Midway Games 430266 226087827 2008-07-16T19:44:13Z 69.142.222.102 /* History */ {{Infobox Company |company_name=Midway Games |company_logo=[[Image:Midway logo.png|300px]] |company_type=[[Public company|Public]] ({{nyse|MWY}}) |foundation=1988 <ref>Midway in its current form was incorporated in 1988 in [[Delaware]] by [[Williams (gaming company)|WMS Industries]]. Midway Games Inc. considers '''1988''' as its official founding year.</ref> |location=[[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]], [[United States|USA]] |key_people=Matt Booty, Interim CEO, former Senior Vice President |industry=[[Video game industry|Interactive entertainment]] |products=[[Mortal Kombat (series)|Mortal Kombat]], [[Spy Hunter]], [[NBA Jam]], [[Rampage (arcade game)|Rampage]] |revenue={{profit}}US$150.1 million (2005) |operating_income={{loss}}-US$108.5 million (2005) |net_income={{loss}}-US$112.5 million (2005) |num_employees=820 (2006) |homepage=http://www.midway.com }} '''Midway Games''' ({{nyse|MWY}}) (formerly '''Midway Manufacturing''') is an [[United States|American]] [[video game publisher]]. Midway's legacy includes landmark titles such as ''[[Ms. Pac-Man]]'', ''[[Spy Hunter]],'' ''[[Tron (game)|Tron]]'', ''[[Mortal Kombat (video game)|Mortal Kombat]]'', and ''[[NBA Jam]]''. It was listed as the #19 video game publisher in September 2005 and the #20 in September 2006 by the magazine ''[[Game Developer]]''.<ref>[http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20070108/wilson_01.shtml Game Developer's Top 20 Publishers, 2006] from ''[[Gamasutra]]''</ref> [[Sumner Redstone]], the head of [[Viacom]]/[[CBS Corporation]], is a large investor in the company; he owned directly and through his companies 87% of Midway at the end of 2007.<ref>[http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1022080/000095013708003654/c24613e10vk.htm Midway Games Form 10-K]</ref> == History== [[Image:Midway Manufacturing.jpg|left|frame|The original Midway logo that was used from 1958-1980. It is still used for two [[arcade]] games.]] '''Midway Mfg. Co.''' 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 [[Japan]]ese video game developer [[Taito Corporation|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 Astrocade|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]]'' followed in 1981. 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. [[Image:Bally Midway.jpg|right|frame|Bally Midway logo (1981-1990, About the same as above. It is still used on many arcade marquees. (Including [[Namco]]'s [[Pac-Man]], [[Ms. Pac-Man]], [[Galaga]], [[Super Pac-Man]], and [[Mappy]].)]] The Bally/Midway division of Bally was purchased in 1988 by the arcade and pinball game company [[Williams (gaming company)|Williams Electronics Games]] through its holding company '''WMS Industries Inc'''. The acquisition by WMS marked the end of the original Midway. Although WMS retained many of Midway's [[Research and development|R & D]] employees, only two game designers were retained: ''[[Rampage]]'' designers Brian Colin and Jeff Nauman. 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 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 (pinball tables would continue to be produced under the "Bally" brand until Midway discontinued this part of the business in 1999). Much later, in 1996, WMS also purchased Time-Warner Interactive, which included [[Atari Games]], part of the former giant [[Atari|Atari Inc.]] 1996 is also when Midway changed its original corporate name Midway Manufacturing to '''Midway Games Inc.''' due to its entrance in the [[video game console|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 entity 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. In late 1999, 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 since the 2000s. On June 2001, the company shut down its arcade division due to financial losses. In February 2003, Midway closed [[Atari Games|Midway Games West]], 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 [[Australia]]n-based developer [[Ratbag Games]]. The Studio was renamed '''Midway Studios-Australia'''. 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 2007, Midway Games is currently in a legal battle with '''Mindshadow Entertainment''' for the [[Psi-Ops]] video game rights. According to Loredana Nesci and Steven Lowe, attorneys for Mindshadow, Midway Games copied the Psi-Ops story from a screenplay written and owned by their client. Recently Midway CEO David Zucker has [http://www.mcvuk.com/news/29848/Midway-to-open-casual-games-portal revealed] his company plans to open a new casual games portal. Zucker said that the successes of internally-developed massmarket [[Nintendo DS|DS]] and [[Wii]] games Touch Master and Game Party had inspired the company by "returning to its roots" - the Midway brand first rose to prominence in the arcade era. On March 6th 2007 Midway [http://www.mcvuk.com/news/29849/Midway-revenues-at-1572m-for-2007-but-losses-grow-to-974m reported] its 2007 full year and Q4 financials, reporting revenues down just under $10m to $157.2m for 2007 and with losses growing to $97.4m, up from $77.8m year on year. The firm announced that it had enterted into a new $90m credit agreement with [[National Amusements]], terminating its $30 credit facility with Wells Fargo. However, CEO David Zucker remained upbeat, saying the introduction of PS3 exclusive Unreal Tournament 3, and the company's growing success in massmarket games, were setting it up for a "significant 2008".<ref>[http://www.mcvuk.com/news/29849/Midway-revenues-at-1572m-for-2007-but-losses-grow-to-974m MCV Reports Midway Financials]</ref> On March 21, 2008, David Zucker resigned as CEO. He was the third executive to resign in three months from the company. Succeeding Zucker is Senior Vice President Matt Booty on an interim base ([http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-fri-midway-ceo-leaves-mwy-mar21,0,5934206.story] Chicago Tribune) == List of Midway's Subsidiaries== ===Divisions=== *'''Midway Amusement Games ''': This was the original arcade division of the company (founded as Midway Manufacturing Company), and is now an honorary entity which maintains Midway's former arcade games. The Midway, Bally/Midway, and Williams arcade game library are now copyrighted as "Midway Amusement Games, L.L.C.". Midway Amusement Games is located in [[Chicago]] just across the street from Midway's main offices. *'''Midway Home Entertainment''': Based in [[San Diego, California]], Midway Home Entertainment publishes and markets all video games made for [[Video game console|home consoles]] and operates with a good degree of independence from its Chicago parent. Midway Home Entertainment is also largely in charge of the relationship between Midway and the console manufacturers of its games ([[Sony Computer Entertainment|Sony]], [[Microsoft]] and [[Nintendo]]). The division originally started in 1986 as a popular [[Texas]] [[video game publisher]] called [[Tradewest]]. The latter company was acquired by [[Williams (gaming company)|WMS Industries]] in 1994, and was renamed Williams Entertainment, Inc. which in turn became Midway Home Entertainment in 1996. It was Midway Home Entertainment who enabled Midway to enter the [[video game console]] market for the very first time and, back then, all console video games were developed by Midway Home Entertainment while all arcade games were by the Chicago studio. For a number of years, Midway Home Entertainment operated in both [[Corsicana]] (Tradewest's original site) and San Diego until 2002 when the Corsicana location was shut down. *'''Midway Technical/Customer Support''': Midway's customer service department. Handles customers inquiries either through the internet or over the phone. The division is located in San Diego but not in the same building as Midway Home Entertainment. *'''Midway Games Ltd''': Midway's [[Europe]]an branch situated in [[London|London, England]] . The tasks of Midway Games Ltd. can be easily compared to those of Midway Home Entertainment in [[North America]]. The division Midway Games '''Ltd.''' should not be confused with Midway Games '''Inc.''' which is the official name of the whole Midway entity. *'''Midway Germany GmbH''': Based in [[Munich|Munich, Germany]], Midway Germany GmbH publishes, distributes and sells all Midway video games in [[Germany]]. Midway Germany GmbH was inaugurated on February 2005 by Midway Games Ltd of London. *'''Midway Games SAS''': Midway's [[France|French]] division located in [[Paris|Paris, France]]. Midway Games SAS does the equivalent in France of what Midway Germany GmbH does in Germany. ===Studios=== *'''Midway Studios - Chicago''': Midway's original studio that developed all of its arcade video games. However, the studio now focuses solely on titles for home consoles. Midway Studios - Chicago remains one of Midway's major studios, having developed ''[[Blitz: The League]]'' for the [[PlayStation 2]] and [[Xbox]] and ''[[Stranglehold (game)|Stranglehold]]'' for the [[PlayStation 3]], [[Xbox 360]], and [[Personal Computer|PC]]. The studio is housed with Midway's main corporate offices. *'''Midway Studios - San Diego''': Located in the building of Midway Home Entertainment, this was the first studio to develop [[video games]] by Midway for [[Video game console|home consoles]]. The studio was rumored to have been shut when Midway closed [[Ratbag Games|Ratbag]]. Midway Studios - San Diego is well alive and has been handed the task of completing the game ''[[Rise and Fall: Civilizations at War]]'' which was started by [[Stainless Steel Studios]] and have also developed, in the past, ''[[Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows]]''. *'''Midway Studios - Austin Inc.''': Formerly Inevitable Entertainment which was acquired in 2004 by Midway. Responsible for developing ''[[Area 51 (first-person shooter)|Area 51 (2005 first-person shooter)]]'' and its 2007 sequel ''[[BlackSite: Area 51]]''. *'''Midway Studios - Los Angeles Inc.''': Formerly Paradox Development, acquired in 2004 by Midway. Despite its name, the studio is actually located in [[Moorpark, California]]. The studio has developed ''[[Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks]]''. This Studio was featured in ''[[Rampage: Total Destruction]]'' *'''[[Surreal Software]]''': From [[Seattle, Washington]], this is the only studio that has kept its original name following its acquisition by Midway in 2004. Surreal Software has been credited for developing ''[[The Suffering: Ties That Bind]]''. *'''Midway Studios - Newcastle''': Midway's only studio to be located outside the U.S, which actually operates from [[Gateshead]], just south of [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle, England]]. The studio was originally named [[Pitbull Syndicate]] before being acquired by Midway in October 2005. Immediately prior to that, Pitbull had finished work on the titles ''[[L.A. Rush]]'' and ''[[Rush (video game)|Rush]]'' for the company. == List of arcade games developed or licensed by Midway (selection) == ===Video games=== *''[[Arch Rivals]]'' *''[[Area 51 (arcade game)|Area 51]]'' ² *''[[Baby Pac-Man]]'' *''[[Blaster (arcade game)|Blaster]]'' ¹ *''[[Bubbles (video game)|Bubbles]]'' ¹ *''[[Crater Raider]]'' *''[[CarnEvil]]'' *''[[Cruis'n Exotica]]'' [4] *''[[Cruis'n USA]]'' [4] *''[[Cruis'n World]]'' [4] *''[[Cyberball 2027]]'' *''[[Defender (game)|Defender]]'' ¹ *''[[Defender II]]'' *''[[Discs of Tron]]'' *''[[Domino Man]]'' *''[[Extra Bases]]'' *''[[Gauntlet (arcade game)|Gauntlet]]'' ² *''[[Gorf]]'' *''[[Hydro Thunder]]'' *''[[High Impact Football]]'' ¹ *''[[Joust (arcade game)|Joust]]'' ¹ *''[[Joust 2]]'' ¹ *''[[Judge Dredd (arcade game)|Judge Dredd]]'' (unreleased) (1992) *''[[Jr. Pac-Man]]'' *''[[Killer Instinct]]'' ³ *''[[Killer Instinct 2|KI2]]'' ³ *''[[Kozmik Krooz'r]]'' *''[[Mace: The Dark Age]] *''[[Mortal Kombat (video game)|Mortal Kombat]]'' *''[[Mortal Kombat II]] *''[[Mortal Kombat 3]] *''[[Mortal Kombat 4]] *''[[Ms. Pac-Man]]'' [5] *''[[NARC (video game)|NARC]]'' ¹ *''[[NBA Jam]]'' *''[[NBA Jam Tournament Edition]]'' *''[[NBA Hangtime]]'' *''[[NBA Maximum Hangtime]]'' *''[[NBA Showtime: NBA on NBC]]'' *''[[NFL Blitz]]'' *''[[2 On 2 Open Ice Challenge|NHL 2 On 2 Open Ice Challenge]]'' *''[[Omega Race]]'' *''[[Pigskin 621 A.D.]]'' *''[[Primal Rage]]'' ² *''[[Psi-Ops]]'' *''[[Professor Pac-Man]]'' *''[[Rampage (arcade game)|Rampage]]'' *''[[Rampage World Tour]]'' *''[[Revolution X]]'' (1994) *''[[Robotron 2084]]'' ¹ *''[[Root Beer Tapper]]'' *''[[San Francisco Rush]]'' ² *''[[San Francisco Rush|San Francisco Rush The Rock: Alcatraz Edition]] ² *''[[San Francisco Rush 2049]]'' ² *''[[Sarge (arcade game)]]'' *''[[Satan's Hollow]]'' *''[[Smash TV]]'' ¹ *''[[Space Encounters]]'' *''[[Space Zap]]'' *''[[Splat!]]'' ¹ *''[[Spy Hunter]]'' *''[[Spy Hunter II]]'' *''[[Stargate (video game)|Stargate]]'' ¹ *''[[Strike Force (video game)|Strike Force]]'' *''[[Super High Impact Football]]'' *''[[Tapper]]'' *''[[This is Vegas]]'' *''[[Timber (arcade game)|Timber]]'' *''[[Tron (game)|Tron]]'' *''[[Trog!]]'' *''[[Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3]] *''[[Unreal Tournament 3]] *''[[Wacko]]'' *''[[War Gods (video game)|War Gods]]'' *''[[Wizard of Wor]]'' *''[[WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game]]'' *''[[Xenophobe (video game)|Xenophobe]]'' * ¹ Originally developed by Williams. * ² Originally developed by Atari Games. * ³ Originally owned by Rareware. * [4] Co-Owned by Nintendo. * [5] Owned by Namco. ===Pinball (under the Bally brand)=== *''[[10 Pin Deluxe]]'' (1984) *''[[The Addams Family (pinball)|The Addams Family]]'' (1992) *''[[Attack From Mars]]'' (1995) *''[[Black Rose]]'' (1992) *''[[Cirqus Voltaire]]'' (1997) *''[[Corvette (pinball)|Corvette]]'' (1994) *''[[Creature from the Black Lagoon (pinball)|Creature From the Black Lagoon]]'' (1992) *''[[Doctor Who (pinball)|Doctor Who]]'' (1992) *''[[Judge Dredd (pinball)|Judge Dredd]]'' (1993) *''[[Lady Luck (pinball)|Lady Luck]]'' (1986) *''[[NBA Fastbreak]]'' (1997) *''[[Popeye Saves the Earth]]'' (1994) *''[[The Shadow (pinball)|The Shadow]]'' (1994) *''[[Theatre of Magic]]'' (1995) *''[[Twilight Zone (pinball)|The Twilight Zone]]'' (1993) == List of console games developed or licensed by Midway (selection) == *''[[The Ant Bully (video game)|The Ant Bully]]'' *''[[Area 51 (first-person shooter)|Area 51]]'' (2005 first-person shooter) *''[[Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am]]'' *''[[The Buzz on Maggie: Bugnapped]]'' (It was sold from Disney to Midway) *''[[BlackSite: Area 51]]'' *''[[Blitz: The League]]'' *''[[Cruis'n (Wii)|Cruis'n]]'' *''[[Doom 64]]'' *''[[Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Mis-Edventures]]'' *''[[Freaky Flyers]]'' *''[[Game Party]]'' *''[[Game Party 2]]'' *''[[Gauntlet: Dark Legacy]]'' *''[[Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows]]'' *''[[Gravity Games Bike: Street Vert Dirt]]'' *''[[Hour of Victory]]'' *''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (video game)|The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy]]'' *''[[LA Rush]]'' *''[[Midway's Greatest Hits]]'' *''[[MLB Slugfest Series]]'' *''[[Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance]]'' *''[[Mortal Kombat: Deception]]'' *''[[Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks]]'' *''[[Mortal Kombat: Armageddon]]'' *''[[NBA Ballers Rebound]]'' *''[[NHL Hitz 20-02]]'' *''[[NHL Hitz 20-03]]'' *''[[NHL Hitz Pro]]'' *''[[Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy]]'' *''[[Rampage: Total Destruction]]'' *''[[Ready 2 Rumble Boxing]]'' *''[[Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2]]'' *''[[RedCard 20-03]]'' *''[[Roadkill]]'' *''[[Rush 2: Extreme Racing]]'' *''[[Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run (video game)|Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run]]'' *''[[Stranglehold (video game)|Stranglehold]]'' *''[[Team Buddies (video game)|Team Buddies]]'' *''[[The Lord of the Rings Online]]'' *''[[The Suffering (game)|The Suffering]]'' (Xbox, PS2) *''[[The Suffering: Ties That Bind]]'' (Xbox, PS2) *''[[The Wheelman (video game)|The Wheelman]]'' *''[[Transformers (2004 video game)|Transformers]]'' Unpublished Windows version<ref>Original made by Atari</ref> *''[[Twisted Edge Snowboarding]]'' *''[[Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict]]'' *''[[World Racing Championship]]'' == Arcade system boards == Some of Midway's [[arcade system board]]s: {| border=0 | valign=top | * Astrocade * MCR * MCR II * MCR III * MCR-68 * Y-Unit (1991–1992) | valign=top | * T-Unit (1993) * X-Unit (1994; used only in Revolution X) * Wolf Unit (1994–1996) * V-Unit (1995–1996) * Zeus * Zeus II | valign=top | * Seattle * Vegas |} ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.midway.com/ Midway Games Inc.] *[http://www.mcvuk.com/news/29848/Midway-to-open-casual-games-portal Midway to Open Casual Games Portal] * [http://www.mobygames.com/company/midway-games-inc Midway Games profile] from [[MobyGames]] [[Category:Companies based in Chicago, Illinois]] [[Category:Companies established in 1988]] [[Category:Entertainment Software Association]] [[Category:Midway Games|*]] [[Category:Pinball manufacturers]] [[Category:United States video game companies]] [[Category:Video game publishers]] [[ca:Midway Games]] [[de:Midway Games]] [[es:Midway Games]] [[fr:Midway Games]] [[gl:Midway Games]] [[it:Midway Games]] [[ja:ミッドウェイゲームズ]] [[pl:Midway (firma)]] [[pt:Midway]] [[fi:Midway Games]]