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········································~ NEWS NOTES sions of the game N BA JAM Tournament Edition are being used to test th e program which can lin k up game play in different locatio ns for tournament competition. While there were still some bugs being worked out at press time, operators were reportedly confident that the experimental program would be a success. David Corey of the Ohio Coin l\Iachine Association said that a team of tech nicia ns from NAN I was traveling to each location to help operators set up the test. Association president !\like Zappa of Lorain l\Iusic said h is two games suffered an ini tial software glitch that prohibited th e m from accessing the network. "You 're kind of walking a tightrope," he said. "You want to get it out, but you don't want to hurt yourself" by rushing. .!ACCLAIM , LAZER-TRON MERGER BACK ON A~er apparently scuttling the deal, Acclaim Entertainment Inc. made an about face July 24, announcing that a proposed merger with Lazer-Tron would still go through. Less than a week earlier Acclaim made clear its intention to terminate the agreement. However, th e terms of th e original agreement have been ame nded. Under the new terms, each outstanding share of Lazer-Tron, whi ch is being valued at $8 per share, will be exchanged for a fraction of a share of Acclaim stock. The fraction will be determined based on the average closing price of Acclaim shares for th e three weeks leading up to a special meeting of Lazer-Tron shareholders this month. According to the original agreement, each share of Lazer-Tron's common stock would have been converted into one half of a share of Acclaim common stock, which closed the week of July 17-21 at more than $22. The reduction of the merger was precipitated, according to Acclaim, by a dispute between the companies over whether certain conditions had been met by Lazer-Tron . When Acclaim first backed away, Laze r-Tron officials expressed surprise at the move, say ing they had met all obligations. /' INDUSTRY MOURNS LOSS OF BILL O'DONNELL .! NEW LEASING PROGRAM FROM SEGA Sega Enterprises Inc. USA recently hosted regional meetings in San Francisco, Calif., and Ch icago, 111., to announce a new leasing program on Sega Rally Championship 11vin. Sega officials are excited about th e program ; product is available for immediate delivery. Call your local Sega distributor, or contact the company at (415) 802-3100; fax (415) 802-3120. .! SPECIAL OFFER FROM JUST KIDDIE RIDES The kiddie r ide manufacturer known for its licensed rides (The Flintstones, Tom & j erry, The j etsons, a nd Batman's Batmobile) is offering prime rate financing and prime + 1 fin ancing fo r 24 months. This is a limited time offer, subject to cred it The industry bid a sad farewell to William T O'Donnell on July 11 when the founder of Bally lfg. Corp. succumbed to cancer at the age of 72. O'Donnell, who resided in Winnetka, Il l., for a long time, passed away at his home in Palm Desert, Cali f. O'Donnell is remembered for his ten ure as chief executive offi cer o f Bally, a company he formed with a group of investors from th e former Lio n l\lfg., ma ke r o f th e Ballyhoo pinball machine. O' Donne ll presid ed over th e expansion of Bally during the years of 19 62 and 19 80 as it established a prese nce in the slot machine and casino marke ts, as well as th e video and pinball game arena. Bally Mfg. Corp. later became two separate public companies, Bally Gaming Inte rnational Inc. (BC!!) and Bally Entertainme nt Corp. The video and pinball divisions were sold to Williams Electronics Inc. According to BCII, it was O'Donnell who foresaw the growth of casino gambling outside of Nevada. Said BC II president and chie f operating officer I Jans Kloss, "Bill was definitely th e most outstanding leader during the early times of our industry. I have never me t a pe rson who was so well-liked and admired as Bill was by the people who worked for him." He wi ll be long re membe red by a legion of fri e nds in the amusement industry who admired his tenacity and his vision. O'Donnell is survived by his wife Ellie, three daughte rs (Ann O'Donnell Devlin , Jane O' Donnell Lau, and Kathl een O'Donne ll), four sons (William Jr., jack, Timothy, a nd Daniel), two brothers, and 14 grandchildre n. approvals. Call Just Kiddie Rides at (800) 858-RIDE or (516) 293-8129; fax (5 16) 293-1268. .! ACCLAIM TO PUBLISH MK3 IN EUROPE Acclai m Ente rtainme nt has secured the rights to publish Mortal Kombat 3 for Super NES, Genesis, Carne Gear, and Came Boy systems throughout Europe. Acclaim obtained the rights for Super NES and Genesis from Sony Electronic Publishing and for Came Gear a nd Came Boy from Williams Entertainme nt Inc., a subsidiary of Wl\IS Industries which created M K3 for the coin-op world. A consumer version of MK3 will be published by Wl\IS for the domestic home market. .! SEGA, IGT SIGN DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT Sega Gaming a nd !CT-Australia have signed an assemb ly and distributorsh ip agreement granting exclusive righ ts to the latte r to assemble and distribute Sega Gaming equipment in Australia, New Zeala nd, a nd New Guinea. The contract will be in place for two years. .! INDUSTRY FIGURES ON THE MOVE Drew l\Ianiscalco is the new national sales manager for Data East USA. And Kristin l\lo nlgome ry, formerly of Data East US/\, is the new business deve lopment man ager for 3Dfx Interactive, a l\ lounta in View, Calif.-based firm focus ing solely on 3D electroni c e nte rtai nment. She can be reached al (4 15) 934-2400; fax (4 15) 934-2424 . .. .I NANI TEST GETS UNDERWAY Test games linked up by th e Al\IOA-sponsored a ti onal Amusement Network Inc. we re put out on location last mo nth in Ohio and Kansas for th e long-awaited trial period. l\Iodifi ed verPLAY METER 3 AUGUST 1995