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You all might want to check out another video game podcast that started recently called They Create Worlds: http://tcwpodcast.podbean.com/ It's a bit different from most in that it is a bit more scholarly and takes a wider view of the video game industries (home, computer, console) as while, but it's currently my favorite video game podcast by far.

Thanks for the info. Did all of you (you, George, Rick, and Barbara) work on Desert Race and Noah's Ark as well? I am writing a book on the history of arcade video games up to 1985 and am including an appendix with all of the design credits I know of. Keith

Oh, and some others who worked on Leprechaun were Bruce Kaphan (who did the sound) and Sam Harris. Shel Kaphan and Ken Clements may have worked on the game but I'm not sure (I think their initials may be on the high score table but companies sometimes put the initials of executives in there even if they didn't work on games). Also, Moppet Video was a trademark of Tong Electronics of San Francisco, who actually licensed Leprechaun (actually, Leprechaun was the same game as Pot Of Gold for Game Plan and I think Tong may have initially licensed it to Game Plan).

A little more info about the Moppet Games and Tuni/Enter-Tech etc. Leprechaun and Pirate's Treasure were actually designed by a separate group called Pacific Polytechnical Corp in Santa Cruz. The main programmer of the games was Todd A Blume (who also designed Beezer). Blume programmed in a language called FILTH (a variant of FORTH) developed by Shel Kaphan. Pacific Polytechnical Corp was founded by a group of friends from UC Santa Cruz, including Shel Kaphan (who later became Amazon's first employee and wrote its initial software). Others at PPC included Ken Clements (President), Frank Frazier, and David Dougherty. PPC also designed Kaos for Game Plan and later established a division called FrobCo that developed the Frob 26 and Frob 52 (Atari 2600/5200 development systems for the Apple II). From what was reported in the trade press, E.T. Marketing of Temp manufactured games for Tuni Electo Services. E.T. had been founded by Tuni's marketing director Patrick Reed. The Moppet games were marketed by Enter-Tech Ltd of Tempe and Intrepid Marketing of Los Altos (I think E.T. marketed them as well). Here is a brief section from my book on E.T. and Tuni: "Beezer, Leprechaun, and Pirates Treasure were introduced at the 1982 AMOA show in November, along with Tugboat and Desert Race. By then, one of the companies involved in the venture, Tuni Electro Services, was already in trouble. In September 1982, E.T. Marketing announced that it had acquired all of Tuni's assets pending approval by the company’s creditors and board of directors. The creditors included the principals of Enter-Tech and in December, Enter-Tech entered into negotiations with Tuni to block the E.T. takeover (RePlay 3/83; Play Meter 3/15/84). But Tuni was not out of the woods yet. A month later Tuni was pushed into bankruptcy by Dracott Ltd of Switzerland and its assets were frozen. Dracott, the parent company of Enter-Tech, had invested $2 million in Tuni and did not want Enter-tech to have to assume its liabilities. In March, Enter-Tech acquired the company's assets and reorganized it¸ successfully bringing it out of Chapter 11 in December 1983 (RePlay 1/84; Play Meter 3/15/84). Under the Enter-Tech name, the company continued to produce Moppet games. Late in 1983, it struck a licensing deal with King Features Syndicate, which was best known for the many comic strips it distributed to newspapers worldwide. The deal resulted in two games base on King Features properties. The first was The Berenstain Bears in Big Paw's Cave. The game was based on the line of children’s book created by Stan and Jan Berenstain that had become a hot property after a series of NBC specials earlier in the year, including one called "Big Paw’s Cave." The game involved guiding a baby bear down a winding path through Big Paw’s Cave trying to retrieve stolen honey without waking the sleeping Big Paw. In early 1984, EnterTech licensed King Features’ most famous property – Popeye – for use in a seventh Moppet video. By then, however, the concept had all but died. Big Paw’s cave seems to have been produced only in small numbers[1] while Popeye does not appear to have been produced at all 　 [1] This is somewhat uncertain. The claim is based largely on collectors’ claims that only a single copy (at the Harborview Hospital in Seattle) is known to have existed. Trade magazines, however, announced the game’s release and included it in their catalogs and it was shown at the 1983 AMOA. Keith Smith allincolorforaquarter.BlogSpot.com

I did a blog post on this same subject a while back where I tried to track down the source of the story: http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/2013/11/video-game-myth-busters-space-invaders.html

Will you be covering Rampage Wrestling by Lance Haffner Games? Everybody always forgets about Lance Haffner.

Those dates are probably as good as any you'll find. "Release" dates often vary depending on the source and unfortunately, many who list the dates don't say where they got them. If you're looking for exact months, I haven't found a definitive source. Another problem is that people often just list dates for a game without saying what they are. Release date? Trademark date? Plus, different sources seem to define "release" date differently and even the same source often seems to use the term inconsistently. Some consider the date it was shown at a trade show the "release" date. Others use the month it appeared in a trade mag. Others try to use that month it went on sale to distributors, but a) this isn't always easy to determine and b) it isn't always clear (i.e. does sample shipping count?) Most of the time the various sources are within a month or two of one another, but not always. A couple of examples: Gravitar: MAME lists it as 8/82 - DRA Price Guide says 9/82 - Play Meter Catalog says 10/82, Replay Catalog says 9/82, It was shown at a trade show on 8/27/82, the Trademark office lists a first use anywhere of 8/9/82 Mario Bros: MAME and DRA price guide say 3/83, Replay Catalog says 5/83, Play Meter Catalog says 8/83, it was announced in the 7/83 issue of Replay and the 8/15/83 issue of Play Meter, it was shown at the AOE show on 3/24/83 If and when I publish my book, I plan to include a list of for all games through 1985, along with the release date (with the source identified), first known trade show date etc. Keith Smith http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/

Centuri did have a profitable relationship with Konami and licensed a lot of games from them but I've never heard that Konami ever owned them (unless it was much later). Allied Leisure was bought by a company owned by Milton and Burton Koffman (I may do a series on Allied/Centuri next. If so, I'll give a lot more details there). Centuri shut down their video game division in 1984 to focus on their other holdings: Outdoor Sports Headquarters, Inc. (hunting and fishing equipment), Virginia Capes Seafood (frozen seafood), and Poloron Outdoor Homes (modular homes - may have gotten the name wrong).

Man, this thread never seems to die. I mentioned earlier that someone claimed that at least one of these ripoff outfits (Leisure Time Electronics) said their games were made by Centuri. I was skeptical when I read it, but I've recently been going through Allied Leisure/Centuri's annual/10k reports and confirmed that it's actually true. You can read about it here: http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/2013/09/centuriallied-leisure-annual-report.html

There were rumors of mob involvement with various coin-op companies. I don't think it was common but I'm sure it happened. I had 3 or 4 people I talked tell me they saw things they "can't talk about" or that "scared the hell out of me" but details weren't forthcoming. The mob was involved with slots at various times (Capone controlled a number of them in Chicago, as did Frank Costello in New York under the guise of his "True Mint" vending company). The mob also had some involvement with video poker, but I don't know the extent. The New Jersey mob tried to take over SMS (video poker and trivia game manufacturer). They even beat one guy's (an executive at a handful of early video game companies) uncle to death with golf clubs. Al Alcorn tells a story of the early days at Atari when they had their game route. During a meeting in a restaurant, some wise guy pulled out a gun and told him that this was HIS territory (though it sounds like it was mostly bluster).

Geez, just when I think I've reached the bottom of the barrel, I find out something new. It appears that there was at least one of these companies that made Potomac and Leisure time look like the Salvation Army by comparison. In this case, I'm just going to quote the story in its entirety (it's short so I hope the orignal author won't mind). Note that the term "biz op salesman" was used to refer to companies that ran scams like Leisure Time. Biz Op Salesman Bludgeoned Mike Shaw Play Meter, September 1, 1982, p16 A business opportunity salesman who quit one firm to work on his own said he was threatened by the principals of that firm and then beaten with a lead pipe the evening those threats were made. Fred Ammond, a Minnesota video game business opportunity salesman. said he received three threatening calls. one each from the president, chief attorney, and owner of a firm he had just quit. The call warned him not to continue selling video business opportunities on his own. (The name of the firm and individuals who allegedly threatened Ammond are withheld pending further police investigation.) The last of the three calls was the most viciously threatening, Ammond said. The firm's owner allegedly called him at approximately 6 p.m. one day in mid-February and told him he better not continue to compete with the firm he had just left. Ammond said his former boss told him he had wiped out other competitors and would do the same to Ammond. ''I'll get you, you son of a ****." Ammond said he was told. "I'm going to take you out. After I break your arms and legs, I'm going to take you out." Ammond said he ignored the warning and left his room at the Ramada Inn located by the Minneapolis airport to conduct interviews that evening within the motel with potential buyers for his videos. "After the session, I went downstairs to eat dinner and have a couple of drinks in the motel lounge," Ammond told Play Meter. "I left the lounge a little after midnight and stopped to buy a newspaper. then stepped into the elevator to head for my room." When the elevator reached the seventh floor and the door opened, Ammond. alone on the elevator, was greeted by a young man with a lead pipe, he said. Ammond said he struggled with the man but was no match for the lead pipe. When he regained consciousness later in the hospital. he had already been through surgery that required more than 100 stitches three layers deep to close the gaping wound above his left eye. Bloomington, Minn., police said their investigation of the incident has become inactive because of the lack of evidence and its limited resources. "It was a setup," said Bloomington police detective Laurila, "but proving it is difficult . There is no corroborating evidence. I doubt if Fred (Ammond) could even identify hi attacker." So. currently. Ammond's attorney, Steven Yasgur of Hoff & Allen in Eden Prairie. Minn., is pressing suit against the Ramada Inn for damages at the highest level Minnesota law allows, "in excess of $50.000." Yasgur said the principals of the firm Ammond accused of being responsible will be joined into the suit "if a link is established by police investigation." Because the firm Ammond accused is located outside Minnesota, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has become involved in the investigation. That fact was confirmed by Laurila, who said that although the FBI does not share the findings of any investigation with the Bloomington police, it continues to request information on the case. The Minneapolis office of the FBI refused to comment on the case.

Yes, that is my blog. I continue to unearth info about Leisure Time. They were actually investigated by the Justice Department and the FTC. It also seems that they were a bit more subtle than I thought. Another issue of Play Meter had an interview with one of their customers and he went into more detail about their sales pitch. While they showed articles of machines earning upwards of $1000 a week, they said they liked to "work with" the $75/week figure because they didn't want to overstate their case and even asked him if he was comfortable with that figure. He said that during his "interview" the salesman asked most of the questions and made it sound like THEY were evalutaing HIM to see if he was worth having as a customer. They even showed him a picture of another customer with a corvette in front of his house and gave him contact information (he actually did call the guy who, of course, said his games made money). They also showed him a picture of their manufacturing plant in Florida (lending some credence to the idea that Centuri manufactured the machines, though I'm still skeptical). They offered a free service seminar, which he said was pretty good (though they also hit him up to pay the rest of his bill). When his games made only $15-16 a week, he tried to get Leisure Time to take them back or help him get rid of them, they told him they might resell them for him, but only if he signed a statement saying that the games made $40-50 a week.

Everyone is probably tired of this topic by now, but I did come across some more info - including a possible (and surprsing) source for the Leisure Time games. The November 15, 1981 issue of Play Meter had more info about these companies. After the California ruling, Potomac took steps to clean up its act (or claimed to). They hired a PR director and president David Cook issued a directive to the games division that they should comply with all state laws. They also lowered the price of their games from $3490 to $2990. More info about Leisure Time: they also failed to deliver games on time. Coast to Coast Locators (the company they recommended to customers) also failed to show up when promised (one customer had to pay for a hotel room for the rep and his girlfriend). Their games were cheap with particle board cabinets. One Moon Lander unit allowed players to get free games by jiggling the joystick. The most interesting tidbit was the article's claim that the Leisure Time Electronics games were made by none other than Centuri. They even quote Allied/Centuri exec Ivan Rothstein as saying that Leisure Time was "...a reputable company" and that the games should have "no problem" earning $80-100 a week. He also said that Allied/Centuri had been doing business with Leisure Time for 8 years. I have never heard this before and it seems a bit hard to believe. One possiblity is that this occured just before Allied Leisure was renamed Centuri. Allied supposedly showed 3 games at the 1979 AMOA show: Lunar Invasion, Space Bug, and Star Shooter. Could these be the ones they sold to Leisure Time? Little is known about them. Play Meter descibed Space Bug as a game where you pushed boxes into storage bins.

Geez. I stumbled across yet more information about these companies in Replay magazine. Turns out Leisure Time was investigated by NBC. In the November, 1981 issue Hal Watner (executive with a number of manufacturers over the years) reported on one ofthe shows he attended put on by Leisure Time Electronics (he calls them Leisure Time Industries but I imagine it's the same company) in Santa Clara on October 4. HE says that they advertised it as a coin-op amusement show on television (something real industry shows never did). Upon arrival, he was directed to a meeting room where he was greeted by a "young well-dressed man with a very sexy girl by his side". They showed him games that were obviously knockoffs. Potential customers could play the games, but had to pay (another red flag - though one salesman told him See, even here at the show people pour money in.") He says that the games were actually manufactured by a company in the "Great Lakes region' on an OEM basis and Leisure Time bought a minimum of 100 games a week. Attendees were shown a 20/20 segment on the profit potential of video games. The show ran for 3 days and about 500 a day attended. According to Leisure Time, about 10% of attendees took the bait. Games cost a minium of $3,500 and were sold in packages of 2-10 games. Unlike some companies, Leisure Time did not provide location services or insurance. Instead they referred customers to a group called Coast To Coast Locators or International Locators who charged $175 per game per location to place games and train customers. Interestingly, Watner said Leisure Time was located in Texas - apparently a mistake (NBC said they were from Indianapolis). It makes me wonder if Leisure Time and Potomac were related somehow or maybe even the same company or if they all worked the same shows. Even better - another article reports that on March 12, 1982 NBC aired an expose of Leisure Time on their NBC Magazine program. They mentioned that Leisure Time showed customers several newspaper accounts of video games earning $300-1000 a week and "conservatively" used a figure of $150 a week in their pitch (even cutting it in half to reflect the standard 50/50 operator/location owner split). One buyer bought two games for $7,000 and made $15 in a week on one and couldn't place the other. Another bought six games for $21,000. One in an auto shop made $6 (and half of that went to the owner), two in a pizzeria made $12 each, and one in a Laundramat made $8.25. NBC even had a reporter pose as a customer and tape president Joe Cassiopi with a hidden mike (RePlay printed a transcript of the segment).

Thanks. I corrected the first part earlier this morning. The Baer estimate was 50,000, not 5,000 - almost all of them Pong clones. He estimated that 50,000 coin-op video games were sold in 1973; 25,000 in 1974; 32,500 in 1975; and 6-7,000 in the first quarter of 1976. The big 1973 sellers he lists (note that he is rounding and gives no source, but I've confirmed some of these from other sources): Pong: 8,000; Midway Winner: 7,000 (Replay/Play Meter gave the same figure); Williams Pro Tennis: 7,000? (hard to read); Allied Supper Soccer: 5,000; Allied Tennis Tourney: 5,000 (a source at Allied gave me the same number); Chicago Coin TV Tennis: 5,000; Atari Gotcha: 3,000; Chicago Coin TV Hockey: 1,000; Kee Formula K: 1,000; Midway Asteroid 2,000, Ramtek Clean Sweep 3,000, Ramtek Hockey 2,000; Ramtek Volley 1,000, Atari Space Race 1,500 The rest of the games he lists sold a total of about 3,000 units. Add them all up and you actually get around 54,500 so maybe he was rounding the total to 50,000 or maybe the individual numbers were total sales, not just 1973 sales (though I think he listed the yearly totals for each game separately). Note howevere that production runs were usually only a few months and most of the big 1973 sellers came out early in the year on the heels of Pong. His numbers, if anything, are probably too low since he omitted a number of big sellers (most notably Allied Leisure's Paddle Battle, which probably sold 17-20,000). He also left off Williams' Paddle Ball (don't know how many it sold, but as their first product it might have sold more than Pro Tennis - unless Baer got the two confused). Throw in those two and others he omitted and the number climbs to around 75-80,000.