Capcom Coin-Op

Last updated
Capcom Coin-Op
Company type Subsidiary
IndustryManufacturing
FoundedJune 1995;28 years ago (1995-06) [1]
DefunctMarch 2004 (2004-03) [1]
Headquarters
Sunnyvale, California
,
U.S.
Parent Capcom USA
Website capcom.com/coinop

Capcom Coin-Op, Inc. was a wholly owned subsidiary of Capcom USA that manufactured arcade and pinball machines. It was founded in June 1995 and closed in March 2004. [1] [2] It developed and sold pinball and arcade game machines and converted games for the US market. [3] Based in Sunnyvale, California and Arlington Heights, Illinois, the company developed eight pinball machines over the course of its short existence, though only four ever made it to release. [2] [4] [5]

Contents

Formation

The beginnings of Capcom Coin-Op start in 1993. Capcom of Japan and Capcom USA joined with Romstar to form Game Star (a.k.a. GameStar Inc.). [6] Capcom of Japan and Capcom USA staked the company at 60% and 10%, respectively, with Romstar providing the remaining 30%. A factory was set up in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Capcom wanted to recruit top talent for their new subsidiary so they went about headhunting experienced personnel. Mark Ritchie and Python Anghelo were two notable acquisitions, both poached from competitor Williams Electronics. This resulted in a lawsuit by Williams to keep Ritchie from designing games in line with the non-compete clause of his original Williams contract. [2] By April 1994 the first product would be released; Goofy Hoops. A basketball themed ticket redemption game, it was released under the Romstar name but used Gamestar/Capcom hardware, with art by Python Anghelo.

Pinball production

1995 would see the release of their first pinball machine; Pinball Magic. While there was a reference to the original Gamestar company name in the playfield the title was released under the Capcom Coin-Op name. 1996 would see the release of three further titles: Airborne, Breakshot, and Flipper Football. While Big Bang Bar was ready first, Flipper Football was considered more marketable, especially in Europe, and was moved ahead in the production queue. None of Capcom's machines sold in large quantities and the company was losing money. Faced with mounting losses, the low sales of Flipper Football, and the pinball market as a whole cooling from its peak a few years before the decision was made to cease making pinball machines in December of 1996. This cut off Flipper Football production after less than a thousand machines. While Big Bang Bar and Kingpin were finished and ready neither would enter full production by the time the company would shut down. Two further titles, Red Line Fever and Zingy Bingy, had reached the whitewood (prototype) stage but were not ready for production.

Big Bang Bar

Of the company's machines, Big Bang Bar acquired a legendary reputation because of its quality and the fact that its design was completed but the company folded before it was mass-produced. [2] In 2006, Illinois Pinball Company manufactured 187 Big Bang Bar pinball machines using parts purchased from Capcom Pinball when they ceased operating. Illinois Pinball Company did not purchase any rights from Capcom Pinball and manufactured the games assuming the rights for the game were abandoned. No objections were ever filed in response to the Illinois Pinball production of the Big Bang Bar games. In 2009, Gene Cunningham sold his remaining Capcom parts to a company located in Georgia, Pinball Inc. In 2011, Gene Cunningham declared personal bankruptcy, and all his shares of Illinois Pinball were purchased by Planetary Pinball of California. [2]

After pinball

Capcom continued to operate the Coin-Op facility in Arlington Heights and use it for their other arcade products. Incredible Technologies, a company with connections to Capcom going back to at least 1988, would move into the facility in 2002 and use it as their corporate headquarters for over ten years. [7] [8] Capcom Coin-Op gradually left the arcade business starting in 2003, and closed in March 2004. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arcade video game</span> Coin-operated entertainment machine genre

An arcade video game takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. All arcade video games are coin-operated or accept other means of payment, housed in an arcade cabinet, and located in amusement arcades alongside other kinds of arcade games. Until the early 2000s, arcade video games were the largest and most technologically advanced segment of the video game industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinball</span> Arcade entertainment machine

Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails called 'pins' and had hollows or pockets which scored points if the ball came to rest in them. Today, pinball is most commonly an arcade game in which the ball is fired into a specially designed cabinet known as a pinball machine, hitting various lights, bumpers, ramps, and other targets depending on its design. The game's object is generally to score as many points as possible by hitting these targets and making various shots with flippers before the ball is lost. Most pinball machines use one ball per turn, and the game ends when the ball(s) from the last turn are lost. The biggest pinball machine manufacturers historically include Bally Manufacturing, Gottlieb, Williams Electronics and Stern Pinball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amusement arcade</span> Venue where people play arcade games

An amusement arcade, also known as a video arcade, amusements, arcade, or penny arcade, is a venue where people play arcade games, including arcade video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers, or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables. In some countries, some types of arcades are also legally permitted to provide gambling machines such as slot machines or pachinko machines. Games are usually housed in cabinets.

<i>Arkanoid</i> 1986 video game

Arkanoid is a 1986 block breaker arcade game developed and published by Taito. In North America, it was published by Romstar. Controlling a paddle-like craft known as the Vaus, the player is tasked with clearing a formation of colorful blocks by deflecting a ball towards it without letting the ball leave the bottom edge of the playfield. Some blocks contain power-ups that have various effects, such as increasing the length of the Vaus, creating several additional balls, or equipping the Vaus with cannons. Other blocks may be indestructible or require multiple hits to break.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gottlieb</span> Pinball and arcade game manufacturer

Gottlieb was an American arcade game corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. It is best known for creating a vast line of pinball machines and arcade games throughout much of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugene Jarvis</span> American game designer and programmer

Eugene Peyton Jarvis is an American game designer and video game programmer, known for producing pinball machines for Williams Electronics and video games for Atari. Most notable among his works are the seminal arcade video games Defender and Robotron: 2084 in the early 1980s, and the Cruis'n series of driving games for Midway Games in the 1990s. He co-founded Vid Kidz in the early 1980s and currently leads his own development studio, Raw Thrills Inc. In 2008, Eugene Jarvis was named the first Game Designer in Residence by DePaul University's Game Development program. His family owns the Jarvis Wines company in Napa, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMS Industries</span> American gaming company

WMS Industries, Inc. was an American electronic gaming and amusement manufacturer in Enterprise, Nevada. It was merged into Scientific Games in 2016. WMS's predecessor was the Williams Manufacturing Company, founded in 1943 by Harry E. Williams. However, the company that became WMS Industries was formally founded in 1974 as Williams Electronics, Inc.

Chicago Coin was one of the early major manufacturers of pinball tables founded in Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded in 1932 by Samuel H. Gensburg and Samuel Wolberg to operate in the coin-operated amusement industry. In 1977, Gary Stern and Sam Stern purchased the assets of the Chicago Coin Machine Division as it was then called to found Stern Electronics, Inc. They also produced various arcade games during the 1960s to 1970s.

Stern is the name of two different but related arcade gaming companies. Stern Electronics, Inc. manufactured arcade video games and pinball machines from 1977 until 1985, and was best known for Berzerk. Stern Pinball, Inc., founded in 1986 as Data East Pinball, is a manufacturer of pinball machines in North America.

Romstar Inc. was a video game distribution company based in Torrance, California that started operations in 1984. They originally started as the first American distribution arm for SNK. They were known for licensing arcade games from major makers for distribution. Among Romstar's clients include Taito, Capcom, SNK, Toaplan, and Seta. They also made games for the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Game Boy. The ultimate fate of the company is not known. Games continued to be released using the Romstar name until at least 1994. It is also partnered with Capcom in 1993 to form Game Star, an electromechanical factory in Arlington Heights, Illinois that Romstar had a 30% stake in. In 1995, Capcom would later fully take over Game Star to form Capcom Coin-Op, a pinball manufacturer.

David Judd Nutting was an industrial design engineer who played a role in the early video game industry. He also designed the exterior of the Jeep Wagoneer.

Incredible Technologies (IT) is an American designer and manufacturer of coin-operated video games and Class III casino games, based in Vernon Hills, Illinois. The company's most widely used product is the Golden Tee Golf series. The company employs around 200 people at its offices in suburban Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atari, Inc.</span> American video game developer (1972–1992)

Atari, Inc. was an American video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Atari was a key player in the formation of the video arcade and video game industry.

Python Vladimir Anghelo was a graphic artist best known for his work on video games and pinball machines. Anghelo was born in Transylvania, Romania, and moved to the United States when he was 17.

Electro-mechanical games are types of arcade games that operate on a combination of some electronic circuitry and mechanical actions from the player to move items contained within the game's cabinet. Some of these were early light gun games using light-sensitive sensors on targets to register hits, while others were simulation games such as driving games, combat flight simulators and sports games. EM games were popular in amusement arcades from the late 1940s up until the 1970s, serving as alternatives to pinball machines, which had been stigmatized as games of chance during that period. EM games lost popularity in the 1970s, as arcade video games had emerged to replace them in addition to newer pinball machines designed as games of skill.

Mark Ritchie is an American pinball designer and video game producer. He is best known for his successful pinball designs from 1982-1996. He has continued to work in the coin-operated amusement industry, currently serving as production coordinator for Raw Thrills, Inc. / Play Mechanix, Inc. Mark is the younger brother of fellow pinball designer Steve Ritchie.

<i>The Wizard of Oz</i> (pinball) 2013 pinball machine

The Wizard of Oz is a Jersey Jack Pinball, Inc. pinball machine designed by Joe Balcer and released in April 2013. It is the first US pinball machine with an LCD in the back box as well as the first one to have color on the monitor produced in the US since the Pinball 2000 games. Although it is not the first pinball machine with a LCD worldwide because MarsaPlay in Spain manufactured a remake of Inder's original Canasta titled New Canasta, with an LCD screen in the backbox in 2010.

Bugs Bunny's Birthday Ball is a 1990 pinball game designed by John Trudeau and Python Anghelo and released by Midway. It is based on Warner Bros.' Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. This is the first of only two licensed pinball tables ever to feature the Looney Tunes characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arcade game</span> Coin-operated entertainment machine

An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games or merchandisers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Notice about Dissolution of Consolidated Subsidiaries" (PDF). Capcom. 2004-03-30. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "When pigs flew: The strange history of Capcom's Big Bang Bar". Polygon . 2017-03-21. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  3. ↑ "Arcade Museum: Capcom Coin-Op, Inc" . Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  4. ↑ "Arrcade History: Capcom Coin-Op, Inc" . Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  5. ↑ "IPDB Entry: Capcom Coin-Op, Inc" . Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  6. ↑ "Game Machine 1993/10/15, p. 30. Game Star Est'd" (PDF). 1993-10-15. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  7. ↑ "Incredible Technologies Moves into New Headquarters". 2002-04-19. Archived from the original on 2021-01-31. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  8. ↑ "Incredible Technologies Moving to New Corporate Headquarters". 2012-10-17. Archived from the original on 2021-01-31. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.