It is owned by Shockwave LLC, based in Los Angeles, California, United States.

In February 1998, Macromedia launched the website ShockRave,[4][5][6] featuring various interactive games and cartoons.

The website included cartoons, games such as Centipede and Missile Command, an MP3 directory, and a program for creating animated greeting cards.

However, Shockwave gained several notable investors in its first six months, including James H. Clark, Michael Moritz, and Robert A.

[20] Burgess served as Shockwave's interim chief executive while simultaneously running Macromedia.

[22] During its first year, Shockwave assembled a creative team consisting of film directors – James L. Brooks, David Lynch, and Tim Burton – as well as comedian Ben Stein, comic book writer Stan Lee, and South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

The team received equity stakes in the company, in exchange for providing creative content to the site.

[33][34][35] Later in 2001, AtomShockwave cut much of its workforce, part of a restructuring amid poor economic conditions.

[40] MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, announced in August 2006 that it would purchase Atom Entertainment for $200 million.

[48] At the time of its launch, the website offered two user control tools: the free Shockwave Remote, and the $19.95 Shockmachine.

[17][27] In March 2000, Shockwave launched a new website design, compatible with slower Internet connections.

The updated website introduced music videos, known as Shockwave Singles, which were designed to be played on the Internet.

[53] In May 2001, Shockwave began offering select games for purchase, allowing users to download them for offline play.

[63] A month later, the mobile site began offering 30 subscription-based cellphone games, known as Shockwave Minis.

The collection included games based on Viacom properties such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Pimp My Ride.

The service allows members to play a number of exclusive games, download titles, and enter for a chance to win cash prizes.

[18] In April 2000, Shockwave had 15 million registered users, with an average of 80,000 new members signing up each day.

[73] Later that year, the website won an OnDemandie award at the Digital Hollywood conference for best on-demand games service.

[75] The website's target market was parents and moms,[76] with its customers mostly women from age 18 to 49 years old.