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Stardock Corporation, Inc.
Type C Corporation
Founded Livonia, Michigan (1991)
Headquarters Plymouth, Michigan, USA (June 18, 2005)
Key people Brad Wardell, CEO
Industry Computer software
Products Sins of a Solar Empire
Object Desktop
MyColors
WindowBlinds
Galactic Civilizations
Galactic Civilizations II
DesktopX
IconPackager
DeskScapes
Revenue $20+ million (2008)
Employees 60+ (May 2008)
Website www.stardock.com

Stardock Corporation is a software development company founded in 1991 and incorporated in 1993 as Stardock Systems. A C corporation (or C corp) is a Corporation in the United States that for Federal income tax purposes, is Taxed under and Subchapter C ( et Livonia is a city located in the northwest part of Wayne County in the U Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Plymouth is a city in Wayne County of the US state of Michigan. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Bradley R Wardell (born 24 June, 1971 in Texas) commonly known as Brad Wardell, is an American businessman and programmer residing For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" In Marketing, a product is anything that can be offered to a Market that might satisfy a want or need Sins of a Solar Empire is a Science fiction Real-time strategy computer game developed by Ironclad Games for Windows XP and Vista The Object Desktop Network ( OD or ODNT) is a Software Subscription service created by Stardock. WindowBlinds is a Computer program that allows users to skin the Windows Graphical user interface. Galactic Civilizations is a Turn-based strategy Computer game developed by Stardock and released in March 2003 Galactic Civilizations II Dread Lords (commonly GalCiv II or GalCiv2) is a 4X Turn-based strategy DesktopX is a Shareware desktop enhancement program that allows users to build their own custom desktops The Object Desktop Network ( OD or ODNT) is a Software Subscription service created by Stardock. Windows DreamScene is a utility that allows Videos and other optimized Animations to be used as desktop wallpapers. In business revenue or revenues is Income that a company receives from its normal business activities usually from the sale of goods and services Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages Generally a company is a form of Business organization. The precise definition varies Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Incorporation (abbreviated Inc in US and Canadian business names is the forming of a new Corporation (a corporation being a legal entity Stardock initially developed for the OS/2 platform, but was forced to switch to Windows due to the collapse of the OS/2 software market between 1997 and 1998. OS/2 is a computer Operating system, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively Microsoft Windows is a series of Software Operating systems and Graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. The company is best known for their computer programs that allow a user to modify or extend a graphical user interface as well as their computer games, particularly strategy games such as Galactic Civilizations, Sins of a Solar Empire, and Demigod. Computer programs (also software programs, or just programs) are instructions for a Computer. A personal computer Game (also known as a computer game or simply PC game) is a Video game played on a Personal computer, rather Strategy video games are Video games that focus on gameplay requiring careful and skillful thinking and planning in order to achieve victory Galactic Civilizations is a Turn-based strategy Computer game developed by Stardock and released in March 2003 Sins of a Solar Empire is a Science fiction Real-time strategy computer game developed by Ironclad Games for Windows XP and Vista Demigod is an upcoming Video game currently under development by Gas Powered Games, the creators of Supreme Commander and

Stardock created and maintains WinCustomize, a GUI customization community. WinCustomize is a Website that provides content for users to customize Microsoft Windows. In biological terms a community is a group of interacting Organisms sharing an environment. Many of the skins and themes featured on its site are for software that is part of Object Desktop, their main subscription service. In Computing, skins may be associated with themes as custom graphical appearances ( GUIs) that can be applied to certain software and In computing a theme is a preset package containing graphical appearance details used to customize the Look and feel of (typically an The Object Desktop Network ( OD or ODNT) is a Software Subscription service created by Stardock. Stardock also runs TotalGaming. net, an online content delivery system for downloadable personal computer games, and ThinkDesk, a productivity application service. Content delivery describes the delivery of Digital media "content" such as Digital audio or Digital video or Computer software To download is to receive data from a remote or central system such as a Webserver, FTP server, mail server or other similar systems A personal computer Game (also known as a computer game or simply PC game) is a Video game played on a Personal computer, rather ThinkDesk is a productivity application subscription service launched by Stardock on 14 April 2005 as a utility counterpart to their Object They are based in Plymouth, Michigan. Plymouth is a city in Wayne County of the US state of Michigan.

Contents

Software Delivery

Most of the products below are tied together with Stardock Central, a program allowing download of the components of Stardock's subscription services, whether bought as part of a subscription or separately. Stardock Central is a Software Content delivery and Digital rights management system used by Stardock customers to Some are only available for Windows 2000 and/or Windows XP. Windows 2000 (also referred to as Win2K) is a preemptive, interruptible graphical and business-oriented Operating system designed to work with Windows XP is a family of 32-bit and 64-bit Operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on Personal computers including home and Stardock was one of the first companies to distribute its software via a digital distribution program. The first one was called Component Manager. This was later replaced by Stardock Central. Stardock Central is a Software Content delivery and Digital rights management system used by Stardock customers to Stardock is currently working on a third-generation digital distribution platform called Impulse. In Classical mechanics, an impulse is defined as the Integral of a Force with respect to Time: \mathbf{I} = \int \mathbf{F}\

Object Desktop

Stardock's best known product for PC users is called Object Desktop. The Object Desktop Network ( OD or ODNT) is a Software Subscription service created by Stardock. It is a set of desktop enhancement utilities designed to enable users to control the way their operating system looks, feels, and functions. Originally developed for OS/2, the company released a version of it for Windows in 1999. The core components of Object Desktop include WindowBlinds, IconPackager, DeskScapes, DesktopX, and several other programs. WindowBlinds is a Computer program that allows users to skin the Windows Graphical user interface. The Object Desktop Network ( OD or ODNT) is a Software Subscription service created by Stardock. Windows DreamScene is a utility that allows Videos and other optimized Animations to be used as desktop wallpapers. DesktopX is a Shareware desktop enhancement program that allows users to build their own custom desktops In 2008, Stardock released Object Desktop with two editions, the traditional standard edition and a new "Ultimate" edition. The standard edition includes the core components. The ultimate edition adds many additional programs designed for "power users" such as TweakVista, Keyboard Launchpad, ObjectBar, and so forth. TweakVista is a Software tool for Windows Vista that allows modification of various OS-specific functions most notably the settings surrounding the The Object Desktop Network ( OD or ODNT) is a Software Subscription service created by Stardock.

Indie Game Developer

Stardock has an in-house game developer that has created PC games including The Corporate Machine, Galactic Civilizations, Galactic Civilizations II, Galactic Civilizations II: Dark Avatar, Galactic Civilizations II: Twilight of the Arnor, and The Political Machine. A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual that creates Video games A developer may specialize in a certain video The Corporate Machine is a strategy Computer game from Stardock in which the goal is to create a Corporation in one of four Galactic Civilizations is a Turn-based strategy Computer game developed by Stardock and released in March 2003 Galactic Civilizations II Dread Lords (commonly GalCiv II or GalCiv2) is a 4X Turn-based strategy Galactic Civilizations II Dark Avatar is the first Expansion pack to the Turn-based strategy game Galactic Civilizations II Dread Lords Galactic Civilizations II Twilight of the Arnor is the second Expansion pack to the Turn-based strategy Video game Galactic Civilizations The Political Machine is a strategic-political Computer game from Stardock, in which the player lead a campaign to elect the President of the The Dark Avatar expansion pack is the highest rated expansion pack for a PC game in history[1]. Stardock's game development team is currently working on a turn-based fantasy strategy game due out in 2010.

Game Publisher

In 2006, following the commercial success of their first self-publishing effort, Galactic Civilizations II[2], Stardock began publishing titles developed by third-parties. A video game publisher is a company that publishes Video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a Video game developer

The first third-party game Stardock published was Sins of a Solar Empire. Sins of a Solar Empire is a Science fiction Real-time strategy computer game developed by Ironclad Games for Windows XP and Vista The publishing arrangement worked out between Stardock and Ironclad Games was unusual in that the two companies integrated their teams at every level[3]. Ironclad Games is a Canadian PC game developer. The company was founded in 2003 by former employees of Barking Dog Studios / Rockstar The result was an average score of 88 on Metacritic and another top seller at retail[4]. Metacritic is a Website that collates reviews of music Albums games, movies, TV shows, DVDs and Books.

The second third-party game Stardock will publish is called Demigod from developer Gas Powered Games. Demigod is an upcoming Video game currently under development by Gas Powered Games, the creators of Supreme Commander and Gas Powered Games is a Video game developer located in Redmond Washington. It is set to be released in 2009.

Digital Distributor

Having developed Stardock Central to digitally distribute its own PC titles, the company launched a service called Drengin. Stardock Central is a Software Content delivery and Digital rights management system used by Stardock customers to net in Summer of 2003. The original idea was that users would pay a yearly subscription fee and receive new titles as they became available. Initially, Stardock's own titles along with titles from Strategy First were available. Strategy First is a software company based in Montreal, Canada. A year later, Stardock replaced the subscription model with a new system called TotalGaming. net in which users could purchase games individually or pay an upfront fee for tokens which allowed them to purchase games at a discount. TotalGaming. net targeted independent game developers rather than the larger publishers.

In 2008, Stardock announced its third-generation digital distribution platform called Impulse. Stardock's stated intention is for Impulse to include not just independent third-party games but also major publisher titles as well[5].

WinCustomize

Stardock owns and operates a number of community-centric websites. The most popular of which is WinCustomize. WinCustomize is a Website that provides content for users to customize Microsoft Windows. WinCustomize is best known for providing a library of downloadable content of skins, themes, icons, wallpapers, etc.

Utilities

Stardock also develops its own line of utilities including Multiplicity, KeepSafe, and various other programs designed to increase productivity and stability on Windows. A public utility (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the Infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using Its most popular utility is called ObjectDock which is a program that is similar in the dock found in Mac OS X except with additional capabilities. ObjectDock is a Computer program providing a dock similar to that in the Mac OS X Aqua GUI. The "Plus" version of ObjectDock includes tabbed categories.

Business Partnerships

Stardock's dominance of Windows desktop enhancement technology[6] has led to many companies licensing its technology to improve the "Windows experience".

Notable customers have included:

History

Founded by college student Brad Wardell, Stardock began as a custom PC maker but quickly expanded into making software. The multinational technology company Dell Inc develops manufactures sells and supports Personal computers and other computer-related products Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational Computer technology Corporation, which rose to dominate the Home computer Alienware is an American Computer hardware company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dell Inc The University of Michigan Ann Arbor ( U of M, U-M, UM or simply Michigan) is a top-ranked Coeducational public research Florida State University (commonly referred to as Florida State or FSU) is a public Research University located in Tallahassee Bradley R Wardell (born 24 June, 1971 in Texas) commonly known as Brad Wardell, is an American businessman and programmer residing

OS/2 Era (1993 - 2001)

Stardock's initial software product was a computer game for OS/2 called Galactic Civilizations. Galactic Civilizations is a Turn-based strategy Computer game developed by Stardock and released in March 2003 Stardock never actually received any royalties from the initial sales of Galactic Civilizations due to publisher fraud, but the market had been created for subsequent addon packs including the Shipyards expansion, and Stardock later sold a significant number of licenses to IBM for part of its Family FunPak (under the name Star Emperor). Stardock went on to create OS/2 Essentials, and its successor, Object Desktop, which provided the company with a large base of users.

At about this time, IBM decided to abandon OS/2. International Business Machines Corporation abbreviated IBM and nicknamed "Big Blue", is a multinational Computer Technology However, they did not make this decision public, and Stardock continued to develop applications software and games for the platform, including Avarice and Entrepreneur. With the advent of Windows NT 4, Stardock found that their core user base was slipping away, and was forced to reinvent itself as a Windows developer, but not before it lost most of its money and staff. Windows NT is a family of Operating systems produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released in July 1993

Windows Era (1998 - present)

The newer, smaller Stardock was heavily reliant on the goodwill of its previous customers, who essentially purchased Windows subscriptions for Object Desktop in anticipation of the products it would consist of. Having put together a basic package (including some old favourites from the OS/2 era) Stardock began to bring in external developers to create original products.

Stardock's first major Windows success was with WindowBlinds. There turned out to be a large market for skinnable products, and Stardock prospered, growing significantly in the next five years. In Computing, skins may be associated with themes as custom graphical appearances ( GUIs) that can be applied to certain software and Although it is not true that Stardock was responsible for the msstyle skinning engine in Windows XP, the release of this operating system did stimulate sales in Stardock products, and despite growing competition proportional to the market the company remains in a strong position. Windows XP is a family of 32-bit and 64-bit Operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on Personal computers including home and An operating system (commonly abbreviated OS and O/S) is the software component of a Computer system that is responsible for the management and coordination

In 2001 they added a widget creation and desktop modification tool, DesktopX. In computer programming a widget (or control) is an element of a Graphical user interface (GUI that displays an information arrangement changeable by the user This has not had such a wide uptake as other products; some believe this is because it is harder to use and to create for, others because users do not understand the functionality that it offers. DesktopX competes with Konfabulator and Kapsules in the widget arena. Yahoo! Widgets is a free application platform for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows. Kapsules is a Freeware desktop widget engine for Windows. It makes use of the Windows Scripting Technology allowing widget designers to use any scripting In 2003, Stardock became a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner with their "Designed for Windows" certification of WindowBlinds.

Stardock's success in the Windows game market has been mixed. At first its titles on Windows were published by third parties The Corporate Machine Take 2, Galactic Civilizations Strategy First, and The Political Machine 2004 Ubisoft. Take-Two Interactive Software Inc ( is an American publisher, developer, and distributor of Video games and video game Peripherals Strategy First is a software company based in Montreal, Canada. Ubisoft Entertainment (formerly Ubi Soft) ( is a French computer and Video game publisher and developer with headquarters in While all three titles sold well at retail, Stardock was generally unsatisifed with the amount of revenue Windows games developers received. In the case of Galactic Civilizations, publisher Strategy First filed for bankruptcy without paying most of the royalties it owed. "[7]. This ultimately led to Stardock self-publishing its future titles. Because of the success of its desktop applications, Stardock has been able to self-fund its own PC games and aid third party developers with their games as well.

Litigation

Stardock has been involved in litigation in relation to their business:

References

  1. ^ "GameRankings top meta scores".  
  2. ^ "Top Selling PC Games April 2006".  
  3. ^ "Gamasutra Sins of a Solar Empire post-mortem.".  
  4. ^ "The Sun Rises for Sins of a Solar Empire".  
  5. ^ "Impulse Details at Gamers with Jobs".  
  6. ^ "CNET Top Desktop Enhancement Programs".  
  7. ^ http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20060405/wardell_01.shtml Gamasutra 'Postmortem' April 5, 2006

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