Williams Electronics

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Williams Electronics
Williams-logo-1.png
Founded 1943
Headquarters USA
Other Names Williams Electronics Games

WMS Industries, Inc. was an American electronic gaming and amusement manufacturer in Enterprise, Nevada. It was merged into Scientific Games in 2016. WMS's predecessor was the Williams Manufacturing Company, founded in 1943 by Harry E. Williams. However, the company that became WMS Industries was formally founded in 1974 as Williams Electronics, Inc.

Williams initially was a manufacturer of pinball machines. In 1964, Williams was acquired by jukebox manufacturer Seeburg Corp. and reorganized as Williams Electronics Manufacturing Division. In 1973, the company branched out into the coin-operated arcade video game market with its Pong clone Paddle Ball, eventually creating a number of video game classics, including Defender and Robotron: 2084. In 1974, Williams Electronics, Inc. was incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Seeburg. Williams Electronics was sold as an independent company during the bankruptcy of Seeburg in 1980.

In 1987, Williams changed its parent name to WMS Industries, Inc. when it made its public offering. WMS is a shortening of Williams, which it also selected for its NYSE ticker symbol. In 1988, it acquired competitor Bally/Midway, which it spun off in 1998, together with its own video game business. WMS entered the reel-spinning slot machine market in 1994. It closed its pinball division in 1999.

In 2013, WMS became a wholly owned subsidiary of Scientific Games. In 2016, WMS was merged into Scientific Games. Today, WMS is a brand of Scientific Games, along with SG, Bally and Shuffle Master.

When developing video games, they are best known for their games Defender, Joust, Robotron: 2084, NARC and Smash TV. Its video game unit was absorbed into 1991 by Midway. Most of the time, Williams' video games never had credits. There are some exceptions, including the arcade version of Smash TV, in which the game had credits.

Games

Audio Development

ARC

Williams made its own audio driver. The audio driver was revised many themes by composers.

Audio Personnel

Links