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Cinematronics

From Alfawiki
Cinematronics Incorporated
Company typePrivate
IndustryVideo games, arcade games
FoundedApril 1, 1975; 51 years ago (1975-04-01) in San Diego, California, United States
FounderDennis Partee, Gary Garrison, Jimmie Dale "Jim" Pierce
DefunctOctober 21, 1987 (1987-10-21)
FateAcquired by Tradewest; rebranded as The Leland Corporation
SuccessorThe Leland Corporation
Headquarters
San Diego (later El Cajon), California
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide (arcade game market)
Key people
Dennis Partee, Gary Garrison, Jimmie Dale "Jim" Pierce, Fred Fukumoto, Tom A. Stroud
ProductsArcade games (notably vector graphics games and LaserDisc games such as Dragon's Lair)

Cinematronics Incorporated was a developer of arcade games, primarily recognized for its focus on vector graphics technology throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s. While many competitors utilized raster display systems, Cinematronics, alongside Atari, concentrated on vector-display technology, which delivered crisper visuals but was restricted to monochrome output. A significant milestone for the company was the 1983 release of Dragon's Lair, the pioneering major LaserDisc-based video game.

History

Established on April 1, 1975, in San Diego, California, Cinematronics was founded by San Diego Chargers athletes Dennis Partee and Gary Garrison together with Jimmie Dale “Jim” Pierce. The company initially produced Pong imitators aimed at local markets. Their first titles to reach a national audience were Flipper Ball (1976) and Embargo (1977). Financial strains led Garrison to transfer his ownership stake to mortgage broker Ralph Clarke in 1977.

Vector Games

Towards the end of 1977, Cinematronics launched Space Wars, a TTL-based vector game created by Larry Rosenthal. This title was an adaptation of the mainframe classic Spacewar!, utilizing specialized vector monitors. To avoid insolvency, Cinematronics agreed to manufacture Rosenthal’s game in exchange for a five percent royalty per arcade unit produced. The game was showcased at the Amusement and Music Operators of America trade show in October 1977 but only became ready for production later that year. To support manufacturing and sales efforts, Ken Beuck joined as a production expert and Bill Cravens as a sales representative. Funding was further secured when coin-operated machine operator Thomas B. Stroud purchased Partee’s shares.

Space Wars holds the distinction of being the first vector graphics video game commercially available and became the highest-grossing coin-operated video game in 1978, with approximately 7,000 units sold. Despite this achievement, Rosenthal and Cravens departed in April 1978 to establish Sunrise Research (which later became Vectorbeam), taking important technical documentation with them. Although Cinematronics retained licensing rights to Rosenthal’s vector hardware patents, they did not possess complete technical expertise.

The company sustained its vector game development with engineer Bob Long duplicating Rosenthal’s operational codes and new hire Tim Skelly crafting their initial post-Rosenthal title alongside engineers Dennis Halverson and Rob Patton.

Leadership changes occurred in 1978: Clarke exited the company; Tom Stroud’s son joined as a sales representative; Pierce temporarily resigned before returning as president. No new products were introduced that year; however, Tim Skelly’s Starhawk launched successfully in early 1979, surpassing Vectorbeam’s competing offering.

Following negotiations, Cinematronics acquired Vectorbeam on June 1, 1979, securing rights to two critical vector patents. Vectorbeam operated as a subsidiary under Tom A. Stroud’s presidency with Tim Skelly heading product development. Rosenthal contributed titles such as Tail Gunner (1979) prior to his departure and subsequent lawsuit against Cinematronics regarding patent buyout disputes.

Vectorbeam-branded games including Barrier (1979) and Warrior (1979) continued production until November 1979 when Cinematronics sold Vectorbeam’s manufacturing facility and assets to Exidy Inc., which rebranded them as Exidy II—acquiring rights to vector games like Tailgunner II. Some staff from Vectorbeam transitioned to Cinematronics’ San Diego operations.

In 1980, Cinematronics intensified enforcement of its vector patents by initiating legal action against Atari over titles such as Lunar Lander and Asteroids, with the dispute ultimately settled out of court. Additionally, they licensed games for cocktail-style cabinets through Rock-Ola, which produced vector-based titles including Demon! (1982) and QB-3 (1982). Cinematronics also achieved a significant copyright victory preventing unauthorized reproductions of Star Castle (1980).

Co-developed by Skelly and Scott Boden, Star Castle became Cinematronics’ most lucrative release, selling over 10,000 units during its production run through much of 1981. A disagreement led Skelly to depart for Sega/Gremlin, prompting Cinematronics to file suit alleging trade secret misappropriation.

In June 1981, Cinematronics relocated to a new 78,000 square-foot facility in El Cajon. After releasing Skelly’s final title with them, Armor Attack (1981), the company faced challenges producing successful follow-ups; Boden’s Solar Quest (1981) did not achieve comparable success. The company implemented formal product management procedures and pursued military contracts including development of a tank gunner simulator. Their effort to develop color vector hardware resulted in the commercial failure of Boxing Bugs (1982).

Bankruptcy and LaserDisc Titles

In January 1982, Fred Fukumoto, previously Cinematronics' Vice President of Finance, stepped into the role of President with the objective of ensuring a steady product pipeline by licensing Japanese arcade games. This strategy was inspired by Midway's success with hits such as Space Invaders. Cinematronics imported games like Naughty Boy and Jack the Giantkiller during 1982; however, both failed to gain commercial traction. Consequently, numerous projects were terminated, including a military contract. By August 1982, Security Pacific Bank initiated foreclosure proceedings against Cinematronics, forcing the company into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Fukumoto resigned from his position, and Jim Pierce resumed leadership as president.

Throughout the bankruptcy period, Cinematronics sustained a minimal development team that produced Cosmic Chasm (1983) and collaborated with Advanced Microcomputer Systems (AMS). Following the release of Zzyzzyxx in 1982, AMS persuaded Cinematronics to manufacture the LaserDisc arcade game Dragon’s Lair (1983), developed alongside Don Bluth Productions. The three entities established Starcom to manage rights related to this and subsequent LaserDisc titles. The commercial success of Dragon’s Lair revitalized the company’s finances and positioned it as a frontrunner in video game technology.

By the time Space Ace launched in 1984, the alliance had dissolved due to waning interest in LaserDisc games and diverging priorities between AMS and Don Bluth Productions. Although Cinematronics experimented with Dragon’s Lair II: Time Warp, it was not released at that time; this title eventually became the last arcade game published by The Leland Corporation in 1991.

Raster-Based Games and the Cinemat System

While still operating under bankruptcy protection, Cinematronics restructured its development efforts by moving away from vector graphics technology to concentrate on raster-based games for the first time since Embargo. Several developers joined from Sega/Gremlin after that company reduced its internal development activities. Beginning with Freeze (1984), Cinematronics gradually rebuilt its production capabilities.

In 1985, the company introduced the Cinemat system hardware—a standardized arcade cabinet designed to enable arcade operators to switch games economically by swapping software, marquee artwork, and control configurations. This innovation mirrored industry trends seen in systems like Nintendo's VS System, Capcom's CPS platform, and SNK's Neo Geo. The inaugural title for this system was Cerberus (1985), followed by World Series: The Season (1985), which represented both a technological advancement and a commercial success during the post-Golden Age era of arcade gaming.

Despite these efforts, subsequent releases did not match prior successes, and Cinematronics remained in Chapter 11 bankruptcy—reportedly one of California's lengthiest cases of this nature. To maintain operations, Jim Pierce sold the company on March 30, 1987, to Tradewest, an arcade licensor and manufacturer led by Leland Cook, Byron Cook, and John Rowe. Tradewest acquired all assets through bankruptcy proceedings and rebranded itself as The Leland Corporation. Cinematronics was formally dissolved on October 21, 1987.

Legacy

Cinematronics was a trailblazer in vector graphics technology for coin-operated arcade games beginning with Space Wars, influencing prominent companies such as Atari, Midway, and Sega/Gremlin to develop their own vector-based titles. Progressions in 3D vector hardware—exemplified by Atari's Battlezone—helped establish foundational elements for early three-dimensional arcade visuals.

Their pioneering use of LaserDisc technology with Dragon’s Lair represented a significant breakthrough in multimedia gaming by integrating traditional audio-visual storytelling with interactive gameplay mechanics. Although criticized for limited player interaction, it was the first commercially successful game utilizing LaserDisc technology. Subsequent releases of Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace were ported to home gaming platforms throughout the 1980s and 1990s but did not carry the Cinematronics brand.

Games such as Warrior and Rip Off demonstrated early developments in fighting mechanics and cooperative gameplay styles. Titles like Star Castle, Armor Attack, and World Series: The Season continue to hold esteemed places in arcade gaming history.

Several Cinematronics games were licensed for use on the Vectrex home console. Notably, Cosmic Chasm (1982), which originated as a Vectrex title, was later adapted into an arcade release by Cinematronics.

Following Midway Games’ acquisition of Tradewest in 1994, rights to Cinematronics’ game library were retained by Midway. Tim Skelly, creator of several Cinematronics titles, signed agreements transferring ownership of his developed games to Midway.

Coin-operated games

All games were created by Cinematronics unless otherwise specified.

  • Unidentified Pong variant (1975)
  • Flipper Ball (1976)
  • Embargo (May 1977)
  • Space Wars (December 1977) Designed by Larry Rosenthal.
  • Starhawk (March 1979)
  • Barrier (August 1979) Issued under the Vectorbeam label.
  • Sundance (October 1979)
  • Warrior (October 1979) Released through Vectorbeam.
  • Tailgunner (March 1980) Created by Vectorbeam; later reissued by Exidy as Tailgunner II.
  • Rip Off (March 1980)
  • Star Castle (October 1980)
  • Armor Attack (June 1981)
  • Solar Quest (October 1981) Designed by Scott Boden.
  • Boxing Bugs (May 1982)
  • Naughty Boy (June 1982) Developed by Jaleco.
  • Jack the Giantkiller (1982) Created by Hara Industries.
  • Zzyzzyxx (December 1982) Produced by Advanced Microcomputer Systems; later renamed Brix.
  • War of the Worlds (February 1983) Also available as a conversion kit from Progressive Game Distributors.
  • Cosmic Chasm (April 1983)
  • Dragon’s Lair (July 1983) Developed by Advanced Microcomputer Systems; licensed from Starcom.
  • Space Ace (February 1984) Created by Advanced Microcomputer Systems; licensed from Magicom.
  • Freeze (January 1985)
  • Cerberus (February 1985)
  • Mayhem 2002 (March 1985)
  • Power Play (September 1985)
  • World Series: The Season (November 1985)
  • Alley Master (May 1986)
  • Danger Zone (December 1986)
  • Redline Racer (December 1986) Also published by Tradewest.

Unreleased

  • Doctor Strange (1980) A vector-based combat title featuring the Marvel character, developed by Tim Skelly following his work on Warrior.
  • Catch and Throw (1980) A Tim Skelly concept where players acted as their own projectile; this idea was later reworked into Reactor (1982) at D. Gottlieb & Co.
  • Sentinel (1981) A fixed turret shooter co-developed by Scott Boden and Tim Skelly, which eventually evolved into the game Boxing Bugs.
  • Hovercraft (1983) An advanced vector graphics game with polarized 3D effects, tested in select locations but shelved in favor of releasing Dragon’s Lair.
  • Cutter (circa 1983) Focused on players destroying a spider’s web.
  • Express Delivery (1984) A top-down racing and maze game conceptually similar to the later title, Paperboy (1985).
  • Striker (circa 1986) A multiplayer, four-player adaptation of the game Power Play.

Quantum compression utility

During the early 1990s, Cinematronics briefly ventured into utility software with Quantum, a proprietary file compression tool designed for DOS and Windows platforms. Emphasizing compression efficiency over processing speed, it supported multi-volume archives, directory structure retention, and selective file extraction, using files with the '.Q' extension. Distributed through Cinematronics’ Austin-based bulletin board system, Quantum attracted a niche user base among DOS and early Windows users but did not achieve the widespread popularity of ZIP or RAR formats. The software was discontinued in the late 1990s and is now regarded as abandonware.

Bibliography

External links

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