. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[6][7][8][9]

References

  1. ^ "Merscom Announces Publishing Deal with Sylum Entertainment for "WWII Tank Commander"". GamesIndustry.biz. September 21, 2004. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  2. ^ "Merscom Gets Trainz Railroad Simulator 2006 on Track for North America". GamesIndustry.biz. August 10, 2005. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  3. ^ "Merscom Announces Sweepstakes to Celebrate Success of Trainz Railroad Simulator 2006". GamesIndustry.biz. April 20, 2006. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  4. ^ IGN Staff (February 3, 2009). "Merscom Launches Coyote's Tale: Fire and Water". IGN. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c Quarles, Christa (April 26, 2010). "Playdom Announces Acquisition of of Social Game Developer Merscom, LLC" (PDF). Playdom. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 1, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  6. ^ Finke, Nikki (July 27, 2010). "Disney Buys Big Social Game Developer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  7. ^ Barnes, Brooks; Miller, Claire Cain (July 27, 2010). "Disney Buys Playdom in $763 Million Deal, Becoming Hollywood Leader in Social Games". The New York Times. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  8. ^ Tartakoff, Joseph (July 28, 2010). "Disney buys Playdom for up to $763.2 million". The Guardian. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  9. ^ Madway, Gabriel (July 27, 2010). "Disney buying Playdom for at least $563 million". Reuters. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  10. ^ "The Walt Disney Company To Acquire Leading Social Game Developer Playdom". The Walt Disney Company. July 27, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2026.

Category:Video game development companies Category:Video game companies established in 1993 Category:Video game companies disestablished in 2010 Category:Video game companies of the United States Category:1993 establishments in North Carolina Category:2010 disestablishments in North Carolina Category:Video game companies based in North Carolina Category:Defunct video game companies of the United States

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