Masaya Nakamura, the founder of Namco also known as the father of Pac-Man, died earlier in the month on 22 January at the age of 91.
Nakamura started Nakamura Manufacturing in 1955, focused on coin-operative carnival rides. The company was later renamed to the Nakamura Amusement Machine Manufacturing Company (or NAMMCo) in 1977. As you may expect, coin-operated arcade machines was the company’s largest source of income.
Namco hit its stride in the 1970s, acquiring Atari Japan and producing hits like Dig Dug, Pole Position, Tank Batallion and, of course, Pac-Man itself in 1980.
Nakamura himself named the titular star of Pac-Man, suggested “Pac” as a shortened form of pakku, the noise the character makes when it eats dots and ghosts.
Namco company merged with Bandai in 2005, and today is Japan’s third-largest video games publisher. Key franchises include Dark Souls, Tekken and Ni No Kuni.
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