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The Surprising Origins of Five Well-Known Game Companies

Now, this news might come as something of a bombshell; don’t be ashamed to take a seat and prepare yourself. Ready? Okay. Videogames haven’t always been part of everyday life; there was even a time when they didn’t exist AT ALL. I know, shocking right? What’s more, many of the companies known for their accomplishments in the gaming market were doing business long before videogames themselves hit the scene. The question is: what were they selling? Well it’s time to find out. Here are the unexpected early ventures of five well-known gaming companies!

SEGA

Long before the famous SEGA vs Nintendo rivalry that defined the home gaming market of the 1990s, SEGA had its eyes on a somewhat different market: coin-operated slot machines. Trading under the name of “Standard Games”, the company spent the early 1940s providing Hawaiian military bases with various coin-operated amusements. Along the lines of today’s online casino sites, but without the free spins, no deposit UK offerings we’ve come to know and love. These were old-fashioned, mechanical contraptions indeed—it clearly wasn’t hard to keep folks entertained in the 40s. As the decades passed, Standard Games went through several shifts, eventually becoming the SEGA that spawned Sonic the Hedgehog, the Mega Drive and—of course—thousands of playground brawls between children caught up in the all-important console wars of the 90s.

Nintendo

Can’t be showing a preference between the two companies now, can we? If we peruse the depths of Sega’s long-distant past, Nintendo must inevitably follow suit. The beloved company existed all the way back in 1889 as a manufacturer of Eastern and Western style playing cards; in fact, Nintendo made cards longer than it has currently spent making games! That’s not all; as Nintendo expanded in the early 60s, it tried to branch out into a variety of unrelated, seemingly random markets such as instant food, household appliances and even a taxi company. Eventually, however, Nintendo settled on gaming in the early 70s, creating accessories for and also distributing the Magnavox Odyssey in Japan. This led on to the Donkey Kong arcade cabinet, the Game and Watch handheld systems and the revolutionary Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom. The rest, as they say, is history.

Square Enix

As you may know, Square Enix is the product of a merger between two Japanese companies. Can you guess their names? It really doesn’t take a mastermind: it’s “Square” and “Enix”. Funnily enough, both companies got their start in distinctly non-gaming markets. Square began as a subsidiary of Den-Yu-Sha, a power line company that, inexplicably, began dipping its toe in the videogame market in 1983.

Enix, on the other hand, was founded in 1975 under the original name “Eidansha Boshu Service Center”, a company that created tabloids aggregating real estate listings. While the company’s founder had a serious love for programming and gaming, it was only in 1982 when he renamed the company to Enix and began work on games in earnest. Between the two companies, the gaming industry has been blessed with classics like Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest and so much more—especially if you consider the contribution of Square Enix, the merger company that formed in 2003.

Namco

Namco’s origin story is humble, wholesome and sure to put a smile on anyone’s face. The company famous for PAC-MAN (voted “the greatest video game” in 2001) was once known as “Nakamura Seisakusho”. It’s founder, Masaya Nakamura, started the company in 1955 with a mere $3000. He used it to buy and install two small mechanical horse rides on the roof of a department store. Short on funds, he maintained and repaired the horses himself. Eventually, Nakamura’s mechanical amusements popped up in department stores all over Japan, and he was able to expand into increasingly complex forms of entertainment. Naturally this led to videogames, and after some shaky involvement with Atari in the early 70s, Namco began making games of its own. Next, of course, came the arrival of everyone’s favourite yellow, fruit-munching pellet-gobbler.

Taito

An innocent tale of simple children’s amusements may have been enough for Namco’s origin story, but Taito’s sights were firmly fixed on the “no kids allowed” market of strong alcohol. Before the company made history with Space Invaders in 1978, it survived the 50s importing and distributing—among other things—vodka to the Japanese market. In fact, it was the first company to do so in Japan! Who would have guessed that the company behind one of the icons of arcade gaming was also responsible for introducing vodka to Japan?!

Final Word

From real estate listings to playing cards and mechanical rocking horses. It’s shocking to look at the industries that once housed companies so revered for gaming excellence. It really makes you wonder what the entertainment Goliaths of tomorrow are doing right now. Perhaps your toaster manufacturer will soon be competing against Microsoft and Sony for the home console crown. Maybe a sparkling water company will be behind the next decade’s industry-shifting gaming masterpiece. Who can say? If a power line company can eventually bring us Final Fantasy, anything’s possible.