Kee Games
| Company type | Division (after 1974) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Arcade and video games |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Founder | Joe Keenan |
| Defunct | 1978 |
| Fate | Merged into Atari (1974); division shut down by Warner Communications (1978) |
| Successor | Atari (division) |
| Headquarters | United States |
Key people | Joe Keenan, Steve Bristow, Bill White, Gil Williams |
| Parent | Atari (from 1974), Warner Communications (parent of Atari from 1976) |
Kee Games was a United States-based manufacturer specializing in arcade and video games, active from 1973 through 1978.
History
In September 1973, Joe Keenan—an acquaintance and neighbor of Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell—established Kee Games. The creation of Kee was part of a strategic initiative by Bushnell to counteract demands from pinball and arcade distributors for exclusive contracts. Kee Games produced titles that were essentially renamed or slightly altered versions of Atari's games, effectively broadening Atari’s market reach beyond these exclusivity restrictions. Bushnell discreetly assigned several Atari employees, including Steve Bristow, Bill White, and Gil Williams, to work at Kee Games and covertly supplied the necessary components for their development efforts. Publicly, Kee Games positioned itself as a rival to Atari, even suggesting that it recruited former Atari personnel.
Between 1973 and 1974, Kee’s catalog mainly consisted of minor variations on existing Atari titles or games that had been left unfinished by Atari. Examples include Elimination, which originated from Bristow’s incomplete game Quadrapong, and Spike, which was adapted from Atari’s Rebound with an additional "spike" feature. To differentiate itself further, Kee developed original games, debuting its first independent release, Tank, in November 1974. At this juncture, Atari was grappling with financial difficulties and management issues; consequently, in September 1974, Kee Games was officially merged into Atari. Joe Keenan was appointed president of Atari while Kee continued operating as a distinct division. The success of Tank played a pivotal role in Atari’s financial turnaround. Kee Games maintained its arcade game production until 1978, when Warner Communications—Atari’s parent company since 1976—decided to shut down the division. Following Nolan Bushnell’s departure from Atari in December 1978, Joe Keenan also left to join Bushnell’s arcade venture, Pizza Time Theatre.
Games
- Elimination (October 1973) — a clone of Atari's Quadrapong
- Spike (March 1974) — based on Atari's Rebound, enhanced with a "spike" button
- Formula K (April 1974) — derived from Atari's Gran Trak 10
- Twin Racer (July 1974) — modeled after Atari's Gran Trak 20
- Tank (November 1974) — an original creation that achieved notable popularity
- Pursuit (January 1975)
- Indy 800 (April 1975)
- Tank II (May 1975) — the first release under the "Kee" brand with acknowledgment of Atari
- Quiz Show (April 1976)
- Tank 8 (April 1976)
- Indy 4 (May 1976)
- Sprint 2 (November 1976)
- Drag Race (June 1977)
- Super Bug (September 1977)
- Sprint 1 (January 1978)
- Ultra Tank (February 1978)