Last Online: 8/7/07
Midway
Midway Games (NYSE: MWY) (formerly Midway Manufacturing) is an American video game publisher. Midway's legacy includes landmark titles such as Ms. Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Mortal Kombat, and NBA Jam. It was listed as the #20 video game publisher in September 2003 and #19 in September 2005 by the magazine Game Developer.
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Career Summary
Midway began in 1958 as an independent manufacturer of amusement equipment. It was purchased by Bally in 1969. After some years making mechanical arcade games such as puck bowling and simulated western shoot-out, Midway became in 1973 an early American maker of arcade video games. Throughout the 1970s, Midway was very close to Japanese video game developer Taito, with both companies regularly licensing their games to each other for distribution in their respective country. Midway entered the consumer market in 1977 by releasing the Bally Home Library Computer; the only home system to ever be developed by Midway.
Midway's real breakthrough success came in 1978, with the licensing and distribution of the seminal arcade game Space Invaders in America. This was followed by the hit U.S. version of Namco's Pac-Man (1980). Ms Pac-Man (1981) followed, becoming the most successful arcade game ever.
In 1981, Bally merged its pinball division with Midway to form the Bally/Midway Manufacturing division. Three games released that year: Solar Fox, Lazarian and Satan's Hollow were the first to feature the Bally/Midway brand. From the late 1970s through the late 1980s, Midway was the leading producer of arcade video games in the US.
The famous Bally/Midway brand. In use from 1981 to 1990.
The famous Bally/Midway brand. In use from 1981 to 1990.
The Bally/Midway division of Bally was purchased in 1988 by the arcade and pinball game company Williams Electronics Games through its holding company WMS Industries Inc. The acquisition by WMS marked the end of the original Midway, though WMS retained the majority of Midway's R&D employees. Midway moved its headquarters from Franklin Park, Illinois to Williams's headquarters in Chicago and WMS established in 1988 the new (and current) Midway company as a Delaware Corporation. WMS also obtained the right from Bally to use the "Bally" brand for its pinball games since Bally had completely left the arcade/pinball industry to concentrate on casinos and slot machines.
Under WMS ownership, Midway initially continued to produce arcade games under the Bally/Midway label while producing pinball tables under the "Bally" brand. In 1991, however, Midway absorbed Williams' video game division and started making arcade games under its own name again (without the "Bally" part). Much later, in 1996, WMS also purchased Time-Warner Interactive, which included Atari Games, part of the former giant Atari Inc.. 1996 is also when Midway changed its original corporate name Midway Manufacturing Company to Midway Games Inc due to its entrance in the home console market. The original arcade division of the company became Midway Amusement Games and the newly created home division was known as Midway Home Entertainment.
In 1998, Midway was sold by WMS to its shareholders, making Midway an independent company for the first time in almost 30 years. Midway kept Atari Games as a wholly owned subsidiary as part of this spinoff. Despite the split off, Midway retained some of the WMS executive staff and used common facilities with WMS for a couple more years. Although Midway no longer belongs to WMS, no longer uses any facilities of WMS and has terminated all material agreements with WMS, Midway to this day shares one director with its former parent company.
After the spinoff, Midway left the pinball industry in order to concentrate on videogames. In January 2000, Midway changed the name of its "Atari Games" subsdiary to Midway Games West in order to avoid confusion with the other Atari company, then owned by Hasbro Interactive.
Midway has fallen on hard times in the early 2000s. On June 2001, the company shut down its arcade division due to financial losses. On February 2003, Midway also closed its Midway Games West subsidiary, putting an end to what was left of the original Atari. In October 2003 Midway said it expected to see $100 million in losses in 2003, on sales of about $100 million.
In 2004 Midway began a purchasing spree of independent video game development studios which "strengthens our internal product development team and reinforces our ability to make high quality games" (From Midway's May 2005 Quarterly Report). In April of 2004 Midway acquired Surreal Software of Seattle, Washington. In October of 2004 they acquired Inevitable Entertainment of Austin, Texas (now known as Midway-Austin). In December of 2004 they acquired Paradox Development of Moorpark, California.
On August 4, 2005 Midway acquired the privately held Australian-based developer Ratbag. The Studio was renamed Midway Studios-Australia, however it was still known to most people as Ratbag. Four months later, on December 13th, Midway announced to its employees there that it was shutting the studio down, leaving its employees based at that studio without a job. Two days later on the 15th, the studio was closed and their Adelaide premises emptied.
As of 2006, Midway Games is currently in a legal battle with Mindshadow Entertainment for the Psi-Ops video game rights. According to mindshadowoline.com, Midway Games copied the Psi-Ops story from their original website called Area 23.
Founded in 1958, Midway is the oldest U.S video game company that is still in this industry today. Midway Games is based in Chicago, Illinois.
Midway's real breakthrough success came in 1978, with the licensing and distribution of the seminal arcade game Space Invaders in America. This was followed by the hit U.S. version of Namco's Pac-Man (1980). Ms Pac-Man (1981) followed, becoming the most successful arcade game ever.
In 1981, Bally merged its pinball division with Midway to form the Bally/Midway Manufacturing division. Three games released that year: Solar Fox, Lazarian and Satan's Hollow were the first to feature the Bally/Midway brand. From the late 1970s through the late 1980s, Midway was the leading producer of arcade video games in the US.
The famous Bally/Midway brand. In use from 1981 to 1990.
The famous Bally/Midway brand. In use from 1981 to 1990.
The Bally/Midway division of Bally was purchased in 1988 by the arcade and pinball game company Williams Electronics Games through its holding company WMS Industries Inc. The acquisition by WMS marked the end of the original Midway, though WMS retained the majority of Midway's R&D employees. Midway moved its headquarters from Franklin Park, Illinois to Williams's headquarters in Chicago and WMS established in 1988 the new (and current) Midway company as a Delaware Corporation. WMS also obtained the right from Bally to use the "Bally" brand for its pinball games since Bally had completely left the arcade/pinball industry to concentrate on casinos and slot machines.
Under WMS ownership, Midway initially continued to produce arcade games under the Bally/Midway label while producing pinball tables under the "Bally" brand. In 1991, however, Midway absorbed Williams' video game division and started making arcade games under its own name again (without the "Bally" part). Much later, in 1996, WMS also purchased Time-Warner Interactive, which included Atari Games, part of the former giant Atari Inc.. 1996 is also when Midway changed its original corporate name Midway Manufacturing Company to Midway Games Inc due to its entrance in the home console market. The original arcade division of the company became Midway Amusement Games and the newly created home division was known as Midway Home Entertainment.
In 1998, Midway was sold by WMS to its shareholders, making Midway an independent company for the first time in almost 30 years. Midway kept Atari Games as a wholly owned subsidiary as part of this spinoff. Despite the split off, Midway retained some of the WMS executive staff and used common facilities with WMS for a couple more years. Although Midway no longer belongs to WMS, no longer uses any facilities of WMS and has terminated all material agreements with WMS, Midway to this day shares one director with its former parent company.
After the spinoff, Midway left the pinball industry in order to concentrate on videogames. In January 2000, Midway changed the name of its "Atari Games" subsdiary to Midway Games West in order to avoid confusion with the other Atari company, then owned by Hasbro Interactive.
Midway has fallen on hard times in the early 2000s. On June 2001, the company shut down its arcade division due to financial losses. On February 2003, Midway also closed its Midway Games West subsidiary, putting an end to what was left of the original Atari. In October 2003 Midway said it expected to see $100 million in losses in 2003, on sales of about $100 million.
In 2004 Midway began a purchasing spree of independent video game development studios which "strengthens our internal product development team and reinforces our ability to make high quality games" (From Midway's May 2005 Quarterly Report). In April of 2004 Midway acquired Surreal Software of Seattle, Washington. In October of 2004 they acquired Inevitable Entertainment of Austin, Texas (now known as Midway-Austin). In December of 2004 they acquired Paradox Development of Moorpark, California.
On August 4, 2005 Midway acquired the privately held Australian-based developer Ratbag. The Studio was renamed Midway Studios-Australia, however it was still known to most people as Ratbag. Four months later, on December 13th, Midway announced to its employees there that it was shutting the studio down, leaving its employees based at that studio without a job. Two days later on the 15th, the studio was closed and their Adelaide premises emptied.
As of 2006, Midway Games is currently in a legal battle with Mindshadow Entertainment for the Psi-Ops video game rights. According to mindshadowoline.com, Midway Games copied the Psi-Ops story from their original website called Area 23.
Founded in 1958, Midway is the oldest U.S video game company that is still in this industry today. Midway Games is based in Chicago, Illinois.
Published by Midway
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