Tradewest
Industry | Video games |
---|---|
Founded | 1985 |
Defunct | 1994 |
Fate | Mergedinto Williams and laterMidway |
Successor | Williams Entertainment(1994–1996) Midway Home Entertainment(1996–2009) Tradewest Games Holding (2009–2013) |
Headquarters | Corsicana, TX,USA |
Key people | Leland Cook, founder Byron Cook,co-founder John Rowe, co-founder |
Parent | Midway Games |
Subsidiaries | Leland Corporation |
Tradewest, Inc.was an Americanvideo gamecompany based inCorsicana, Texasthat produced numerous games in the 1980s and early 1990s. The company was the publisher of theBattletoadsandDouble Dragonseries in North America and thePAL region.In 1994, the company was acquired byWMS Industriesand became Midway Home Entertainment when WMS spun off its video game operations asMidway Games.
The name was revived in August 2009 when the head of Midway's European subsidiaries acquired the trademark from Midway in the latter's bankruptcy.
History
[edit]Original company
[edit]Tradewest was founded in 1985 by Leland Cook, his son Byron Cook, and John Rowe.[1][2]Tradewest started out by manufacturingSNK'sAlpha Missionarcade gamein theUnited States,followed byIkari WarriorsandVictory Roadbefore shifting away from the coin-op arcade game business to concentrate on thehome consolemarket.
In 1987, Tradewest purchasedCinematronics,a video game developer and manufacturer based in El Cajon, California, whose previous games includedDragon's LairandSpace Ace,and renamed it theLeland Corporation.John Rowe was chosen to run the El Cajon office as he already had a successful history in video games as executive vice-president of SNK's U.S division.[3]
Tradewest operated three companies: Tradewest, Inc, Tradewest International, and the Leland Corporation.[4]It released video games in the late 1980s and early 1990s for consoles mainly fromNintendoandSega.[5]
In 1994, Tradewest was unsuccessfully sued byPhilips CorporationandLockheed Sandersfor an alleged patent infringement in the art of an arcade video game.[6]
Dissolution and aftermath
[edit]Tradewest was acquired in April 1994 byWMS Industries,who ownedMidway Games.Tradewest was reorganized asWilliams Entertainment, Inc.with Rowe and the two Cooks as its heads, thus signaling the end of Tradewest.[7]Operating as a sister division to Midway, Williams Entertainment was used to enter the homevideo game consolemarket, allowing WMS to publish home games directly without having to rely on other publishers, such asAcclaim Entertainment,which had held aright-of-first-refusallicense to Midway games.
In 1996, Williams Entertainment was placed directly under the control of Midway, who renamed the divisionMidway Home Entertainment, Inc.Both the Corsicana, Texas, facility and a new R&D facility in San Diego (replacing the El Cajon location) remained open within Midway, who continued to employ Byron Cook (who became president of Midway Home Entertainment)[8]and John Rowe (who became vice-chairman and Director of Product Development).[3]The division developed and published games during the fifth and sixth console generation.
Byron Cook resigned from Midway in 2001.[8]The following year, Midway'shead officeinChicagoshut down the Corsicana location.[9]John Rowe became the president andCEOofHigh Moon Studios(formerly Sammy Studios).
European revival
[edit]15 years after the original American company was acquired and renamed, the Tradewest name was revived in Europe in 2009 by the former Midway UK and France publishing divisions following a management buyout.[10]
On August 19, 2009, Midway Games Ltd (founded in 1999 inLondonas the English subsidiary of Midway Games Inc) and Midway Games SAS (founded in 2005 inParisas the French subsidiary of Midway Games Inc) were sold to Spiess Media Holding UG, owned by Martin Spiess (the former head of Midway Games Ltd). A new Germanholding company,Tradewest Games Holding,was created to own the former Midway subsidiaries, which also took the Tradewest name.
Tradewest Games Holding, along with its subsidiaries, vanished in 2013.[clarification needed]
List of games published
[edit]Arcade
[edit]- Alpha Mission(1985)
- Ikari Warriors(1986)
- Redline Racer(1986)
- Victory Road(1987)
NES
[edit]- Double Dragon(June 1988)
- John Elway's Quarterback(March 1989)
- Taboo: The Sixth Sense(April 1989)
- Magic Johnson's Fast Break(March 1990)
- Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off Road(April 1990)
- Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship(September 1990)
- Battletoads(June 1991)
- High Speed(July 1991)
- Danny Sullivan's Indy Heat(August 1992)
- R.C. Pro-Am II(December 1992)
- Battletoads & Double Dragon(June 1993)
Game Boy
[edit]- Double Dragon(August 1990)
- Sneaky Snakes(June 1991)
- Battletoads(November 1991)
- Jack Nicklaus Golf(May 1992)
- Super Off Road(November 1992)
- Battletoads in Ragnarok's World(June 1993)
- Battletoads & Double Dragon(December 1993)
Super NES
[edit]- Super Off Road(December 1991)
- Jack Nicklaus Golf(May 1992)
- Pro Quarterback(September 1992)
- Super Double Dragon(October 15, 1992)
- Battletoads in Battlemaniacs(June 1993)
- Super Baseball 2020(July 1993)
- Plok(September 1993)
- Super Off Road: The Baja(September 1993)
- Battletoads & Double Dragon(December 1993)
- Fun 'n Games(August 1994)
- Troy Aikman NFL Football(August 1994)
- Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls(August 5, 1994)
Genesis
[edit]- Championship Pro-Am(May 12, 1992)
- Pro Quarterback(September 1992)
- Battletoads(March 1993)
- Fun 'n' Games(August 2, 1993)
- Battletoads & Double Dragon(December 1993)
- Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls(August 5, 1994)
- Troy Aikman NFL Football(August 1994)
Game Gear
[edit]- Battletoads(December 1993)
External links
[edit]- Official websiteTradewest Digital
- Official websiteTradewest Games SAS(in French)
- Tradewestprofile onMobyGames
References
[edit]- ^"Leland Cook, Jr. Obituary - Corsicana, Texas, Corley Funeral Home | Tribute Archive".
- ^"The History of SNK".GameSpot.Retrieved2019-11-19.
- ^ab"Stocks".Bloomberg News.17 October 2023.
- ^"Midway Games, Inc"(TXT).U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.October 4, 1996.RetrievedFebruary 26,2024.
- ^"Tradewest Games - IGN".ign.Archived fromthe originalon 7 April 2016.Retrieved12 January2022.
- ^"North American Philips Corporation v. American Vending Sales, Inc".CourtListener.September 22, 1994.RetrievedFebruary 26,2024.
- ^"Midway Takes Project Reality to the Arcades, Williams Buys Tradewest".GamePro.No. 59.IDG.June 1994. p. 182.
- ^ab"Midway Games Inc. Announces Resignation of Byron Cook. - Free Online Library".thefreelibrary.Archived fromthe originalon 2016-12-20.
- ^"News"(Press release).
- ^Brice, Kath (2009-08-21)."Midway rebranded Tradewest Games by new owner".GamesIndustry.biz.Eurogamer Network Ltd.Retrieved2009-08-21.
- 1985 establishments in Texas
- Corsicana, Texas
- Video game companies established in 1985
- Defunct companies based in Texas
- Defunct video game companies of the United States
- Midway video games
- Software companies based in Texas
- Video game companies disestablished in 1994
- 1994 disestablishments in Texas
- Video game publishers