Taito Corporation (株式会社タイトー) is a Japanese video game and entertainment company based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. It specializes in video games, toys, and amusement arcades. The company was founded by Ukrainian businessman Michael Kogan in 1953 as the Taito Trading Company, (太東貿易株式会社) importing vodka, vending machines, and jukeboxes into Japan. It began production of video games in 1973. In 2005, Taito was purchased by Square Enix, becoming a wholly owned subsidiary by 2006.[1]
Taito is recognized as an important industry influencer in the early days of video games, producing a number of hit arcade games such as Speed Race (1974), Western Gun (1975), Space Invaders (1978), Bubble Bobble (1986), and Arkanoid (1986). It is one of the most prominent video game companies from Japan and the first that exported its games to other countries.[2] Several of its games have since been recognized as important and revolutionary for the industry – Space Invaders in particular was a major contributor to the growth of video games in the late 1970s, and the aliens featured in the games are seen as iconic emblems within the video game industry.
The company maintains a chain of arcade centers, known as "Taito Game Stations", across Japan, alongside being a manufacturer of toys, plush dolls and UFO-catcher prizes.
History
In 1944, Jewish Ukrainian businessman Michael Kogan founded Taitung in Shanghai.[3] Kogan, a refugee of the Soviet Union, had previously worked in a factory in Japan during the country's involvement in World War II before moving to Shanghai to join his father.[3][4] The company's name, written in Kanji as 太東 (Pinyin: tàidōng, Japanese reading: taitō), is composed of the characters 太 from 猶太 ("Judea") and 東, meaning "East", ostensibly alluding to his position as a Jew in the Far East diaspora. Taitung dealt in floor coverings, natural hair wigs, and hog bristles.[3]
1950s–1960s
The Communist takeover of China prompted Kogan to liquidate the business in 1950 and move operations to Japan, which had been suffering a significant economic decline after the war.
Organization
Taito had branches outside of Japan in Brazil, Belgium, Australia and the US.[34]
External links
References
- Revitalizing The Legacy: An Interview With Taito's Keiji Fujita Gamasutra^
- Steven L. Kent. The Ultimate History of Video Games: The Story Behind the Craze that Touched our Lives and Changed the World Random House International, 2002^
- Alexander Smith. They Create Worlds CRC Press, November 19, 2019^