Absolute Entertainment
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1986 |
| Founder | Garry Kitchen, Dan Kitchen, Alex DeMeo, John Van Ryzin |
| Defunct | 1995 |
| Fate | Filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations |
| Headquarters | Upper Saddle River, New Jersey , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Garry Kitchen, David Crane |
| Products | Video games for Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Game Gear, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega CD, Game Boy, NES, Super NES, Commodore 64, Apple II, IBM PC-compatible computers |
Absolute Entertainment was a United States-based video game publisher established in 1986 by Garry Kitchen, Dan Kitchen, Alex DeMeo, and John Van Ryzin. The company emerged following Garry Kitchen's exit from Activision and operated through its development division, Imagineering. It created titles for a variety of systems such as the Atari 2600 and 7800, Game Gear, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega CD, Game Boy, NES, Super NES, Commodore 64, Apple II, and IBM PC-compatible computers.
Originally located in Glen Rock, New Jersey, the company later moved its headquarters to Upper Saddle River. In 1988, Absolute Entertainment expanded its team by recruiting David Crane after his short period at Hasbro. Although Absolute was situated on the East Coast, Crane contributed remotely from the West Coast. The choice of the company's name was deliberate to ensure it appeared before Activision alphabetically, signaling a competitive intent.
While Absolute initially concentrated on Atari platforms, it rapidly transitioned to developing for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) as it gained market dominance. Prominent NES releases included A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia (1989) and Battle Tank (1990). By 1992, Absolute Entertainment merged with Imagineering to establish itself as a comprehensive game development studio.
Due to financial struggles, Absolute Entertainment filed for bankruptcy in the third quarter of 1995, ceasing operations and terminating most employees. Subsequently, Garry Kitchen and David Crane launched Skyworks Technologies, with several former Absolute staff joining the new company.