In 1998 Avid payed toMicrosoft $285 million for Softimage

As it happens, Avid's Softimage team is located in Montreal, Canada, the site where Autodesk's media and entertainment (M&E) division is located. When Avid bought Softimage from Microsoft in 1998, it paid $285 million in cash and stock. By contrast, Autodesk's purchase price for Softimage is a mere $35 million.

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