The history of Total Entertainment Network, from its Optigon Interactive origins and 1994 launch through multiplayer SimCity, Descent, Quake, competitive gaming, and Pogo.
The History of Total Entertainment Network
Optigon Interactive launched Total Entertainment Network in 1994 as a graphical online community built around identity, communication, user-created environments, editorial material, and games. The service put multiplayer SimCity online in 1994 and brought WizWar, Descent, and other two-player games online in 1995. After Kleiner Perkins financed Optigon's acquisition of Outland, TEN shifted toward low-latency action games. It integrated Quake in 1996 and built rankings, events, and professional competition around networked play. The company became Pogo in 1999 and was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2001, returning the service to familiar games and persistent community.
Emeryville and San Francisco, California
The company that conceived, developed, funded, and launched Total Entertainment Network before acquiring Outland in 1995.
A graphical online community and game network launched by Optigon Interactive in 1994. TEN combined profiles, communication, editorial material, software distribution, user-created environments, and multiplayer games.
The community-centered game service created when TEN's surviving business was renamed Pogo in 1999. Electronic Arts acquired Pogo in 2001.
Co-founder of Optigon Interactive and Total Entertainment Network; product and technical leader who funded the early service with SimCity royalties and led its game, capital, and distribution relationships.
Co-founder and design director responsible for TEN's interface, visual system, game design, user experience, art direction, and product-management practice.
Worked across user-interface and game design, community features, rankings, and tournament infrastructure through Optigon, TEN, and Pogo.
Remembered by the founders as one of the early technical contributors who helped make the service real.
Remembered by the founders among the early technical contributors who built TEN.
Optigon's first employee and a community pioneer whose work continued through TEN and Pogo.
Joined TEN from Computer Gaming World in 1995 and developed editorial, community-event, and distribution ideas for the service.
Worked on game licenses, publisher relationships, and commercial partnerships at Planet Optigon and TEN.
Served as chief financial officer and vice president of operations and finance during TEN's early growth.
Helped shape TEN's brand, positioning, financing, and company form, drawing on experience at Colossal Pictures and TriStar Pictures.
Brand, positioning, and operating counsel
Alan Buder's consulting partner and a formative contributor to TEN's public identity and operating shape.
TEN's first outside angel investor, introduced through his friendship with Alan Buder. Kern came from Westinghouse and Group W and had managed KPIX Channel 5 in San Francisco.
Optigon's real-time multiplayer version of SimCity, announced with Maxis in August 1994 for cooperative and competitive play.
An early game shown inside TEN's graphical community and placed online during the Optigon-era service.
A two-player action game connected through the Optigon-era TEN service in 1995.
TEN's commercial integration of Quake 1.06, including Arenas, chat, profiles, rankings, modifications, events, and later professional competition.
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Daniel Goldman writes and operates an online bulletin-board community with a simple friend graph.
Goldman and Janice Linden-Reed begin collaborating on a mythology-and-folklore MMO called Epic and the technical framework that becomes Optigon Interactive and TEN.
Optigon and Maxis build the technical base
Optigon develops and ports Maxis simulation work while its online-service architecture matures.
Optigon unveils TEN, announces multiplayer SimCity, runs a national beta over Sprint's X.25 network, and registers TEN.NET on October 31.
WizWar, Descent, and two-player games go online
The Optigon-era TEN service brings WizWar, Descent, and other two-player games online.
With Kleiner Perkins financing, Optigon acquires Outland and renames the company for its Total Entertainment Network service; public announcements describe the transaction as a merger.
TEN integrates Quake and adds community interfaces, network optimization, rankings, modifications, and events.
TEN develops professional competition around Quake and Red Alert with rankings, referees, sponsors, broadcasts, and prizes.
The surviving company closes the paid action-game service and rebrands as Pogo.com.
Electronic Arts acquires Pogo, where familiar games and persistent community return to the center of the service.