Williams Electronics

Overview

Williams Electronics was an American arcade game manufacturer that evolved from pinball machines to become one of the most innovative forces in early video gaming. Based in Chicago, Williams created some of the most technically ambitious and intensely challenging arcade games of the early 1980s, defining the “American arcade” style distinct from Japanese competitors.

Later as Williams/Midway, the company produced NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat, and numerous other hits.

Fast Facts

Founded: 1943 (as Williams Manufacturing)
Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
Key designer: Eugene Jarvis
Notable era: 1980-1984
Merged: With Bally/Midway (1988)
Shutdown: Video games division closed 2001

Key Games

Game	Year	Innovation
Defender	1980	Horizontal scrolling, complex controls
Stargate	1981	Defender sequel, warp mechanic
Robotron: 2084	1982	Twin-stick shooter
Joust	1982	Cooperative/competitive flying
Sinistar	1983	Digitised speech
Smash TV	1990	Twin-stick revival

The Williams Style

Williams games were known for:

Intense difficulty - Brutal but fair challenge
Complex controls - More buttons than Japanese games
Overwhelming action - Dozens of enemies on screen
Technical ambition - Pushing hardware limits
Dark themes - Post-apocalyptic, violent

Eugene Jarvis

Williams’ genius designer:

Created Defender - arguably the hardest mainstream arcade game
Designed Robotron: 2084 - twin-stick shooter perfection
Pioneered overwhelming enemy counts
Left to form Vid Kidz, returned for Smash TV

The Midway Era

After merging with Midway:

NBA Jam (1993) - 2-on-2 basketball phenomenon
Mortal Kombat (1992) - Controversial fighter
Cruisin’ USA (1994) - Racing franchise

Legacy

Williams contributed:

Twin-stick shooter genre (Robotron → Smash TV → modern indie games)
American arcade design philosophy
High-score competitive culture
“One more quarter” difficulty design

The company’s games remain among the most respected (and feared) in arcade history.

The pinball-to-video pioneers