Taito America ceased operations in 1995 after more than 20 years of existence. However, by early 1991, the Vancouver location had completely shut down, and publishing of home video games returned in Wheeling. While manufacturing and distribution of Taito arcade video games in North America continued to be handled in Wheeling, the North Vancouver unit became in charge of releasing video games for Nintendo's products and the computer market. In May 1988, Taito Software, the division of Taito America responsible for non-arcade operations, opened its own office in North Vancouver, British Columbia. While the majority of Taito America's catalog were titles that were originally released in Japan by its parent company, it did also publish video games licensed from third-party companies, as well as games that were developed in the United States for Taito. Initially based in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, Taito America relocated to nearby Wheeling in 1985. It wasn't until the late 1970s that Taito America began to self-publish Taito's video games in North America. In its first years, Taito America's sole purpose was to handle the licensing of Taito's video games to American third party publishers.
Taito opened in 1973 its Taito America division. In 1978 Toshihiro Nishikado, a designer at Taito, created Space Invaders which became the company's most popular title ever and one of the most memorable games in arcade history, responsible for beginning the golden age of arcade video games. Several of its early arcades games saw release in America by Midway, a Chicago area-based arcade manufacturer with strong ties to Taito. Taito changed its name from Taito Trading Company to Taito Corporation in 1972 and introduced its first video arcade game in 1973. Taito began producing electro-mechanical arcade games in the 1960s. Later, it began leasing jukeboxes and eventually started to manufacture its own. It was also the first company to distill and sell vodka in Japan. Taito started out importing and distributing vending machines.
The company was founded in 1953 by a Russian Jewish businessman named Michael Kogan as Taito Trading Company (株式会社太東貿易 Kabushiki-gaisha Taitō Bōeki). 2 Taito Corporation: one name, three companies.
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