From vodka and jukeboxes to the golden age of arcade games
In short: Before it defined the golden age of arcade gaming, Taito was a struggling importer of vodka and refurbished jukeboxes. This is the unlikely evolution of a company that transformed from a post-war trading business into a global entertainment powerhouse, eventually creating the most iconic symbols in video game history.
Founded in 1953 by Ukrainian refugee Michael Kogan, Taito Trading Company began with a diverse portfolio of imports. Kogan initially established a vodka distillery—the first of its kind in Japan—but faced heavy competition. By 1955, the company pivoted to vending machines and jukeboxes. Because Taito lacked the proper licenses to import jukeboxes, they famously purchased broken-down units from United States military bases and refurbished them with parts from other defective machines. This scrappy strategy helped them become a leading jukebox distributor by 1960.
The transition to gaming began in the 1960s with electro-mechanical (EM) games like Crown Soccer Special (1967). However, the real revolution arrived through Tomohiro Nishikado, an engineer who joined in 1968. Tasked with exploring transistor-transistor logic (TTL) technology, Nishikado spent six months dissecting Atari's Pong. His research led to the development of early hits like TV Basketball (1974) and the 1978 release of Space Invaders. The latter became a massive success, sparking the golden age of arcade games and establishing the game's aliens as iconic industry emblems.
Taito's corporate structure has undergone complex shifts since its acquisition by Square Enix in 2005. Through a series of mergers and 'absorption-type company splits,' the current Taito Corporation was formed in February 2010. While the original entity was dissolved to become a wholly owned subsidiary, the current company inherited Taito's arcade and mobile businesses. Today, Taito balances a legacy of arcade operations with a strategic return to home console software publishing to maximize the value of its historic intellectual properties.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Taito
- Also: Wikidata — Taito · CC0
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