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WMS Industries, Inc. is an American electronic gaming and amusement company with development facilities and main headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company's main operating subsidiaries are WMS Gaming and Williams Interactive. WMS traces its roots to 1943, to the Williams Manufacturing Company, founded by Harry E. Williams. However, the company that is known today as WMS Industries was formally founded in 1974 as Williams Electronics, Inc. In 2013, it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Scientific Games.〔("WMS Annual Report for Fiscal 2013" ), (ending June 30, 2013) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 29, 2013〕〔("News release: Scientific Games Completes Acquisition of WMS" ), Scientific Games Corporation, October 18, 2013〕 Williams initially was a manufacturer of pinball machines. In 1964 Williams was acquired by jukebox manufacturer Seeburg Corp. and reorganized as Williams Electronics Manufacturing Division. In 1973, the company branched out into the coin-operated arcade video game market with its ''Pong'' clone ''Paddle Ball''. In 1974, Williams Electronics, Inc. was incorporated in Delaware as a wholly owned subsidiary of Seeburg and replaced the previous entity. In 1987, Williams changed its parent name to WMS Industries, Inc. when it made its public offering. WMS is a shortening of Williams, which it also selected for its NYSE ticker symbol. In 1988, it acquired competitor Bally/Midway, which it spun off in 1998, together with its video game business. It closed its pinball division in 1999. WMS entered the reel-spinning slot machine market in 1994. ==Early history== In 1943, Harry Williams founded Williams Manufacturing Company at 161 West Huron Street in Chicago, Illinois. The first six products were a fortune-telling machine called ''Selector Scope'', two electro-mechanical games called ''Periscope'' and ''Liberator'', a novelty called ''Zingo'', and two pinball conversions, ''Flat-Top'' and ''Laura''. These pinball machines were made by purchasing older pinball machines made by other companies and changing artwork and other elements on the playfield. The lack of raw materials during World War II made the manufacture of new machines difficult and expensive.〔("Williams-Bally-Midway the 'Roman Empire' of Gaming" ), Gamester81 Enterprises, January 6, 2012〕 A Stanford engineering graduate, Williams devised the “tilt” mechanism for pinball machines. The first known original amusement device made by Williams was an early-era pinball machine called ''Suspense'' in 1946. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Williams continued to make pinball machines and the occasional bat-and-ball game. In 1950, Williams produced ''Lucky Inning'', their first pinball machine to have its bottom flippers facing inward in the modern manner.〔 In late 1958, Williams Manufacturing became known as Williams Electronic Manufacturing Company. In 1960, Harry Williams designed his last pinball machine as a full-time designer, the horse racing-themed ''Nags''. The last game he designed for Williams was also one of the last electromechanical games, ''Rancho'' (1977).〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?id=1918 )〕 In 1962, ''3 Coin'' became the first Williams machine to sell over 1,000 units (1,100, specifically). One year later, ''Skill Pool'' sold 2,250 units. In 1964 Williams was purchased by the Seeburg Corporation.〔(WMS Industries, Inc. - Company History )〕 Its 1966 pinball machine ''A-Go-Go'', with its avant-garde 60s theme, sold a record 5,100 units.〔 Early Williams pinball machines often included innovative features and pinball firsts, such as mechanical reel scoring and the "add-a-ball" feature for locations that didn't allow game replays. By 1967, pinball was in the middle of its so-called "golden age", and the number of pinball units that sold began to increase dramatically. Popular Williams pinballs included ''Shangri-La'' (1967), ''Apollo'' (1967), ''Beat Time'' (1967), ''Smart Set'' (1969), ''Gold Rush'' (1971), and ''Space Mission'' (1976). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「WMS Industries」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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