portability was still important for games, a business application could be successful running only on the PC. The product's slow operation due to the VM was too great a disadvantage compared to other current offerings. These failings may not have proved fatal were it not for the climate in which the product was released. In 1985, the computer industry took a downturn and many businesses that may have been potential customers were reluctant or unable to justify the purchase of the program. Cornerstone sold 10,000 copies. This may not have to the company had game sales remained strong, but the industry downturn also affected Infocom's game sales. Their sales performance was not as good as projected and the revenue provided by games was not enough to cover the development costs of the database. Though the company's revenue for the year was over US$10 million, it was short of what was needed to keep the company solvent. Additionally, the industry's slump led several of Infocom's creditors to call in their loans early. Infocom's recently burgeoning ranks of employees suffered waves of layoffs and pay reductions. Impact on Infocom In 1986, Infocom was acquired by Activision, a large developer and publisher. Activision paid off Infocom's outstanding debt as part of the deal. While the acquisition kept Infocom afloat for a few more years, poor management decisions led Activision to close Infocom in 1989. References 1985 software Activision Blizzard Desktop database application development tools DOS software Infocom Proprietary database management systems