Founded in 1978, Telegames, Inc. is one of the oldest active video game publishers. The company initially focused on distributing and publishing games for platforms like the Atari 2600 and ColecoVision. In later years, they became prominent for supporting systems such as the Atari Lynx and Game Boy Color with new releases and hardware sales.
During the early 1980s, the company established a significant market presence by licensing and re-releasing popular titles for various home consoles. This strategy included distributing and publishing versions of prominent games such as the action-adventure title
Adventure (1979) and the fantasy dungeon crawler
Venture (1982), including its
Venture [Coleco] (1982) iteration.
The publisher's catalog expanded with diverse releases like the sci-fi themed
Adventures of Tron (1982), the flight combat game
Air Raiders (1982), and the arcade port
Bump 'n' Jump (1983). They also published original and rare software, such as the winter-themed action game
Glacier Patrol (1983). Additionally, the company is historically linked to the distribution of highly sought-after collector's items, including the extremely rare shoot 'em up
Air Raid (1982).
By acquiring the rights to existing software libraries and buying out remaining inventories of defunct manufacturers, the firm sustained the viability of legacy platforms well into the late 1980s and 1990s. This preservationist business model allowed them to transition from a contemporary software distributor into a specialized legacy publisher, catering to retro gaming enthusiasts worldwide.