CBS Electronics

The video game publishing division of CBS Inc., active in the early 1980s porting arcade and ColecoVision titles to various consoles.

Action

Founded

1982

HQ

New York City, United States

Parent

CBS Corporation

Known for

Arcade ports / Action / Shooter

19

Games

1981–1984

Years

4

Platforms

$30.00

Ø CIB

-3.1%

24M change

About

CBS Electronics published and distributed several prominent video games in the early 1980s, particularly for the Atari 2600 and ColecoVision. They were responsible for releasing popular titles such as Wizard of Wor, Mouse Trap, Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle, and the home console ports of Nintendo's Donkey Kong in international markets.

Operating as a division of CBS Inc., the company secured pivotal licensing agreements to manufacture and distribute cartridges outside of North America. Through a partnership with Coleco, CBS Electronics became the primary vessel for bringing the seminal Donkey Kong (1982) franchise to European and Australian households on platforms like the Atari 2600 and Intellivision. This distribution deal also encompassed other Coleco-licensed properties, including the arcade ports Wizard of Wor (1981) and Mouse Trap (1982), alongside the licensed platformer Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle (1982).

Additionally, the publisher's early catalog intersected with Sears' Tele-Games branding, distributing early Atari VCS titles such as the driving game Race (1978) under various text and picture label variations. CBS Electronics distinguished its releases with unique, oversized silver packaging and localized manuals, establishing a standardized retail presence in PAL regions. The division's reliance on these high-profile arcade and toy licenses defined its brief but significant tenure during the early 1980s console boom, before the video game crash of 1983 prompted CBS to phase out its interactive entertainment division.