IEWS BRIEFS
au Mille Shaw
Konami , the Japanese video game softwa re producer, is ready with its first marketing effort since
it opened a stateside office in Torrance, California (Play Meter, June 1, p. 20) . The product is a
conversion kit of its highly successful Time Pilot .
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Cinematronics is offering a speed-up kit for Dragon' Lair. It includes five PROMs which make
the game faster and "trickier," according to Marketing Director Tom Campbell.
The Amusement Game Manufacturers Association has added four companies to its membership
roll. Digital Controls of orcross, Georgia , presided over by Michael Macke, and oah Anglin's
Simutrek of Hayward , California , were admitted as manufacturing members. Parts giant Wico, and CVS ,
marketer of convertible games, were taken in as associate members.
A Huntington Beach, California , firm called Entertainment Sci nces is promising a new entry in
the coin-op game fi ld , a conventional game replete with " much more microprocessing power, a lot
more memory, and it has high resolution graphics," said company President Ron Clark . The firm
re ently hired former Cinematronics' game designer Robert Patton as its director of game design.
Games Unlimited , a large operator of coin-op games, is selling its operations in Straw Hat Pizza
locations in orthern California in order to alleviate some of its debt . Automatic Merchandising
Corporation will pay Games Unlimited about $80,000 and distribute another $300,000 among its
creditors . The firm recently declared bankruptcy under Chapter 11 status wherein it can continue to
do business while the court holds creditors at bay.
Digital Controls ' motion to stop the sale of Entertainment Enterprises' Mini Vega was
withdrawn from the U .S. District Court in ew York Sept mb r 26 . Digital Controls is suing the
Oceanside, ew York , firm , claiming copyright infringement by Entertaiment Enterprises ' Reno Game
of its Little Ca ino . That suit is cheduled to be heard b the court ovember 2.
The first 10 players of a projected 30-man squad of America 's best video game athletes have
been selected . They are the winners of the first round of state team tournaments which took place
August 24-28. Of the top 10 players-the tournament included eight state teams-eight are from
California and two from Ohio. The 30-man team will take on international challenges. A challenge has
b en issued to Japan , and another has already been accepted by Italy.
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PlAY METER. November 15, 1960