Simon & Schuster has put its Simon & Schuster Interactive unit up for sale. Originally founded in the mid-1990s to focus on the creation of CD-ROM product, S&SI now also develops materials for various video game formats and online games. An S&S spokesperson said the company is looking to sell the unit because it is not a core operation.
S&SI is not signing any new products, although the unit will publish projects that are already under development. While some employees of what was a small S&SI division were let go last week, a number of key personnel, including Giles Dana, president and publisher of S&S new media, are remaining to bring out new titles and to oversee operations until a sale is concluded.
S&S is one of the few book publishers that still operates in the multimedia field. The company had a number of solid properties, led by Star Trek. S&SI has more than 100 active titles.
