Bally Halfway’s Stanley Jarocki – The Arcade Blogger

Unhappy information to report on the weblog this week. Halfway’s Director of Advertising through the Golden Period of basic arcade gaming handed away on 14 Could 2024 aged 94. He lived out his later years in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Jarocki’s affect on the business shouldn’t be underestimated. He was the king of the Japanese licence, bringing many video games over from the East and introducing them to American arcade avid gamers throughout the nation. House Invaders, Pac-Man, Rally X to call a number of, and naturally he oversaw essentially the most profitable arcade sport ever to be launched in america – Ms Pac-Man.

Interviewed in September 1979, he had this to say after the acquisition of the House Invaders licence from Japanese producer Taito:

We’ve distributed many 1000’s, effectively past 20,000 of the machines. It’s been widespread for 19 months, and it seems like its going to proceed that manner for one more 10 months.

House Invaders after all was an enormous scoop for Halfway beating different American producers, all determined to get the unique distribution licence for that market. Distributors on the time recognised that House Invaders was going to be the most well liked digital sport each launched to the coin business.

The sport has nice retaining energy. Many video games are performed on a time foundation, however with House Invaders, the participant retains on enjoying so long as he isn’t worn out by the invaders. The sport appears to be gaining participant attraction because it goes on. It’s phenomenal. Individuals have gotten into it and actually critique it and even they haven’t stopped enjoying it. Its like a cult of gamers have developed across the sport. Its unbelievable. There is no such thing as a space in america that’s resistant to House Invaders. You may go to Turtle Bayou, Texas and so they have House Invaders in that city.

Inside 12 months of its launch in November 1978, over 60,000 models have been offered throughout the USA at a price ticket of $1,700 apiece. An enormous earner for Halfway with many places reporting the machine paid for itself inside a month. Even after 16 months of manufacturing of House Invaders, distributers needed to wait 5 weeks to obtain an order for the sport. It’s reported that 370,000 House Invaders cupboards have been offered worldwide.

It was an excellent higher story for the American launch of Pac-Man. Some 96,000 machines have been manufactured and offered by Halfway. However it wasn’t simply machine gross sales that introduced revenue to the Chicago primarily based producer. An article dated February 16, 1982 by the New York Instances had this to say:

”Pac-Man is a cute creature with cute options,” Jarocki stated. ”I don’t assume the novelty goes to put on off.” Up to now eight months, 30 firms have signed sublicensing agreements with Halfway for Pac-Man merchandise starting from greeting playing cards and wrapping paper to bumperstickers, watches, clocks and mugs. As well as, three new Pac-Man dwelling video games are making their debut this winter, together with one from Coleco Industries, a Hartford-based producer of video video games and above floor swimming swimming pools. Final yr, Pac-Man arcade sport gross sales totalled about $200 million.

Apparently, Pac-Man almost didn’t occur for Halfway in any respect. Jarocki had returned from a visit to Japan the place he was somewhat taken by Namco’s new Puck-Man sport.

I used to be actually excited. It was a really nice departure from the standard area, fight and taking pictures video games. Plus it was completely easy to function and simple to know.

Jarocki urged Bally president Robert Mullane to purchase the rights from Namco, and manufacture Puck-Man within the States. “He turned it down, plain and easy”.

Nonetheless, destiny was to step in. Halfway’s governing committee over-ruled Mullane and a deal was struck with Namco and made the corporate an absolute fortune.

However in presumably his most audacious enterprise choice a few years later, Jacrocki determined to launch Ms Pac-Man as a whole standalone sport, somewhat than the add-on package it was initially proposed to be by its creator, GCC. It was an on the spot hit, changing into the largest promoting basic arcade videogame of its time.

Basic Pc Company’s Steve Golson spoke to us on the podcast about how Ms Pac-Man took place, together with the strategy they made to Halfway – you may take heed to that fascinating interview right here.

There are a lot of extra video games that Jarocki oversaw throughout his time at Halfway – he was an enormous determine on the planet of arcade manufacturing, answerable for billions of {dollars} of income for the agency. Take a look at this interview from 1982, the place he provides his views on the business on the time. It’s a protracted dialogue, however effectively value pulling up a chair for, as Jarocki provides an interesting perception into how the business labored again then:

Condolences to Stanley Jarocki’s household. He was a person filled with ardour for the business, who introduced us a slew of nice basic arcade video games that entered widespread tradition within the USA.

Stanley W Jarocki: 13 July, 1929 – 14 Could, 2024.

See you subsequent time.

Tony