Centuri

Centuri was an American manufacturer and distributor of coin-operated arcade games based in Hialeah, Florida. The business emerged from Allied Leisure, Inc., a company that had produced pinball, electro-mechanical amusement machines, and arcade video games during the 1960s and 1970s. In the modern form associated with the Centuri name, former Taito America president Ed Miller and his business partner Bill Olliges took over Allied Leisure and renamed it Centuri in 1980. During the early 1980s, Centuri became one of the leading suppliers of coin-operated arcade video-game equipment in the United States. Its catalog combined internally developed products with games licensed from overseas manufacturers. This model allowed the company to bring a broad range of Japanese and other international arcade titles to the North American market without developing every game itself. Among the Japanese companies connected with Centuri were Konami, Tehkan, SNK, and other developers and rights holders. Centuri's releases included action, shooting, racing, sports, maze, and platform-style arcade games. The company's relationship with Konami was particularly important. Centuri distributed several Konami titles in North America, including Locomotion, Time Pilot, Gyruss, Track & Field, Circus Charlie, Hyper Sports, Badlands, and Mikie: High School Graffiti. The relationship developed beyond ordinary licensing in 1983, when Konami acquired a 5 percent interest in Centuri. Konami founder Kagemasa Kōzuki also announced plans to become a Centuri director, reflecting the strategic value of the North American arcade market and the companies' commercial connection. Centuri was not solely a licensing and distribution operation. Its predecessor Allied Leisure had developed and manufactured original pinball and electro-mechanical games, and the Centuri-era catalog included internally developed video games such as Challenger and Aztarac. Allied Leisure's earlier arcade products included Paddle Battle, Tennis Tourney, Super Soccer, and other Pong-influenced machines. Centuri also handled North American releases of games such as Phoenix, Route-16, Vanguard, The Pit, Swimmer, and Munch Mobile. The company operated during the volatile arcade boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Competition intensified as Japanese manufacturers expanded into North America, the market became increasingly dependent on hit-driven software, and the arcade sector experienced a severe downturn after its early-1980s peak. In January 1985, Centuri announced that it would discontinue its video-game division. The decision, together with the closure of its National Interport Services boat-repair facility in Hampton, Virginia, produced a reported charge of $2.5 million against its 1984 results. Centuri's video-game operations therefore ended in January 1985. It is remembered primarily for its role in bringing a substantial selection of Japanese arcade games to the United States and for the Allied Leisure catalog that preceded the Centuri name.

Centuri's history is rooted in Allied Leisure, an American amusement-machine company that operated before the Centuri name was adopted. Allied Leisure produced pinball and electro-mechanical games and entered arcade video games during the early 1970s, when Pong-style machines and other dedicated cabinets were becoming commercially important. Its catalog included Paddle Battle, Tennis Tourney, Super Soccer, and numerous pinball and electro-mechanical products. Tennis Tourney and Super Soccer were identified among the stronger-selling arcade games of 1973, while Paddle Battle reportedly sold more than 17,000 units. The Centuri identity took shape in 1980 after Ed Miller, formerly associated with Taito America, and Bill Olliges took over Allied Leisure and renamed the company. The reorganization placed the business in the expanding coin-operated video-game market. Rather than relying exclusively on original development, Centuri used a hybrid business model: it designed selected games internally, licensed games from foreign developers, and published or distributed those products in the United States. This approach was well suited to a market in which access to attractive overseas software could be as important as hardware manufacturing capacity. Centuri's early-1980s catalog included licensed versions of Rip Off and Targ, as well as Phoenix, Route-16, Pleiades, Round-Up, The Pit, Vanguard, D-Day, Locomotion, Swimmer, Time Pilot, Tunnel Hunt, Gyruss, Guzzler, Track & Field, Munch Mobile, Circus Charlie, Hyper Sports, Badlands, and Mikie: High School Graffiti. The company also backed or published internally developed projects, including Killer Comet, Megatack, Challenger, and Aztarac. Some releases were associated with overseas licensors or developers, while others were made for Centuri by independent studios. Centuri's commercial relationship with Konami became one of the most consequential parts of its history. Centuri held North American rights for a number of Konami arcade games during the early 1980s, giving Konami a route into the United States while giving Centuri access to recognizable and technically competitive software. In 1983, Konami acquired 5 percent of Centuri's stock. Kagemasa Kōzuki, Konami's founder, was announced as a prospective Centuri director. The investment illustrated the close connection between licensing, distribution, and corporate strategy in the arcade industry of the period. The company was regarded as one of the top six suppliers of coin-operated arcade video-game machines in the United States during the early 1980s. Its vice president Joel Hochberg, who had been associated with the company from approximately 1976 to 1982, later joined Rare. Centuri's business nevertheless faced the broader pressures affecting the arcade sector, including the collapse following the early-1980s boom and the difficulty of sustaining a hit-based product pipeline. In January 1985, Centuri announced that it would discontinue its video-game operations. The same announcement covered the closure of National Interport Services' boat-repair facility in Hampton, Virginia, and identified a $2.5 million charge against 1984 results. The arcade division consequently ceased operations, ending Centuri's period as an active video-game manufacturer and distributor.

• 1985

  Video-game division is discontinued

  [2]Financial Desk: Company Briefsnytimes.com

  Centuri ended its video-game operations and announced a charge associated with the division's closure and another business closure.

• 1983

  Konami acquires a minority interest

  [1]Centurien.wikipedia.org

  Konami acquired 5 percent of Centuri's stock, and Kagemasa Kōzuki was announced as a prospective director.

• 1982

  Centuri distributes Konami and other international titles

  [1]Centurien.wikipedia.org

  Locomotion, Swimmer, Time Pilot, and Tunnel Hunt were among the company's 1982 arcade releases.

• 1981

  Centuri releases a major group of licensed arcade games

  [1]Centurien.wikipedia.org

  The company distributed titles including Route-16, Pleiades, Round-Up, The Pit, and Vanguard.

• 1980

  Allied Leisure is renamed Centuri

  [1]Centurien.wikipedia.org

  Ed Miller and Bill Olliges took over Allied Leisure and adopted the Centuri name.

• 1973

  Allied Leisure expands into video-game production

  [1]Centurien.wikipedia.org

  Paddle Battle, Tennis Tourney, and Super Soccer established Allied Leisure as a participant in the Pong-style arcade market.

• 1968

  Allied Leisure begins its documented arcade and amusement catalog

  [1]Centurien.wikipedia.org

  Allied Leisure's documented product history begins with Unscramble, followed by pinball, electro-mechanical, and arcade video-game releases.

A North American arcade-game manufacturer and distributor that combined in-house development with licensing and publishing agreements, especially with Japanese game companies.

• Pinball and electro-mechanical amusement machines · 1968

  Allied Leisure pinball and electro-mechanical games

  Before adopting the Centuri name, Allied Leisure produced a broad range of pinball and electro-mechanical machines, including Unscramble, Monkey Bizz, Wild Cycle, Drag Races, Sea Hunt, Spooksville, Dyn O' Mite, Daytona 500, Thunderbolt, Super Picker, Take Five, and other themed cabinets. These products formed the manufacturing and amusement-industry base from which the later arcade-video-game business developed.

• Arcade video game · 1973

  Paddle Battle

  Paddle Battle was an Allied Leisure Pong-style arcade game released in 1973. It was among the company's better-known early video products and was reported to have sold more than 17,000 units, giving Allied Leisure a substantial presence in the formative dedicated arcade-game market.

• Sports arcade games · 1973

  Tennis Tourney and Super Soccer

  Tennis Tourney and Super Soccer were early Allied Leisure sports games built around Pong-derived competitive play. Each was reported to have sold about 5,000 cabinets and to have ranked among the five best-selling arcade video games of 1973, although they were released under Allied Leisure rather than the later Centuri identity.

• Arcade shooting game · 1980

  Phoenix

  Phoenix was a 1980 Centuri release developed by a smaller Japanese studio and associated with Hiraoka and Amstar Electronics as licensors. It represented Centuri's practice of bringing overseas arcade software to North American operators through licensing and distribution arrangements.

• Arcade shooting game · 1981

  Vanguard

  Vanguard was released by Centuri in 1981 and developed by TOSE for SNK. It was part of the company's growing portfolio of Japanese-origin arcade titles and demonstrates how Centuri served as a North American channel for games created outside the United States.

• Arcade shooting game · 1982

  Time Pilot

  Time Pilot was a Konami-developed arcade game distributed by Centuri in 1982. Its inclusion in Centuri's catalog reflected the close commercial relationship between the two companies and helped establish Centuri's importance as a U.S. distributor of Konami software during the arcade boom.

• Sports arcade game · 1983

  Track & Field

  Track & Field was a Konami-developed sports arcade game released in North America by Centuri in 1983. It was one of several prominent Konami titles handled through the Centuri relationship and broadened the company's catalog beyond shooters and maze-oriented games.

• Arcade shooting game · 1983

  Aztarac

  Aztarac was an internally developed Centuri arcade game released in 1983. Unlike the company's many licensed imports, it represented Centuri's continuing effort to create original software alongside its distribution partnerships.

• 1985

  Exit the video-game businessStrategy

  Background

  Centuri announced the decision during the downturn affecting the arcade industry after its early-1980s boom.

  Action taken

  The company discontinued its video-game operations in January 1985.

  Aftermath

  The arcade division ceased operations, and the company reported a charge against 1984 results in connection with the shutdown and another facility closure.

  Charge against 1984 results. $2.5 million charge (1984 results, announced January 1985)

  Source

• 1983

  Accept Konami minority investmentM&A

  Background

  Centuri and Konami had a close licensing relationship, with Centuri distributing Konami games in North America.

  Action taken

  Konami acquired 5 percent of Centuri's stock, and Kagemasa Kōzuki was announced as a prospective Centuri director.

  Aftermath

  The transaction formalized the companies' commercial relationship shortly before Centuri withdrew from video games.

  Source

• 1980

  Rebrand Allied Leisure as CenturiStrategy

  Background

  Ed Miller and Bill Olliges took over Allied Leisure during the expanding arcade-video-game market.

  Action taken

  They renamed the business Centuri and emphasized coin-operated video games, while retaining links to the earlier amusement-machine business.

  Aftermath

  Centuri became a significant U.S. arcade supplier and developed a hybrid model based on original games and overseas licensing.

  Source

• 1985

  Centuri ends video-game operations[2]Financial Desk: Company Briefsnytimes.com

  Bankruptcy

  Centuri announced that it would discontinue its video-game division in January 1985. The company also planned to close a boat-repair facility, with both actions generating a reported $2.5 million charge against 1984 results.

• 1983

  Konami takes a minority stake in Centuri[1]Centurien.wikipedia.org

  M&A · Leadership change

  Konami acquired a 5 percent interest in Centuri and its founder Kagemasa Kōzuki announced plans to become a director, strengthening the companies' North American arcade relationship.

1. 1Centurien.wikipedia.org
2. 2Financial Desk: Company Briefsnytimes.com