Sierra On-Line Inc. (NASDAQ: SIER), a leading worldwide developer of interactive multimedia software, announced today that it has acquired Arion Software Inc., developers of the world's best selling cooking software, MasterCook II.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Sierra On-Line will immediately begin publishing titles developed by Arion.
In 1992, Arion developed and released its first title, MasterCook PC for Windows. Arion's first title was soon followed by the release of MasterCook II in 1993 and MasterCook Mac in 1994. The success of the MasterCook series has established Arion as the market share leader in the cooking software category.
Sierra plans to release three new titles developed by Arion in Fall 1995. MasterCook II, Version 3.0 will include a host of new features such as an Internet E-mailer allowing users to e-mail recipes directly over the Internet. The MasterCook-Cooking Light Digital Cookbook will feature over 1,000 recipes from Cooking Light, the world's top selling cooking magazine. The MasterCook-California Culinary Academy Digital Cookbook features gourmet recipes and other content from the California Culinary Academy cookbook series.
"Arion's development team and the MasterCook series are a great addition to our home productivity line," said Ken Williams, chairman and CEO of Sierra On-Line. "Currently, cookbooks account for 11% of all books sold in the United States. As the market share leader in the cooking software category, the MasterCook series is uniquely positioned to benefit from the mass market appeal of cooking products."
Arion, located in Austin, Texas, currently employs 12 people primarily in research and development. David Macdonald, president and co-founder of Arion, will continue as producer of the MasterCook series.
Founded in 1979, Sierra On-Line Inc. is one of the original developers and largest worldwide publishers of interactive entertainment, educational and home productivity software. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Bellevue.
