American Game Cartridges
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Defunct | 1994 |
| Fate | Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1991; restructured until 1994 |
| Headquarters | Chandler, Arizona , United States |
| Products | Nintendo Entertainment System games |
| Parent | ShareData |
American Game Cartridges (AGC) was a United States-based video game developer and publisher established in 1990 as a division of ShareData, with its main office located in Chandler, Arizona. In the same year, AGC launched three titles for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).
Prior to AGC's creation, ShareData appointed Richard C. Frick as Vice President of Product Development. Frick, who had previous experience at Atari Games and its console branch Tengen, was skilled in producing unlicensed NES games by circumventing Nintendo's 10NES lockout chip. AGC utilized technology licensed from Color Dreams to employ this approach.
In 1990, AGC converted two arcade games originally by Exidy—Chiller (1986) and Death Race (1976)—for release on the NES. Their first title, Chiller, marked both AGC’s and ShareData’s initial NES offering, followed by Death Race and an original creation, Shockwave.
Adopting ShareData’s strategy of affordable pricing, AGC marketed its games at prices up to 30% lower than those of competitors. Despite this, growing financial liabilities in 1991 compelled creditors, including ShareData itself, to encourage AGC to enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company filed for Chapter 11 and remained under restructuring until January 1994 when it presented a reorganization plan.
During these financial difficulties, Frick departed to establish another unlicensed NES game developer named American Video Entertainment. Developer Keith Rupp finished a fourth game, Wally Bear and the NO! Gang, but AGC’s monetary troubles postponed its publication; the title was eventually released by Frick’s new firm in 1992.
AGC had intentions to release additional projects, such as an NES version of Exidy's Crossbow (1983), yet these plans were never completed due to fiscal limitations.
See also
- Camerica
- Hacker International
- Home Entertainment Suppliers
- List of Nintendo Entertainment System games
- Video game publisher
References
- Articles with short description
- Companies based in Chandler, Arizona
- Video game companies established in 1990
- Video game companies disestablished in 1994
- 1990 establishments in Arizona
- 1994 disestablishments in Arizona
- Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1991
- Defunct video game companies of the United States
- Video game development companies
- Video game publishers