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{{Short description|American arcade game manufacturer}}
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[[Image:KeeGames.png|right]]
{{no footnotes|date=May 2017}}
'''Kee Games''' was an [[arcade game]] manufacturer that released games from 1973 to 1978. Kee was headed by Joe Keenan, a long-time friend of [[Atari]] co-founder [[Nolan Bushnell]]. Keenan managed to hire several defectors from Atari, and began advertising itself as a competitor. In reality, Kee Games was a wholly owned subsidiary of Atari, created in response to the pinball and arcade distributors of the time who demanded [[exclusivity deal]]s. Kee Games released several "[[clone (computer and video games)|clones]]" of Atari games, allowing Atari to "exclusively" sell games to two distributors at once.
{{Infobox company
| name =
⚫
| logo = Image:KeeGames.png
| type =
| industry = [[Video game industry]]
| fate =
| predecessor = <!-- or: | predecessors = -->
| successor = <!-- or: | successors = -->
| founded = 1973
| founder = <!-- or: | founders = -->
| defunct = 1978
| hq_location_city =
| hq_location_country = US
| area_served = <!-- or: | areas_served = -->
| key_people =
| products = [[Arcade game]]s
| owner = Joe Keenan
| num_employees =
| num_employees_year = <!-- Year of num_employees data (if known) -->
| parent = [[Atari, Inc.]]
| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
}}
⚫
[[Image:KeeGames after1974.png|thumb|100px|Trademark used after 1974]]
'''Kee Games''' was an American [[arcade game]] manufacturer that released arcade and video games from 1973 to 1978.


==History==
In December 1974, the relationship to Atari was discovered by the public. However, Kee's ''[[Tank (arcade game)|Tank]]'' game had been so successful that the distributors wanted to buy the game even without an [[exclusivity agreement]]. At the same time, Atari was having financial and management problems, while Joe Keenan had been very successful managing Kee Games. The two companies merged, with Keenan promoted to president of Atari running the business side of things, and Bushnell focusing on engineering. Atari continued to use the "Kee Games" label to release some of their games until 1978, but from the merger on, the games were clearly labelled "a wholly owned subsidiary of Atari, Inc.".
Kee was formed by Joe Keenan, a friend and neighbor of [[Atari]] co-founder [[Nolan Bushnell]], in September 1973. In reality, Bushnell had worked with Keenan to create Kee Games in response to the pinball and arcade distributors of the time who demanded [[Exclusive dealing|exclusivity deals]]; Bushnell believed that Kee Games could offer similar but renamed arcade games, or "[[Video game clone|clones]]", to distributors, which would greatly expand Atari's distribution beyond the limits of these deals.<ref name="Perry">{{cite journal |last=Perry |first=Tekla S. | title=Tales of Atari: New Stories of a Legendary Company Come to Light (online extended version) |journal=IEEE Spectrum |volume=53 |issue=11 |page=24 |publisher=Institute of Electric and Electronics Engineers |location=New York, New York |date=November 2016 |doi=10.1109/MSPEC.2016.7607020 |s2cid=37352766 |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/atari-alumni-talk-about-the-tall-tales-the-told }}</ref> Bushnell assigned several of Atari's staff to work at Kee Games, including Steve Bristow, Bill White, and Gil Williams, and discreetly supplied them the parts for which they could make their games.<ref name="atari fun intermission pains">{{cite book | title = Atari Inc: Business is Fun | first1 = Marty | last1 = Goldberg | first2 = Curt | last2 = Vendel | year = 2012 | isbn = 978-0985597405 | publisher = Sygyzy Press | chapter=Intermission: Growing Pains }}</ref> To the public, Kee Games advertized itself as a competitor to Atari and that it was hiring defectors from Atari.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Video Game Timeline |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |issue=102|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|date=January 1998 |page=116}}</ref>

Through 1973 and 1974, Kee's games were slight modifications of Atari games already released or games that had been left in development at Atari. These included ''Elimination'' which was based on Bristow's ''[[Quadrapong]]'' that he had left unfinished at Atari, while ''Spike'' was based on Atari's ''[[Rebound (video game)|Rebound]]'' but with an added move. Kee wanted to avoid the stigma of simply being a follower of Atari and started developing its own games, its first own game being ''[[Tank (video game)|Tank]]'' that was released in November 1974.<ref name="atari fun intermission pains"/> Ahead of ''Tank''{{'}}s release, Atari itself was having financial and management problems. Among other measures, Atari opted to formally merge Kee Games into Atari in September 1974, with Keenan named to president of Atari and the Kee Games kept as a separate operating division.<ref name="atari fun intermission pains"/> ''Tank'' became a popular arcade game, and helped Atari recover from the financial downturn. Kee continued to produce arcade games through 1978, when the division was closed down by [[Warner Communications]], which had acquired Atari in 1976.<ref name="atari fun intermission pains"/> After Bushnell left Atari in December 1978, Keenan departed the company a few months later, joining Bushnell to help manage his [[Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre|Pizza Time Theatre]] restaurant/arcade franchise.<ref name="atari fun intermission pains"/>


==Games==
==Games==
* ''Elimination'' (October 1973) &mdash; cloned by Atari's ''Quadrapong''
* ''Elimination'' (October 1973) &mdash; cloned by Atari's ''[[Quadrapong]]''
* ''Spike'' (March 1974) &mdash; a clone of Atari's ''Rebound'', with an extra button labeled "spike"
* ''Spike'' (March 1974) &mdash; a clone of Atari's ''[[Rebound (video game)|Rebound]]'', with an extra button labeled "spike"
* ''Formula K'' (April 1974) &mdash; a clone of Atari's ''[[Gran Trak 10]]''
* ''Formula K'' (April 1974) &mdash; a clone of Atari's ''[[Gran Trak 10]]''
* ''Twin Racer'' (July 1974) &mdash; a clone of Atari's ''Gran Trak 20''
* ''Twin Racer'' (July 1974) &mdash; a clone of Atari's ''Gran Trak 20''
* ''[[Tank (arcade game)|Tank]]'' (November 1974) &mdash; an original game that became very popular
* ''[[Tank (video game)|Tank]]'' (November 1974) &mdash; an original game that became very popular
* ''[[Pursuit (video game)|Pursuit]]'' (January 1975)
⚫
[[Image:KeeGames after1974.png|thumb|100px|trademark used after 1974]]
* ''Pursuit'' (January 1975)
* ''[[Indy 800]]'' (April 1975)
* ''Indy 800'' (April 1975)
* ''Tank II'' (May 1975) &mdash; the first game sold under the "Kee" label with the Atari disclosure
* ''Tank II'' (May 1975) &mdash; the first game sold under the "Kee" label with the Atari disclosure
* ''Quiz Show'' (April 1976)
* ''[[Quiz Show (video game)|Quiz Show]]'' (April 1976)
* ''Tank 8'' (April 1976)
* ''[[Tank 8]]'' (April 1976)
* ''Indy 4'' (May 1976)
* ''[[Indy 4 (video game)|Indy 4]]'' (May 1976)
* ''[[Sprint 2]]'' (November 1976)
* ''[[Sprint 2]]'' (November 1976)
* ''Drag Race'' (June 1977)
* ''[[Drag Race (video game)|Drag Race]]'' (June 1977)
* ''Super Bug'' (September 1977)
* ''[[Super Bug (video game)|Super Bug]]'' (September 1977)
* ''Sprint 1'' (January 1978)
* ''[[Sprint 1]]'' (January 1978)
* ''Ultra Tank'' (February 1978)
* ''[[Ultra Tank]]'' (February 1978)

== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== Sources ==
*[http://www.armchairarcade.com/aamain/content.php?article.102 Arcade history in 1974] {{Verify credibility|date=March 2008}}
*[http://www.armchairarcade.com/aamain/content.php?article.102 Arcade history in 1974] {{Verify credibility|date=March 2008}}
*[http://www.emuunlim.com/doteaters/play1sta2.htm Atari Rising] {{Verify credibility|date=March 2008}}
*[http://www.emuunlim.com/doteaters/play1sta2.htm Atari Rising] {{Verify credibility|date=March 2008}}
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==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.klov.com/manuf_detail.php?manuf_id=609 Entry] at [[Killer List of Videogames]]
*[http://www.klov.com/manuf_detail.php?manuf_id=609 Entry] at [[Killer List of Videogames]]
*[http://www.arcadeflyers.net/index.php?page=flyerdb&Submit=+GO%21&name=&year=&manu=218&source= Entry at Arcade Flyers]
*[http://www.arcadeflyers.net/index.php?page=flyerdb&Submit=+GO%21&name=&year=&manu=218&source= Entry] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607085755/http://www.arcadeflyers.net/index.php?page=flyerdb&Submit=+GO!&name=&year=&manu=218&source= |date=2011-06-07 }} at Arcade Flyers


{{Atari}}
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[[Category:Defunct video game companies]]
[[Category:Atari]]
[[Category:Atari]]
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[[Category:Defunct video game companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Video game development companies]]
[[Category:Video game development companies]]

[[it:Kee Games]]
[[ja:キーゲームズ]]
[[ru:Kee Games]]

Latest revision as of 04:06, 31 July 2024

Kee Games
IndustryVideo game industry
Founded1973
Defunct1978
Headquarters
US
ProductsArcade games
OwnerJoe Keenan
ParentAtari, Inc.
Trademark used after 1974

Kee Games was an American arcade game manufacturer that released arcade and video games from 1973 to 1978.

History

[edit]

Kee was formed by Joe Keenan, a friend and neighbor of Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell, in September 1973. In reality, Bushnell had worked with Keenan to create Kee Games in response to the pinball and arcade distributors of the time who demanded exclusivity deals; Bushnell believed that Kee Games could offer similar but renamed arcade games, or "clones", to distributors, which would greatly expand Atari's distribution beyond the limits of these deals.[1] Bushnell assigned several of Atari's staff to work at Kee Games, including Steve Bristow, Bill White, and Gil Williams, and discreetly supplied them the parts for which they could make their games.[2] To the public, Kee Games advertized itself as a competitor to Atari and that it was hiring defectors from Atari.[3]

Through 1973 and 1974, Kee's games were slight modifications of Atari games already released or games that had been left in development at Atari. These included Elimination which was based on Bristow's Quadrapong that he had left unfinished at Atari, while Spike was based on Atari's Rebound but with an added move. Kee wanted to avoid the stigma of simply being a follower of Atari and started developing its own games, its first own game being Tank that was released in November 1974.[2] Ahead of Tank's release, Atari itself was having financial and management problems. Among other measures, Atari opted to formally merge Kee Games into Atari in September 1974, with Keenan named to president of Atari and the Kee Games kept as a separate operating division.[2] Tank became a popular arcade game, and helped Atari recover from the financial downturn. Kee continued to produce arcade games through 1978, when the division was closed down by Warner Communications, which had acquired Atari in 1976.[2] After Bushnell left Atari in December 1978, Keenan departed the company a few months later, joining Bushnell to help manage his Pizza Time Theatre restaurant/arcade franchise.[2]

Games

[edit]
  • Elimination (October 1973) — cloned by Atari's Quadrapong
  • Spike (March 1974) — a clone of Atari's Rebound, with an extra button labeled "spike"
  • Formula K (April 1974) — a clone of Atari's Gran Trak 10
  • Twin Racer (July 1974) — a clone of Atari's Gran Trak 20
  • Tank (November 1974) — an original game that became very popular
  • Pursuit (January 1975)
  • Indy 800 (April 1975)
  • Tank II (May 1975) — the first game sold under the "Kee" label with the Atari disclosure
  • Quiz Show (April 1976)
  • Tank 8 (April 1976)
  • Indy 4 (May 1976)
  • Sprint 2 (November 1976)
  • Drag Race (June 1977)
  • Super Bug (September 1977)
  • Sprint 1 (January 1978)
  • Ultra Tank (February 1978)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Perry, Tekla S. (November 2016). "Tales of Atari: New Stories of a Legendary Company Come to Light (online extended version)". IEEE Spectrum. 53 (11). New York, New York: Institute of Electric and Electronics Engineers: 24. doi:10.1109/MSPEC.2016.7607020. S2CID 37352766.
  2. ^ a b c d e Goldberg, Marty; Vendel, Curt (2012). "Intermission: Growing Pains". Atari Inc: Business is Fun. Sygyzy Press. ISBN 978-0985597405.
  3. ^ "Video Game Timeline". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 102. Ziff Davis. January 1998. p. 116.

Sources

[edit]
[edit]
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