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Nostalgic Video Games
Companies, A to Z
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Video Game Companies, A to Z Apple Arcade • Atari •
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c o m p a n i e s
Apple Arcade Ä Atari Ä Capcom (Kapukon) Ä Commodore Ä Epic Games (Fortnite) Ä Gamestop Ä Microsoft / Xbox Ä Nintendo Ä Sega
Akatsuki games company of Japan [est. June 2010]
http://www.aktsk.JP/en/company/history/
2017 Oct: Founding of Akatsuki Entertainment USA Japanese and U.S.-based film & TV venture
co-founder and CEO Genki Shiota (6/2010-6/2020) published his first book "Heart-Driven" [10/2019]
2020 June: Tetsuro Koda was appointed CEO of Akatsuki
http://www.imdb.com/search/title/?companies=co0601100 • no company entry at Wikipedia
Akatsuki Entertainment USA [est. 10/2017] Japanese and U.S.-based film & TV venture
Annmarie Sairrino Bailey, president [apptd 10/2017]
Apple Arcade video game subscription service [launched Sept 2019]
offers uninterrupted, unintrusive experiences by excluding in-app purchases & advertisements; priced at US$4.99/month or US$49.99/year
Apple, Inc. [est. 1975] Page •
Arcade website •
Arcade entry at Wikipedia
Atari, Inc. [est. 1972]
The company's products, such as Pong and the Atari 2600, helped define the electronic entertainment industry from the 1970s to the mid-1980s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari,_Inc._(1972%E2%80%931992) [1972-1984]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Corporation [1984-1998]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasbro_Interactive [1998–2001]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_SA of France
Infogrames [est. 1983] purchased HI for $100M in January 2001; went thru rebranding in 2009, bankruptcy in 2013-2014,
then convoluted selloffs & restructuring
 | "Atari: Game Over" documentary [Lightbox/Xbox Ent. Studios Nov 2014]
Gamer team tracks down and digs up all of the old Atari 2600 game cartridges of "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" that were tossed into a New Mexico landfill in the 1980s • 66-minute film directed & narrated by Zak Penn; featuring Joe Lewandowski (waste disposal expert & historian), Robert Rentschler (Alamogordo), Paul Sanchez (Alamogordo), Manny Gerard (COO, Warner Commns), Nolan Bushnell (co-founder, Atari), Seamus Blackley (co-creator, Xbox), Howard Scott Warshaw (Game Engineer, Atari), Son Huff-mon (Mesa Verde, Alamogordo), Pat Magill (Mesa Verde, Alamogordo), Mike Mika, Susie Galea (Alamo-gordo), archaeologist Andrew Reinhard, Prof. Raiford Guins (Stony Brook Univ), author Ernest Cline, author George R.R. Martin, Gary Whitta, Deb Lewandowski, Riley Rayburn, Austin Adamson; with archive footage of Harrison Ford, James Rolfe & Steven Spielberg • full credits at IMDb • official Facebook page • movie entry at Wikipedia FilmRise color Blu-ray [11/2015] for $22.99 FilmRise color DVD [4/2015] out of prodn/used documentary is available for free to Xbox Live subscribers; also on the Xbox website: HD rental $3.99, HD purchase $4.99 |
"Easy To Learn, Hard To Master: The Fate of Atari" [2017] /tt6585674/
Before Google, Yahoo, and even Apple, before the Silicon Valley cliché of informal dress code, skateboards running the corridors,
and wild creativity became commonplace, one company ...
Capcom Company, Ltd. [est. 1979] of Osaka, Japan
Prior companies include I.R.M. Corp. [est. 5/1979] & Japan Capsule Computers Co., Ltd.; name changed to Sanbi Co., Ltd. in 9/1981; Capcom Co., Ltd. (Kapukon) [est. 6/1983]; Capcom merged with Sanbi in 1/1989; company founder Kenzo Tsujimoto is still active; their most commercially successful games are "Ace Attorney" [est. 2001], "Dead Rising" [est. 8/2006], "Devil May Cry" [est. 8/2001], "Marvel vs. Capcom" [est. 1996], "Mega Man" [est. 1987], "Monster Hunter" [est. 2004], historical "Onimusha (Demon Warrior)" [est. 1/2001],
"Resident Evil" [est. 1/1996], historical "Sengoku Basara (Samurai Kings)" [est. 7/2005], and "Street Fighter" [est. 8/1987]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capcom
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Capcom_games
Commodore [1954-94 & 2010-2013]
Commodore International (also named Commodore Business Machines), a computer company that operated from 1954 to 1994
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_International
Commodore USA, a computer company that operated from 2010 to 2013 after purchasing the classic brand name
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_USA
¿ Commodore PET/CBM [1977]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_PET
¿ Commodore VIC-20 [1981-1984]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_VIC-20
Ä Commodore MAX Machine Games System – predecessor to C64 [1982]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_MAX_Machine
¿ Commodore 64 - 8-bit home computer [launched January 1982, in production to 1994]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64
¿ Commodore Amiga computer line [launched July 1985, in production to 1996]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiga
Ä Commodore 64 Games System [1990]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64_Games_System
Ä Commodore Amiga CD32 Games System [1993]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiga_CD32
"8 Bit Generation: The Commodore Wars" [2016] 100 min | Documentary /tt5706894/
"From Bedrooms To Billions: The Amiga Years!" [2016] 152 min | Documentary /tt4603210/
How the Commodore Amiga helped influence a generation of Developers to take Video Gaming to a whole new level.
"The Commodore Story" [2018] 120 min | Documentary /tt6541512/
Story of the PET, Vic20, C64, and Amiga from engineers & game developers and how Commodore influenced the first 8-bit generation users.
Die Gute Fabrik (The Good Factory) in Copenhagen, Denmark [est. 2008]
best known as developer of games "Johann Sebastian Joust" (included in "Sportsfriends"), "Where Is My Heart?", and "Mutazione"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Gute_Fabrik
Electronic Arts [est. May 1982] is based in Redwood City, California
http ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Arts
EA Studios [est. ??] is based in Los Angeles, California
http://www.ea.com/ea-studios • http://www.ea.com/games
Magic Lantern's 'Lord of The Rings' & 'The Hobbit' Books & Movies Page
 | "The Lord of The Rings: The Battle For Middle-Earth" video game [2004] from Electronic Arts Electronic Arts DVD-ROM [12/2004] for $95.74 + s/h Electronic Arts DVD-ROM [12/2004] out of prodn/many used Official Game Guide: Prima Games 10½x8½ pb [8/00] out of prodn/40+ used restricted to elements used in the movie trilogy |
 | "The Lord of The Rings: The Battle For Middle-Earth 2" video game [2006] from Electronic Arts Electronic Arts DVD-ROM [2/2006] for $129.79 + s/h features Tolkien elements not found in the movie trilogy |
"Battlefield 6" first-person shooter game [10/2025 release]
more than 7 million copies of "Battlefield 6" sold in the first three days of release - the most ever for the franchise
http://www.ea.com/games/battlefield/battlefield-6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y8YvNT2ieQ trailer 1.07
Epic Games based in Cary, North Carolina [est. 1991]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_Games
the maker of "Fortnite" (launched 7/2017); Epic Games ann 9/2023 that they will lay off 870 employees, or 16% of its workforce.
Gamestop, Inc retail video game stores
[founded as Babbage's in 1984, renamed 1999]
Over the course of four incredible days in 2021, Wall Street tycoons had to reckon with a formidable force they barely understood, let alone saw coming: everyday men and women on WallStreetBets who day-traded the hugely-shorted stock of Gamestop to an inflated value, making millions off the complacent billionaires
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameStop
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameStop_short_squeeze 2021
The GameStop Short Squeeze of 2021 spawned a book and then a movie; details were cut to its own page in Fall 2023.
Swedish retailer IKEA [est. 1943]
IKEA announced in April 2024 that it is 'on a quest for the hearts of the world’s 3.3 billion gamers', many of whom need somewhere to sit.
http://www.ikea.com/ IKEA Global
http://www.ingka.com/this-is-ingka-group/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IKEA
Microsoft Gaming [division est. 1/2022]
division was merged from several sub-divisions and the newly-acquired Activision Blizzard; owns Intellectual property for some of the most popular, best-selling, and
highest-grossing media franchises of all time, including Call of Duty" [2003], "Candy Crush", "Warcraft", "Halo", "Minecraft", and "The Elder Scrolls"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Gaming
 | "Xbox Game Pass" [launched 6/2017] developed by Microsoft Gaming subscription service as part of Xbox; allows users to download and play video games for Xbox video game consoles; discount on games in the Game Pass catalog; offered by some PC makers for free first month (i.e. HP); subscription continues automatically at $9.99/month unless canceled; 34 million members (as of February 2024) • official Game Pass homepage Xbox Game Pass Core Microsoft 3-month membership [10/2023] for $24.99 Microsoft 6-month membership [10/2023] for $39.99 Microsoft 12-month membership [10/2023] for $59.99 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Microsoft 3-month membership [6/2019] for $44.99 |
Nintendo Company, Ltd. [est. 1889] of Japan
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa (2024)
http://www.nintendo.com/us/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo
 | "Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped An Industry, Captured Your Money, and Enslaved Your Child" [1993] by David Sheff classic video game industry history; 16 chapters covering sales totals, market shares, and sweeping comparisons with IBM, Apple, and Disney in an attempt to get inside the workings of this relentlessly competitive high-tech business; in nonacademic & nontechnical language, book does a good job of exploring Nintendo's planning, R & D and engineering, product development, market penetration and development, Japanese business methods, software development, arrival in America & legal issues, business with the Russians, worldwide competition, and plans for staking out the future • book entry at Wikipedia Kindle Edition from Vintage [11/2011] for $14.99 Vintage 8x5¼ pb [3/94] out of print/used Random House 9½x6½ hardcover [4/93] out of print/used Hodder & Stoughton UK hardcover [9/93] out of print/scarce | |
 | "Game Over: Press Start To Continue" [rev 1999] by David Sheff, with New Chapters by Andy Eddy and A Photo History of Nintendo 'a fascinating peek behind the pixel curtain' - with all of the changes & additions, this should have been deemed a Second Edition Cyberactive Media Group 7¾x5 pb [4/99] out of print/used | |
 | "The N.E.S. Encyclopedia: Every Game Released For The Nintendo Entertainment System" [2019] by Chris Scullion "As well as covering all 714 officially-licensed N.E.S. games, the book also includes more than 160 unlicensed games that were released during the system's lifespan, giving for the first time a definitive history of this important console’s full library." Kindle Edition from White Owl [11/2020] for $11.99 White Owl 11½x8¼ pb [12/2019] for $24.53 White Owl 12x8½ hardcover [11/2020] for $33.84 | |
 | "Beyond Donkey Kong: A History of Nintendo Arcade Games" [2020] by Ken Horowitz Drawing on original interviews, news reports, and other documents, this book traces Nintendo's rise from a small business that made playing cards to the top name in the arcade industry; 28 game titles are examined in depth, along with the people & events that defined the company for more than four decades Kindle Edition from McFarland & Co. [7/2020] for $25.99 {sic} McFarland & Co. 10x7 pb [8/2020] for $30.60 | |
 | "The S.N.E.S. Encyclopedia: Every Game Released For The Super Nintendo Entertainment System" [2020] by Chris Scullion Detailed information on all 780 games released for the S.N.E.S. in the West; book is full of screenshots, trivia, and charmingly bad jokes; also includes a bonus section covering the entire 22-game library of the Virtual Boy, Nintendo's ill-fated 3-D system which was released at the end of the S.N.E.S.'s life. Kindle Edition from White Owl [1/2022] for $11.99 White Owl 11½x8¼ pb [9/2021] for $27.85 White Owl 11¾x8½ hardcover [10/2020] for $29.40 |
Nintendo Switch hand-held console [released March 2017]
Switch is the third-most-popular gaming console in history, selling over 141 million units, which approaches the company’s own Nintendo DS (154 million) and
the current record-holder, PlayStation’s PS2 (155 million). Nintendo sold just over 28 million Switches in 2020, when they were selling out at every major
retailer during the COVID-19 epidemic lockdowns; during the fiscal year that ended in March 2024, that number dropped to 15.7 million.
Switch official webpage •
Switch entry at Wikipedia
 | "Nintendo Switch Lite" [2019] device measures 2¾ x 7¾ x 7 inches; batteries included Nintendo device in blue [4/2021] for $177.70 Nintendo device in coral [2/2020] for $179.00 Nintendo device in turquoise [7/2019] for $192.49 Nintendo device in yellow [7/2019] for $194.39 Nintendo device in gray [7/2019] for $196.31 | |
 | "Rapell Nintendo Switch Dock for Official Nintendo Switch with HDMI Adapter and USB 3.0 Port" [2023] cables not included; made in China Rapell portable 5¾x2x1¼-inch device [7/2023] for $21.99 |
May 2024: Nintendo's president confirmed that a Nintendo Switch successor (unofficial name Switch 2) will be announced by March 2025;
video game fans have been champing at the bit for a new Switch model since the handheld device’s initial release seven years ago.
Switch 2 official webpage •
Switch 2 entry at Wikipedia
 | "Nintendo Switch2™ Gaming Console" [2025]  One system, three play modes: TV, tabletop, and handheld; larger, vivid 7.9” LCD touch screen; supports 4K when connected to a compatible TV; 3 lithium ion batteries required/included Nintendo Switch2™ Gaming Console [4/2025] for $449.99 |
 | "Lets Talk About: Nintendo Switch 2 - The Next Generation Gaming Console" [2025] by Jayford Tuazon Kindle Edition from indep [6/2025] for $2.99 | |
 | "Nintendo Switch 2 User Guide For Beginners and Seniors: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide To Set Up, Explore, and Master Your Game Console With Confidence" [2025] by Malcolm John Hodge Friendly, step-by-step guide makes it easy to set up, explore, and master your game console – even if you’ve never touched a gaming system before 120-page Kindle Edition from indep [7/2025] for $9.99 126-page indep 11x8½ pb [7/2025] for $15.99 |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy 4/1989
the Game Boy Color’s triumphant 10/1998 release nine years after its predecessor. Or it could be a Wii U flop
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_Color
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_Advance released in 3/2001
A miniaturized redesign, the Game Boy Micro, was released in September 2005
Wii video game console [released 11/2006, rev 2013]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii
Wii video game controller
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_Remote
Wii U video game hardware [released 11/2012, discontinued in 2017] was a flop
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_U
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_U_GamePad
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_U_Pro_Controller
Super Nintendo World has four locations
the first one opened in Osaka, Japan in 2021; the second opened at Universal Studios Hollywood in February 2023; two more Nintendo parks are currently under construction at Universal Studios locations in Orlando and Singapore. At the Hollywood mini Mushroom Kingdom, guests can race cars, earn coins, and throw turtle shells (obvs) on the park’s only ride "Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge"; play mini games and complete challenges sprinkled throughout the park - some of which use augmented reality binoculars; and eat a Piranha Plant Caprese Salad (because that enemy is apparently edible) inside a restaurant shaped like a mushroom.
Retroware Games / Retroware TV
http://www.youtube.com/user/retrowaretv est. 3/2007 - gone 8/2022
http://www.facebook.com/RetrowareGames/ fb est. 2008
http://www.retroware.com/ - website is landing page only (8/2022), new site expected 9/2022
Roblox online game & game creation system [est. 2004, released 2006]
allows users to program and play games created by themselves or other users; founded by David Baszucki & Erik Cassel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roblox
2025 April: The state of Florida subpoenaed the company behind popular children’s video game Roblox, demanding details on how it protects minors from online predators.
Millions are flocking to grow virtual gardens in a viral Roblox game "Grow A Garden" created by a teenager in a few days; the new game has shattered
record sfor the most concurrent players of any game in history, beating out video games that take years and millions of dollars to develop.
Sega
Ubisoft Entertainment, SA [est. 1986]
company developed popular franchises "Assassin’s Creed", "Far Cry", "Tom Clancy's", and "Just Dance"
2025 Jan: Struggling video game company Ubisoft reportedly hired advisors to weigh strategic options, including a takeover
"Console Wars"
 | "Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and The Battle That Defined A Generation" [2014] non-fiction novel by Blake J. Harris, Foreword by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg In 1990, Nintendo had a virtual monopoly on the video game industry; this mesmerizing, behind-the-scenes business thriller chronicles how Sega, a scrappy small gaming company led by an unlikely visionary and a team of rebels, took on the juggernaut Nintendo in a ruthless David-and-Goliath showdown, revolutionizing the video game industry and birthing a $60 billion dollar industry • book entry at Wikipedia Kindle Edition from Dey Street Books [5/2014] for $14.99 Dey Street Books 9x6 pb [5/2014] for $17.99 HarperCollins !t Books 9x6 hardcover [5/2014] for $30.00 |
 | "Console Wars" documentary feature [CBS All Access/Paramount+ 2020] " . . . documentary was well put together and highly engaging to watch . . . like a trip thru your childhood years, with a focus on the Nintendo vs Sega wars . . . Anyone in business needs to watch this since the business lessons are highly relevant regardless of industry" • 12 total producers are listed, including Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen, Scott Rudin, Jonah Tulis; co-produced & directed by Blake J. Harris & Jonah Tulis; based on the 2014 book; featuring Ellen Beth Van Buskirk, Jeff Goodby, Steve Race {Nintendo, Sega, Sony America}, Bill White {Nintendo, Sega}; with Sega of America executives Shinobu Toyoda, Paul Rioux, Tom Kalinske, Al Nilsen; with Nintendo of America executives Howard Phillips, Randy Peretzman, Gail Tilden, Peter Main, George Harrison, Howard Lincoln; with archive footage of Don Coyner {Nintendo}, Shigeru Miyamoto {Nintendo Japan}, Olaf Olafsson {Sony Computer Ent.}, Betsy Aaron, Robert Abrams, Bruce Apar, Minoru Arakawa, Ralph H. Baer, actress Roseanne Conner Barr, newsman Tom Brokaw, Zachery Ty Bryan, Michael Cade, Mariah Carey, Bill Clinton, Sam Donaldson, Byron Dorgan, Hugh Downs, Jared Durand, critic Roger Ebert, Dennis Eckart, Christopher Fairbank, Michael Fishman, boxer George Foreman, Brentley Gore, William H. Harrison, Hulk Hogan, Craig Johnson, Michael Jordan, Robert Keeshan {Captain Kangaroo}, John F. Kennedy, Greg Knight, Herbert Kohl, David Lascher, Joey Lawrence, Rosetta LeNoire, Joe Lieberman, actress Nobu McCarthy, Yuji Naka, Hayao Nakayama, actor Bill Nunn, Naoto Ohshima, Paul Rudd, Rich Silverstein, critic Gene Siskel, Harry Smith, Machiko Soga, John Stehr, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, boxer Mike Tyson, David Underwood, Dan Van Elderen, Jenna von Oÿ, athlete Bill Walton, Dawn Wiener, Brian Williams, actor Robin Williams, Paula Zahn • full credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia DVD/Blu-ray not available • Amazon Instant Video [2020] available only to Paramount+ subscribers |
 | "Console Wars" dramatic TV series [CBS-TV/Paramount+ - streaming 2020] based on the non-fiction novel by Blake J. Harris telling the story of the employees at upstart gaming company Sega taking on the biggest name in the video game industry by making a more popular game console device than the ones made by their industry-dominant rival, Nintendo • Co-produced by Jonah Tulis & Blake J. Harris; co-produced & directed by Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen; adapted by Evan Goldberg, Blake Harris & Seth Rogen from the book • bare credits at IMDb • movie entry at Wikipedia |
here on the Nostalgic Video Games Pages at Spirit of America Bookstore
top of page 1 Ä short history Ä links Ä general books Ä movies & videos Ä a few important people Ä image gallery
top of page 2 Ä topical timeline Ä selected video games Ä selected hardware Ä other media
Spirit of America Bookstore's "Fallout" Video Game Series Page
Spirit of America Bookstore's "Minecraft" Video Game Series Page
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