Launched on May 21, 1997 and based in Novato, California, the name comes from the first six letters of "Broderbund," which spell "Red Orb" when reversed. After its parent company Brøderbund was acquired by The Learning Company in 1998, Red Orb's brand continued to be used and was supported by the latter's Mindscape division. Subsequent games of the Myst, Prince of Persia, and Warlords franchises were later published by Ubisoft, which had acquired The Learning Company's entertainment library in March 2001.