Play Meter

Issue: 1986 February - Vol 12 Num 2

New company to
license games
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John Rowe, former Romstar vice
president and Byron Cook of Master
Vend Amusement Sales have formed
a new company called Trade West to
license games from various companies
and offer them through normal dis-
tribution channels.
"We're unique to the industry,"
Cook said. "We started as an operator,
and as an operator turned to kits after
the video crunch to stay alive. How-
ever, we noticed a resistance among
distributors to offer operators good,
low-cost kits, so we then got into dis-
tributing.
"It then disturbed me when kit costs
kept rising, so I started looking into
licensing kits," Cook continued. " But
our missing link was someone with
expertise in manufacturing and deal-
ing with Japanese companies, and
John has filled that void. I have every
confidence this will work."
Cook said the new company will
share Master Vend's facilities. "This
way we will have minimum overhead
expense, which will enable us to bring
to the market quality products under
market price."
Trade Winds has licensed its first kit
Alpha Mission , from Japanese SNK
(former owner of Romstar). Cook said
the game has been rated number
seven in Japan, and he is thrilled with
his test results.
The game will be available by the
end of February and will be shown at
the ACME show in Chicago's Expo-
center March 7.
The address and telephone num-
ber of Trade West are P.O. Box 1796,
Corsicana, TX 75110, (214) 874-2683.•
Tehkan changes to Tecmo
Tehkan, Ltd., of Tokyo has changed
its name to Tecmo, Ltd., effective Janu-
ary 8, 1986.
Tekashi Kakihara, the company's
president said the new name "reflects
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our plan to grow into the coin-operated
and home video fields, as well as
expand our opportunities to enter the
home-game segment in Japan."
The company's U .S. subsidiary,
Tehkan, Inc., will change its name also
in an announcement to be made at

the ACME show in March.

Dennis Sable
Sable to conduct
conversion seminar
It you are an operator who wants
conversions that rival dedicated
games, or a distributor who would like
to do conversions for your customers,
Dennis Sable of Romstar will present a
seminar at the ACME show that is just
what you need.
Sable said, "I have done over 500
conversions, including games and kits
by nearly all of the manufacturers in
our industry, and have gained con-
siderable insight into the tricks of this
very intricate process."
Sable will begin with checking the
package to make sure all listed parts
are included and go right through
finishing touches.
For more information, call (312)

333-9292.
Play Meter issued once this month
In order to ensure timely publication of our comprehensive March 1
ACME Preview issue, Play Meter has combined its February 1 and February
15 issues into this single edition.
Subscribers will come out ahead as a result of the combination
because all subscriptions have been extended one month. The extension
will not only make up for a one-issue February, but will provide all

subscribers with an additional issue at no cost.
PLAY METER. February 1986
Bally Sente tabs Locke
Tom Locke, Bally Midway vice pre-
sident of sales development, has been
assigned to develop new product lines
and national-account sales for Bally
Sente, Inc., which designs and markets
video-game software for the SAC I
interchangeable game system. Both
companies are subsidiaries of Bally
Manufacturing.
Locke will continue to be responsi-
ble for marketing strategy, market
research, and sales analysis of new
Midway products and will be based at
Midway's offices in Franklin Park, Ill.
The market targeted for Bally Sente
national accounts, Locke said, is
" large nationwide and regional
chains not currently in the video-
amusement business who have the
potential to purchase a large number
of games at one time. Likely candi-
dates are some convenience food
stores, fast-food chains, and certain
restaurants with casual ambience."
Tom Locke
Mr. and Mrs. George Kane and their son.
George R. Kane, hosted an open house at
Kane Amusement's new facilities.
Mr. and Mrs. Al Huffine ofBAGAmusement
in Jefferson, La., made the trip to
Hattiesburg.
Locke said the Sente System's
"more tasteful" cabinet, the ease of
changing system games, and con-
tinued game availability will make
the system attractive to such locations,
which may have shied away from
video games in the past.
The first such national account,
National Convenience Stores, has
been signed, and more than 200
games are now in the company's
locations from Florida to Nevada.
Lock said all national-account
sales will be coordinated with Bally
Sente distributors.

Status reports
record revenues
Jerry Reeves of Wurlitzer (left) talks to
Christy Landon. manager of Kane 's game
room . and Kane r o uteman Bill Horoszko.
Inspecting darts before a game are, from
left. Ledon Bellamy of Arcade Electronics,
Jerry Pilgrim. and Bob Turpin of Wic o.
Kane Amusement holds open house
Operator/ customers joined the
staff of Kane Amusement at a January
open house to celebrate Kane's move
from Petal, Miss., to Hattiesburg. "It will
be easier for our customers in Hatties-
burg," said George Kane.
Operators enjoyed a German
buffet prepared by Mrs. Kane and
PlA Y METER, February 1966
played the latest games. World Series
by Cinematronics was a hit among
operators and evidently is coming on
strong. Ghosts 'n Goblins by Taito/
Digital Controls was also said to be
doing well. And a visit next door to
Kane's amusement center showed
Tiger Heli popular among the kids. •
Status Games Corporation has
reported income of $101,351 on
record revenues of $1,871,969 for the
three months ending November 30,
1985.
The quarterly results represented .
huge gains compared with the same
period the year before, when the com-
pany reported income of $30,391 on
revenues of $926, 775.
Income and revenues for the six
months ending November 30 also
were more than double those for the
same period the year before.
"These results reflect increased
penetration by our innovative amuse-
ment games, particularly in the inter-
national market, " said Irving Yaffa,
Status chairman and president. "Addi-
tionally, we benefited from revenues
from game machines which the
company owns and operates, a seg-
ment of the business which wasn't in
operation last year."

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