Cosmi Corporation (COSMI) was an American computer software company based in Carson, California. It sold low-cost software directly to consumers in large retail outlets, computer stores, and drug, hardware, and grocery stores. It had two major imprints: Celery Software, and Swift Software/Swift Jewel.
Platforms it has published for include: Atari 8-bit computers, Atari 16-bit computers, the VIC-20, Commodore 64, Commodore 128, and Amiga, Apple II computers, IBM and Tandy compatibles, Windows, Palm OS, and PocketPC.
History
Cosmi Corporation was founded in 1982 by George Johnson. Its business model was of vertical integration, rapidly pivoting into trendy or popular product niches, and maintaining low prices. It published and distributed software for personal computer systems.
Products
Cosmi products included games, such as Forbidden Forest, The President Is Missing, and Aztec Challenge. It also published utility software including a database, word processor, spreadsheet, street maps, vacation planners, and a 3D World Atlas.
Further examples include:
Print Perfect Scrapbook Deluxe - Creates memorable scrapbook layouts, templates, designs, decorative artwork, and photo editing tools. iPod Video - Styles and protects the surface of the iPod. Website Promoter - Contains tools that will drive traffic to a website, optimise rankings in key search engines, and boost site's popularity. Perfect Website Creator Platinum Perfect Pro Office System Software, a version of OpenOffice.org Greeting Card Magic
Shovelware
In 2001, Cosmi began publishing shovelware, which was sold at Best Buy and Office Depot.
Examples from this era include:
20,000 Recipes 3D Bubble Burst 3D Bug Attack 3D Frog Frenzy 3D Pinball Express 3D Missile Madness 3D Virtual Reality Landscaper Amazing Calendar Marker Amazing Flow Chart Maker Board Games Brochure Magic Business Card Maker Card Games Desktop Publisher Forms Maker and Filler Free Financial Calculator Free Fonts and Dingbats Free Fractal Chaos Screen Savers Free Game Run Away Train Free Wind Power Screen Saver Guide to the Galaxy Herbert + The Underwater Pyramid Label Publisher Las Vegas Super Casino Mah Jongg Magic PC Attorney Photo Editor Plus Professional Resume Plus SAT ACT Prep Stationery Maker Talking Flash Cards Top 20 Solid Gold Top 50 Blazing Games
All of which were published on the same disk. The installer would ask which one was being installed and then ask for a specific word on a specific page of the manual of the selected product, as a form of rudimentary DRM.
ValuSoft Games Year Title Platform(s) Developer Notes 1999 Desperados Windows Rise Software A shooting gallery game where the player character is Jesse James. AllGame gave it a score of three out of five stars. 1999 Let's Ride! Windows Norstedt Raben Multimedia A game about horses featuring show jumping and dressage. 1999 The War in Heaven Windows Eternal Warriors 2000 100+ Great Games Windows N/A 100+ Great Games sold over 220,000 units in the United States. 2000 Millennium Game Pack Gold Windows Antidote Entertainment Millennium Game Pack Gold was released in October 2000. The title sold over 180,000 units in The United States, and was ranked the 15h best selling game in the US in January 2001 according to NPD. 2000Vietnam: Black Ops Windows Fused Software 2000NHRA Drag Racing 2 Windows moto1.net 2001Elite Forces WWII: Normandy Windows Third Law Interactive3LV Games Elite Forces WWII: Normandy sold more than 45,000 units in the United States. 2001 Vietnam 2: Special Assignment Windows Single Cell Software 2004NHRA Drag Racing: Top Fuel ThunderWindowsN/A
Mergers and Dissolution
In 2012, Cosmi acquired ValuSoft from the now-defunct video game publisher THQ for an undisclosed sum. The company was renamed to ValuSoft Cosmi.
In 2020, Play Hard Games was acquired, and then dissolved, by Ziggurat Interactive. As of 2025, some of its games are still sold under the ValuSoft Cosmi brand.
References
External links (archived)