Kee games

Kee Games is considered one of the most interesting tricks in the history of video games . The company was officially created by Joe Keenan (and named after him - Joe Kee nan), another friend of Atari founder Nolan Bushnell , and was independently involved in the development of gaming machines: several Atari engineers , programmers and managers left to work for her. However, in fact, Kee Games was part of Atari from the very beginning. Bushnell came up with this trick in order to circumvent traditional exclusive agreements with distributors that did not allow the machine development company to distribute its products through several channels. Atari distributed expensive slot machines under its own brand name . Kee Games - exactly the same machines, but with a different brand and much cheaper. Thus, Atari transferred the "exclusive" distribution rights to two distributing companies at once.

However, Kee Games exceeded Bushnell's expectations. Firstly, the company was able to create its own gaming machine, Tank , and this development became so popular and successful that distributors were ready to work with Kee Games without exclusive contracts . Secondly, Keenan did very well in the business of the company and acquired the necessary connections. Atari itself had many problems at the same time - there were no bright and successful games, revenues were falling, and distributors were less and less interested in the company's products. In December 1974 , a merger was announced under the Atari brand name, while the name Kee Games was supplemented with “a wholly owned subsidiary of Atari, Inc.” (a “wholly owned subsidiary of Atari Corporation”). Keenan took over as financial director , and Bushnell as technical director . Until 1978 , several more games were released under the Kee Games trademark, after which it was no longer used.

• Spike ( February 1974 ) - clones of the Rebound game developed by Atari; added spike button
• Elimination ( March 1974 ) - Clones of the Quadrapong game developed by Atari
• Formula K ( June 1974 ) - clones of the Gran Trak 10 game developed by Atari
• Twin Racer ( 1974 ) - Clones of the game Gran Trak 20, developed by Atari

• Tank ( November 1974 ) - own and very successful development
• Tank II ( May 1975 ) - the first game released under the brand name "Kee Games, a wholly owned subsidiary of Atary, Inc"
• Indy800 ( March 1975 )
• Quiz Show ( April 1976 )
• Tank 8 ( April 1976 )
• Sprint 2 ( November 1976 )
• Drag Race ( June 1977 )
• Super Bug ( September 1977 )
• Witch Hunt ( 1977 )
• Sprint 1 ( January 1978 )
• Ultra Tank ( February 1978 )

• Atari
• Slot machine (video games)
• Tank

• History of Kee Games, Everything2.com
• Kee Games on the Killer List of Videogames
• Kee Games Game Flyers Arcade Flyers Archive
• Arcade Game History: 1974
• Becoming Atari