Centuri, formerly known as Allied Leisure, was an American arcade game manufacturer. They were based in

Hialeah, Florida Hialeah ( ; ) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. With a population of 223,109 as of the 2020 census, Hialeah is the sixth-largest city in Florida. It is the second largest city by population in the Miami metropolitan area, wh ...

, and were one of the top six suppliers of coin-operated

arcade video game An arcade video game takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. Most arcade video games are coin-operated, housed in an ar ...

machinery in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

during the early 1980s. Centuri in its modern inception was formed when former Taito of America president Ed Miller and his partner Bill Olliges took over Allied Leisure, Inc. They renamed it "Centuri" in 1980. Many of the

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

machines distributed in the US under the Centuri name were licensed from overseas manufacturers, particularly Japanese developers such as

Konami , is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machines, slot machines, and arcade cabinets. Konami has casi ...

. Allied Leisure previously also manufactured

pinball Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...

and

electro-mechanical game Electro-mechanical games (EM games) are types of arcade games that operate on a combination of some electronic circuitry and mechanical actions from the player to move items contained within the game's cabinet. Some of these were early light g ...

s, which were developed in-house. The company's vice president was Joel Hochberg from about 1976 to 1982, before he went on to work for Rare. Centuri had a close relationship with Konami, which licensed the North American rights of their games to Centuri during the early 1980s. This led to Konami acquiring 5% of Centuri's stocks in 1983, with Konami founder

Kagemasa Kōzuki is a Japanese industrialist who is the founder and chairman of Konami , is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu ...

announcing he would become a director at Centuri. Centuri discontinued their video game operations in January 1985.

List of games

Allied Leisure and Centuri published the following

arcade games An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade ...

in the United States:

Pinball Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...

and

s released as Allied Leisure (1969-1979) * ''

Monkey Bizz Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as the simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes, which constitutes an incomp ...

'' (1969) * ''Unscramble'' (1969) * ''

Wild Cycle Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to: Common meanings * Wild animal * Wilderness, a wild natural environment * Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed Art, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Wild'' (2014 film), a 2014 A ...

'' (1970) * ''Sea Hunt'' (1972) * ''Spooksville'' (1972) * ''Crack Shot'' (1972) * ''Monte Carlo'' (1973) * '' Chopper'' (1974) * ''

Super Shifter Super may refer to: Computing * SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter / player * Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages * Super key (keyboard butt ...

'' (1974) * '' F-114'' (1975) * ''

Dyn O' Mite Dyn or DYN may refer to: * ''DYN'' (magazine) * Dyne (dyn), a unit of force * Dyn (company) (Dynamic Network Services, Inc., originally known as DynDNS), an Internet performance management company * Dynorphin, a class of opioid peptides * Nira Dy ...

'' (1975;

solid-state Solid state, or solid matter, is one of the four fundamental states of matter. Solid state may also refer to: Electronics * Solid-state electronics, circuits built of solid materials * Solid state ionics, study of ionic conductors and their ...

pinball machine) * '' Daytona 500'' (1976) * ''Take Five'' (1978;

cocktail A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely acr ...

pinball) * ''

Clay Champ Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay parti ...

'' (1979; licensed from

Namco was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...

) * ''

Star Shooter A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth mak ...

'' (1979; cocktail pinball)

Arcade video game An arcade video game takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. Most arcade video games are coin-operated, housed in an ar ...

s released as Allied Leisure (1973-1979) * ''

Paddle Battle A paddle is a handheld tool with an elongated handle and a flat, widened distal end (i.e. the ''blade''), used as a lever to apply force onto the bladed end. It most commonly describes a completely handheld tool used to propel a human-powered wa ...

'' (1973), a ''

Pong ''Pong'' is a table tennis–themed twitch arcade sports video game, featuring simple two-dimensional graphics, manufactured by Atari and originally released in 1972. It was one of the earliest arcade video games; it was created by Allan A ...

''-style game * ''Super Soccer'' (1973), a ''Pong''-style game, sold 5,000 arcade cabinets, among top 5 best-selling arcade video games of 1973. * ''

Tennis Tourney Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cove ...

'' (1973), ''Pong''-style game, sold 5,000 cabinets, among top 5 best-selling arcade video games of 1973. * ''

Fire Power Firepower is the military capability to direct force at an enemy. (It is not to be confused with the concept of rate of fire, which describes the cycling of the firing mechanism in a weapon system.) Firepower involves the whole range of potenti ...

'' (1975) * '' Bomac'' (1976) * ''

Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chase Co ...

'' (1976) * ''

Battle Station A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

'' (1977) * '' Battlestar'' (1979; unreleased?) * ''

Lunar Invasion Lunar most commonly means "of or relating to the Moon". Lunar may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lunar'' (series), a series of video games * "Lunar" (song), by David Guetta * "Lunar", a song by Priestess from the 2009 album '' Prior ...

'' (1979; unreleased?) * ''

Space Bug Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...

'' (1979; unreleased?) * '' Clay Shoot'' (1979; video game version of ''

'') Arcade video games released as Centuri (1980-1984) * ''

Rip-Off ''Rip Off'' is a multidirectional shooter with black and white vector graphics written by Tim Skelly and released in arcades by Cinematronics in 1980. It was the first shooter with cooperative gameplay and an early game to exhibit flocking beh ...

'' (1980; color cocktail version licensed from

Cinematronics Cinematronics Incorporated was an arcade game developer that primarily released vector graphics games in the late 1970s and early 1980s. While other companies released games based on raster displays, early in their history, Cinematronics and ...

) * ''Targ'' (1980; cocktail version licensed from

Exidy Exidy was a developer and manufacturer of coin-operated amusements. The company was founded by H.R. "Pete" Kauffman and Samuel Hawes in 1973. The name "Exidy" was a portmanteau of the words "Excellence in Dynamics". Notable games released by Exid ...

) * ''

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

'' (1980; developed by

Nichibutsu was a Japanese video game developer and publisher headquartered in Kita, Osaka. In the past they had also manufactured and sold yachts. The main video game brand of the company was Nichibutsu (日物、ニチブツ), with adult video games (mai ...

as ''

Moon Cresta is a fixed shooter video game released by Nichibutsu for arcades in 1980. In North America, it was licensed to Sega/Gremlin and Centuri, the latter releasing it in arcades as ''Eagle''. Incentive Software published ports of ''Moon Cresta'' for ...

)'' * ''

Killer Comet A killer is someone or something that kills, such as a murderer or a serial killer. Killer may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Killer (''Home and Away''), a character from ''Home and Away'' * Killer Ka ...

'' (1980; developed in-house; licensed to Game Plan) * '' Megatack'' (1980; developed in-house; licensed to Game Plan) * ''

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

'' (1980; developed by a "smaller Japanese developer" such as Hiraoka or TPN); licensors: Hiraoka and Amstar Electronics * '' Route 16'' (1981; developed by Sun Electronics); licensor:

Tehkan , was a Japanese video game corporation founded in 1967. It had its headquarters in Kudankita, Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its subsidiary, Tecmo Inc, was located in Torrance, California. Tecmo was formerly known as Tehkan. Tecmo is known for the ''Captain ...

* ''

Pleiades The Pleiades (), also known as The Seven Sisters, Messier 45 and other names by different cultures, is an asterism and an open star cluster containing middle-aged, hot B-type stars in the north-west of the constellation Taurus. At a distance ...

'' (1981; developed by

) * '' Round-Up'' (1981; developed by

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It ...

and Hiraoka); licensor: Hiraoka & Co. * ''

The Pit The Pit may refer to: Places * The Pit, a commonly used name for a mosh pit * The Pit (arena), the main indoor arena at the University of New Mexico * The Pit (memorial), "Яма" the Holocaust memorial in Minsk, Belarus * Elder 'The Pit' Stadiu ...

'' (1981; developed by

AW Electronics A&W, AW, Aw, aW or aw may refer to: Companies * A&W Restaurants ** A&W Root Beer * Addison-Wesley, publishers * Africa World Airlines, IATA code * Prefix for helicopters made by AgustaWestland * Allied Waste Industries, Inc, stock symbol on N ...

); licensor: Zilec * ''

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives f ...

'' (1981; developed by

TOSE () (also called Tose Software) is a Japanese video game development company based in Kyoto. It is mostly known for developing Nintendo's ''Game & Watch Gallery'' series, various ''Dragon Ball'' games, as well as other Nintendo products. Tose ha ...

); licensor:

SNK is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...

* ''

Challenger Challenger, Challengers, or The Challengers may refer to: Entertainment Comics and manga * Challenger (character), comic book character * ''Challengers'' (manga), manga by Hinako Takanaga Film and TV * ''The Challengers'' (TV series), a 1979 ...

'' (1981; developed in-house) * '' D-Day'' (1982; developed by Olympia) * ''

Locomotion Locomotion means the act or ability of something to transport or move itself from place to place. Locomotion may refer to: Motion * Motion (physics) * Robot locomotion, of man-made devices By environment * Aquatic locomotion * Flight * Locomoti ...

'' (1982; developed by

) * ''

Swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

'' (1982; developed by

) * ''

Time Pilot is a multidirectional shooter arcade game designed by Yoshiki Okamoto and released by Konami in 1982. It was distributed in the United States by Centuri, and by Atari Ireland in Europe and the Middle East. While engaging in aerial combat, the ...

'' (1982; developed by

) * ''

Tunnel Hunt Atari, Inc. was an American video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Atari was a key player in the formation of the video arcade and video game industry. Based primarily around the Sun ...

'' (1982; developed by Atari) * ''

Aztarac ''Aztarac'' is a scrolling multidirectional shooter with color vector graphics. It was developed by Tim Stryker (1954-1996) and released in arcades by Centuri in 1983. The player commands an intergalactic race of mutant humans whose mode of t ...

'' (1983; developed in-house) * ''

Gyruss is an arcade shoot 'em up game designed by Yoshiki Okamoto and released by Konami in 1983. ''Gyruss'' was initially licensed to Centuri in the United States for dedicated machines, before Konami released their own self-distributed conversion k ...

'' (1983; developed by

) * ''

Guzzler ''Guzzler'' is a maze video game developed and manufactured by Tehkan and licensed to Centuri for US distribution in 1983. It was released as an arcade conversion kit, including a new marquee and control panel, then ported to the SG-1000 console. ...

'' (1983; developed by

) * ''

Track & Field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

'' (1983; developed by

) * ''

Munch Mobile ''Munch Mobile'' is a top-down driving game released in arcades in 1983. Developed by SNK, it was licensed to Centuri for the US release. SNK published the game in Japan as ''Joyful Road''. The player controls an anthropomorphic Anthropo ...

'' (1983; developed by

) * ''

Circus Charlie is an action game originally published in arcades by Konami in 1984. The player controls a circus clown named Charlie in six different circus-themed minigames. It was released for MSX in the same year, followed by ports to the Famicom in 1986 by ...

'' (1984; developed by

) * ''

Hyper Sports ''Hyper Sports'', known in Japan as is an Olympic-themed sports video game released by Konami for arcades in 1984. It is the sequel to 1983's ''Track & Field'' and features seven new Olympic events. Like its predecessor, ''Hyper Sports'' has t ...

'' (1984; developed by

) * '' Mikie: High School Graffiti'' (1984; developed by

) * ''

Badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes ...

'' (1984; developed by

)

References

* {{note, nytimes}
"Financial Desk: Company Briefs", ''The New York Times'', January 17, 1985.
(subscription required). "Centuri Inc., Hialeah, Fla., said it would discontinue operations of its video games division and close its National Interport Services Inc. boat repair facility in Hampton, Va., resulting in a $2.5 million charge against 1984 results."

External links

Killer List of Videogame's entry on Centuri

The Centuri Arcade Database
Defunct video game companies of the United States Video game companies disestablished in 1985 Video game publishers Defunct companies based in Florida Companies based in Hialeah, Florida