TSN was conceived by Ken Williams, co-founder of Sierra On-Line, who saw potential in expanding the gaming experience beyond single-player adventures to a more social, interactive medium.

"[8] Prodigy stood out as the first platform to integrate text with an easy-to-use graphical user interface and wide-ranging content designed for a diverse and mainstream audience.

[8] Williams initially proposed an innovative device: "The Constant Companion", envisioned as a compact unit that could be connected to a television, similar in appearance to conventional video game systems.

[9] The goal was to market this device at an accessible price point of approximately $99, employing a business strategy where the initial sale would cover hardware costs, with the primary revenue coming from monthly or hourly subscription fees.

In response, Sierra redirected its strategy to enhancing the device's gaming content and making the Constant Companion accessible to a wider audience, specifically targeting individuals with personal computers.

The technical execution of this idea fell to Jeff Stephenson, Sierra's lead system programmer, who faced the task of developing a new programming language specifically for online gaming.

The result, an online-enabled version of Sierra's Creative Interpreter, aimed to address the unique challenges of supporting multiple players in an online environment and creating an intuitive user interface.

[7] The company expanded and rented additional office space in Oakhurst within a building previously known as The Old Barn, a restaurant with a rustic Wild West theme.

The platform supported both multiplayer and single-player games, and it promoted social interactions through the creation of avatars and the ability for users to form guilds or clubs.

These avatars, which could be seen during games or chats, offered customization options for gender, age, and style, enabling users to tailor their digital representation to their preferences.

In 1994, AT&T completed its investment by purchasing the remaining stake for $40 million, taking over network infrastructure and customer acquisition and billing process to address the operational challenges previously faced by Sierra.

He pointed out that Microsoft's emphasis on online ventures was a better match for TSN's direction than AT&T's wider-ranging strategy, suggesting a missed opportunity for a potentially more synergistic partnership.