Japanese behemoth Namco started life as Nakamura Manufacturing back in 1955. Their first attraction was two rocking horse rides which they produced for a department store in Yokohama, and in 1963 they installed a Roadway Ride on the roof of a department store in Tokyo.

It wasn't until 1972 that the company finally changed their name to Namco, and two years later they entered the coin-op market after purchasing Atari Corp from the United States. From 1977 onwards, there was a rapid growth in videogaming and Namco produced Shoot Away, before introducing the world to Galaxians in 1979.

Landmarks came every year, including Pac-Man, Pole Position, Xevious, Final Lap and Winning Run. The early 1990s saw the company open amusement arcades, before the epic Ridge Racer and Tekken arrived on Sony's new PlayStation console in 1994. Didn't they do well?