Centuri
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Arcade games, Video games |
| Predecessor | Allied Leisure |
| Founder | Ed Miller, Bill Olliges |
| Defunct | January 1985 |
| Fate | Discontinued video game operations |
| Headquarters | Hialeah , United States |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Joel Hochberg (VP 1976–1982), Ed Miller (President), Bill Olliges |
| Products | Arcade video games, Pinball, Electro-mechanical games |
Centuri, originally known as Allied Leisure, was a prominent American manufacturer of arcade games headquartered in Hialeah, Florida. During the early 1980s, it stood among the six leading US providers of coin-operated arcade video game machines. The company adopted the Centuri name in 1980 following the acquisition of Allied Leisure by Ed Miller, former president of Taito America, and his associate Bill Olliges. Joel Hochberg held the position of vice president from 1976 until 1982 before moving on to Rare.
Centuri's core business involved distributing licensed arcade titles from international developers, particularly from Japanese companies such as Konami. Prior to this, Allied Leisure focused on manufacturing proprietary pinball and electro-mechanical game devices.
The collaboration between Centuri and Konami was notably strong, with Konami granting North American licensing rights to Centuri in the early 1980s. In 1983, Konami took a 5% ownership interest in Centuri, and its founder, Kagemasa Kōzuki, joined Centuri’s board of directors. Centuri discontinued its video game operations in January 1985.
Games
The following notable titles were introduced to the US market by Allied Leisure and later Centuri:
Pinball and Electro-Mechanical Titles (1969–1979)
- Monkey Bizz (1969)
- Dyn O' Mite (1975; solid-state pinball machine)
- Daytona 500 (1976)
- Take Five (1978; cocktail-style pinball)
- Clay Champ (1979; licensed from Namco)
Arcade Video Games Released by Allied Leisure (1973–1979)
- Paddle Battle (1973), a game inspired by Pong
- Super Soccer (1973), with 5,000 units sold; ranked among the top five arcade games of that year
- Tennis Tourney (1973), also selling 5,000 cabinets; one of the top five arcade hits in 1973
- Fire Power (1975)
- Chase (1976)
- Clay Shoot (1979; video adaptation of Clay Champ)
Arcade Video Games Released by Centuri (1980–1984)
- Rip-Off (1980; licensed from Cinematronics)
- Phoenix (1980; licensed from smaller Japanese developers)
- Route 16 (1981; developed by Sunsoft, licensed through Tecmo)
- Pleiades (1981; created by Tecmo)
- Round-Up (1981; developed by Taito, licensed via Hiraoka)
- The Pit (1981; produced by AW Electronics)
- Vanguard (1981; developed by TOSE, licensed through SNK)
- Challenger (1981; developed internally)
- Locomotion (1982; developed by Konami)
- Swimmer (1982; created by Tecmo)
- Time Pilot (1982; developed by Konami)
- Tunnel Hunt (1982; produced by Atari, Inc.)
- Aztarac (1983; internally developed)
- Gyruss (1983; developed by Konami)
- Track & Field (1983; created by Konami)
- Circus Charlie (1984; developed by Konami)
- Hyper Sports (1984; produced by Konami)
- Mikie: High School Graffiti (1984; developed by Konami)
- Badlands (1984; created by Konami)
References
- "Financial Desk: Company Updates", The New York Times, January 17, 1985. Centuri Inc., located in Hialeah, Florida, declared the termination of its video game division along with the shutdown of its National Interport Services Inc. boat repair operation in Hampton, Virginia, which led to a $2.5 million expense impacting the 1984 financial statements.