# Starwave

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Starwave
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Starwave.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starwave
> Source revision: 1232350621
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

Defunct software and website company

Starwave Corporation Industry Digital content Defunct 1998; 28 years ago (1998) Fate Acquired by The Walt Disney Company, 1998 Successor Walt Disney Internet Group Key people Paul Allen, Mike Slade, Patrick Naughton

**Starwave** was a [Seattle](/source/Seattle), [Washington](/source/Washington_(state))-based [software](/source/Software) and website company, founded in 1993 by [Paul Allen](/source/Paul_Allen),[1] co-founder of [Microsoft](/source/Microsoft) and led by CEO Mike Slade.[2][3] The company produced original CD-ROM titles, including *[Muppets Inside](/source/Muppets_Inside)*, and titles for [Clint Eastwood](/source/Clint_Eastwood), [Sting](/source/Sting_(musician)),[4] and [Peter Gabriel](/source/Peter_Gabriel). They were the original developers of *[Castle Infinity](/source/Castle_Infinity)*, the first massively multiplayer online role-playing game for children, but Starwave's most lasting mark was in the area of web content sites. They developed [ESPN.com](/source/ESPN.com), [ABCNEWS.com](/source/ABC_News_(United_States)), Outside Online, and Mr. Showbiz.com among other sites, setting the standard for much of the commercial Internet explosion of the late 1990s. Starwave also developed the first site and publishing system for [Jim Cramer](/source/Jim_Cramer)'s TheStreet.com.

## Disney

The company merged with [Infoseek](/source/Infoseek) and was later sold to [The Walt Disney Company](/source/The_Walt_Disney_Company). In April 1998, Disney purchased the outstanding shares of Starwave from Allen[5][6] after an initial buy of about 30% in 1997.[1] The new entity, [Walt Disney Internet Group](/source/Disney_Interactive) (WDIG) developed the [Go.com](/source/Go.com) portal.

In 2004, Disney re-activated the Starwave identity as **Starwave Mobile**, which published [casual games](/source/Casual_game) for mobile phones.[7] They published several *[Scarface](/source/Scarface_(1983_film))* licensed games including *[Scarface: Money. Power. Respect.](/source/Scarface%3A_Money._Power._Respect.)* and games from [Capybara Games](/source/Capybara_Games) including *[Critter Crunch](/source/Critter_Crunch)*.

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-disney-buy_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-disney-buy_1-1) ["Disney buys stake in Starwave"](https://news.cnet.com/Disney-buys-stake-in-Starwave/2100-1001_3-278529.html). News.cnet.com. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140201175056/http://news.cnet.com/Disney-buys-stake-in-Starwave/2100-1001_3-278529.html) from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Mike Slade on 80s Microsoft, NeXT, Starwave and Steve Jobs' Return to Apple"](http://www.internethistorypodcast.com/2016/09/mike-slade-on-80s-microsoft-next-starwave-and-steve-jobs-return-to-apple/). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190606091705/http://www.internethistorypodcast.com/2016/09/mike-slade-on-80s-microsoft-next-starwave-and-steve-jobs-return-to-apple/) from the original on 2019-06-06. Retrieved 2019-11-09.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["How this Seattle venture capitalist ended up being the subject of ESPN's hilarious new ad campaign"](http://www.geekwire.com/2016/how-this-seattle-venture-capitalist-ended-up-being-the-subject-of-espns-hilarious-new-ad-campaign/). 25 January 2016. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190628133424/https://www.geekwire.com/2016/how-this-seattle-venture-capitalist-ended-up-being-the-subject-of-espns-hilarious-new-ad-campaign/) from the original on 28 June 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Starwave Teams With Sting and A&M Records To Create Interactive CD-ROMs"](http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1995_May_30/ai_16928651). *Business Wire*. 30 May 1995. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20090709192619/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1995_May_30/ai_16928651/) from the original on 9 July 2009. Retrieved 24 June 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-buyout_5-0)** Pelline, Jeff; Dawn Kawamoto (April 30, 1998). ["Disney to buy Starwave"](https://news.cnet.com/Disney-to-buy-Starwave/2100-1001_3-210762.html). *CNET News*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20131029201213/http://news.cnet.com/Disney-to-buy-Starwave/2100-1001_3-210762.html) from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Volume 146, Number 50752"](http://kpolsson.com/disnehis/disn1997.htm). *New York Times*. 4 April 1997. p. C4. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20121225162941/http://kpolsson.com/disnehis/disn1997.htm) from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Newly Formed Starwave Mobile Announces Initial Content Lineup"](http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20041025005560/en/Newly-Formed-Starwave-Mobile-Announces-Initial-Content#.Uur_7LszEb0). *Business Wire*. 25 October 2004. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140203035446/http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20041025005560/en/Newly-Formed-Starwave-Mobile-Announces-Initial-Content#.Uur_7LszEb0) from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2008.

## External links

- [Starwave Takes the Web ... (Seriously) | Fast Company](http://www.fastcompany.com/27448/starwave-takes-web-seriously)

- [Starwave in Disneyland | Salon](http://www.salon.com/1998/05/26/feature_315/)

- [Starwavers](http://www.starwavers.com) List of Former Starwave Employees

- [The Long Strange Trip to Java](http://www.blinkenlights.com/classiccmp/javaorigin.html) by Patrick Naughton, who left Sun for Starwave

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF National United States

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Starwave](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starwave) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starwave?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.