GameTek was an American
video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that have been developed either internally by the publisher or externally by a video game developer.
They often finance the development, sometimes by paying a video game developer ...
based in
North Miami Beach, Florida
North Miami Beach (commonly referred to as NMB) is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The City of North Miami Beach is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. Originally named "Fulford-by-the-Sea" in 1926, after ...
, known for publishing video game adaptations of
game show
A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...
s in the late 1980s and early 1990s. GameTek was a trade name for IJE, the owner of electronic publishing rights to ''
Jeopardy!
''Jeopardy!'' is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead g ...
'' and ''
Wheel of Fortune''. Originally, IJE licensed these titles to ShareData of
Chandler, Arizona
Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, fourth-most populous city in Arizona ...
; however, when IJE saw ShareData's success with the titles, IJE decided to publish the titles themselves, resulting in the founding of GameTek.
After establishing distribution for the game show titles, GameTek expanded by licensing European titles for the North American market, including ''
Frontier: Elite II'' and ''
The Humans''. In 1991, they attempted to launch the InfoGenius Systems franchise for the
Game Boy
The is a handheld game console developed by Nintendo, launched in the Japanese home market on April 21, 1989, followed by North America later that year and other territories from 1990 onwards. Following the success of the Game & Watch single-ga ...
. In 1994, the company made a deal to purchase game developer Malibu Interactive from Malibu Comics and renamed to Padded Cell Studios.
In 1996, GameTek scaled down its publishing activities, turning most of that aspect of its business over to
Philips
Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...
. GameTek filed for
bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
in December 1997, citing development delays and disappointing sales, and went out of business in July 1998. Most of the company's assets were acquired by
Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in New York City founded by Ryan Brant in September 1993.
The company owns three major Imprint (trade name), publishing labels, Rockstar Games, Zynga and 2K ...
in 1997.
Games
*''
AYSO Soccer '97''
*''
Wheel of Fortune''
*''
Wheel of Fortune arcade game'' (1989, Developed by
Incredible Technologies)
*''
Double Dare''
*''
Hollywood Squares
''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'', later stylized as ''H2: Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show originally aired as a ...
''
*''
Jeopardy!
''Jeopardy!'' is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead g ...
''
*''
Jeopardy! Sports Edition''
*''
Press Your Luck
''Press Your Luck'' is an American television game show created by Bill Carruthers and Jan McCormack. Contestants answer trivia questions to earn "spins" on a randomly cycling game board. The board's spaces display cash, prizes, extra spins, sp ...
''
*''
Quarantine
A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals, and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have bee ...
''
*''Quarantine II: Road Warrior''
*''
Family Feud
''Family Feud'' is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson. Two families compete on each episode to name the most popular answers to survey questions in order to win cash and prizes.
The show has had three separate runs, the ...
''
*''
American Gladiators'' (Developed by Incredible Technologies)
*''
Frontier: Elite II''
*''
Alien Incident
''Alien Incident'' () is a 1996 point-and-click graphic adventure game. It was developed by Finnish game developer Housemarque and published by GameTek for MS-DOS.
Plot
On Halloween, Benjamin Richards is at his uncle's mansion to bear witness ...
'' (European Version)
* ''
Cyberbykes: Shadow Racer VR''
*''
The Humans''
*''
Brutal: Paws of Fury''
*''
Brutal Unleashed: Above the Claw''
*''
Star Crusader'' (European version)
*''
Valkyrie
In Norse mythology, a valkyrie ( or ; from ) is one of a host of female figures who guide souls of the dead to the god Odin's hall Valhalla. There, the deceased warriors become ('single fighters' or 'once fighters').Orchard (1997:36) and Li ...
'' (for Macintosh)
*''
Nomad
Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...
''
*''
Robotech: Crystal Dreams'' (Cancelled)
*''
Super Password''
*''
Super Street Fighter II Turbo
''Super Street Fighter II Turbo'', released in Japan as is a 1994 fighting game developed and published by Capcom for arcades. It is the fifth installment in the '' Street Fighter II'' sub-series of ''Street Fighter'' games, following '' ...
'' (MS-DOS Version)
*''
Frontier: First Encounters''
*''
Frantic Flea''
*''
NET:Zone''
*''Daemon's Gate: Volume One, Dorovan's Key''
*''
Tarzan: Lord of the Jungle''
*''
Classic Concentration''
*''
The Price Is Right
''The Price Is Right'' is an American television game show where contestants compete by guessing the prices of merchandise to win cash and prizes. A 1972 revival by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman of their The Price Is Right (1956 American game ...
''
*''
Nigel Mansell's World Championship Racing''
*''
Now You See It''
*''
Race Days''
*''
Yogi Bear's Gold Rush'' (Cancelled for Game Gear)
*''
Full Throttle: All-American Racing''
*''
Zool'' (Console and Handheld Versions)
*''
Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament'' (MS-DOS Version)
*''
Pinball Dreams'' (SNES, Game Boy and Game Gear Versions)
*''
Pinball Fantasies'' (SNES and Game Boy Versions)
*''
Pinball Mania'' (Game Boy Version Exclusive to Europe)
*''Fisher-Price: Firehouse Rescue''
*''Fisher-Price: I Can Remember''
*''Fisher-Price: Perfect Fit''
References
See also
*
Cybersoft (video game company) (GameTek subsidiary)
1987 establishments in Florida
1998 disestablishments in Florida
Video game publishers
Video game companies established in 1987
Video game companies disestablished in 1998
Defunct video game companies of the United States
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1997
Defunct companies based in Florida
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