Atari, Inc. Atari, Inc. Atari, Inc. was an American video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Primarily responsible for the formation of the video arcade and modern video game industries, the company was closed and its assets split in 1984 as a direct result of the North American video game crash of 1983. In 1966, Nolan Bushnell saw "Spacewar!" for the first time at the University of Utah. By 1968, Bushnell had become an employee of Ampex in San Francisco, and worked alongside Ted Dabney. The two found they had shared interests, including
William C. Dabney from 1916 to 1917. In 1917, Dabney entered the U.S. army as a lieutenant with the 26th Infantry Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division. He served with the American Expeditionary Forces in France. During the Battle of Soissons in July 1918, Dabney commanded four successive attacks that helped lead the Allied Forces to victory. He received the Distinguished Service Cross for "extraordinary heroism". In 1919, Saunders P. Jones and Dabney co-founded the Jones-Dabney Varnish Company. Jones-Dabney specialized in industrial paint finishes for the automotive industry, refrigerator production, and the marine and railroad industries. Dabney served as vice president and general