Nutting Associates
Encyclopedia
Nutting Associates was an early arcade game
manufacturer from Mountain View, California
, formed in 1968 by Bill Nutting. They introduced a number of mechanical coin-operated games, starting with a quiz game known as Computer Quiz, and moving on to more common fare like shooting games.
In August 1971, Bill hired Nolan Bushnell
who had an idea to put a clone of Spacewar! in its own box. Production began by the end of the year on a run of 1,500 Computer Space
games, but neither Nutting nor Bushnell considered it a real success and only 500 to 1,000 were actually sold. Bushnell proposed to create a sequel/remake of the game but demanded he be given an ownership stake in the company in return. Nutting refused, and Bushnell left to form Atari
.
When Nutting Associates later failed in 1973, Bill left the industry and went on to fly relief supplies in Africa. Nutting Associates went out of business in 1976. Their last title was an arcade game called Ricochet.
Bill's brother, Dave, also worked in the video game industry, forming a consulting firm that produced many of Midway's
games during the 1970s and early 80s. See Dave Nutting Associates
for details.
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
manufacturer from Mountain View, California
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
, formed in 1968 by Bill Nutting. They introduced a number of mechanical coin-operated games, starting with a quiz game known as Computer Quiz, and moving on to more common fare like shooting games.
In August 1971, Bill hired Nolan Bushnell
Nolan Bushnell
Nolan K. Bushnell is an American engineer and entrepreneur who founded both Atari, Inc and the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza-Time Theaters chain...
who had an idea to put a clone of Spacewar! in its own box. Production began by the end of the year on a run of 1,500 Computer Space
Computer Space
Computer Space is a video arcade game released in November 1971 by Nutting Associates. Created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, who would both later found Atari, Inc., it is generally accepted that it was the world's first commercially sold coin-operated video game — and indeed, the first...
games, but neither Nutting nor Bushnell considered it a real success and only 500 to 1,000 were actually sold. Bushnell proposed to create a sequel/remake of the game but demanded he be given an ownership stake in the company in return. Nutting refused, and Bushnell left to form Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
.
When Nutting Associates later failed in 1973, Bill left the industry and went on to fly relief supplies in Africa. Nutting Associates went out of business in 1976. Their last title was an arcade game called Ricochet.
Bill's brother, Dave, also worked in the video game industry, forming a consulting firm that produced many of Midway's
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
games during the 1970s and early 80s. See Dave Nutting Associates
Dave Nutting Associates
David Judd Nutting is a graduate of the Pratt Institute with a degree in industrial design. After leaving the Army Corps of Engineers, he joined the design firm of Brooks Stevens Associates. During his time there he was involved in a wide variety of projects, working on everything from Evinrude...
for details.