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American Video Entertainment
Ave logo.jpg
Type Private (Defunct)
Founded 1990
Defunct
Headquarters Denmark
Products see below
Parent Company -
Website -

American Video Entertainment was a software development company that developed unlicensed software for the Nintendo Entertainment System video game console.

History[ | ]

The company was a subsidiary of Macronix, an American chip manufacturer who offered Nintendo to do a NES ROM chip. Nintendo denied Macronix's offer. Macronix decided to start offering their ROM chips and a system called NINA (NintendoCompatible) which they patented. In 1990 AVE was formed by Phil Mikkelson, Fred Hoot, and Richard Frick. Their goal was to deliver cheaper Nintendo games to consumers, while still keeping a high game standard. The company had good relations with Toys R Us and did well in games sales until Nintendo change the NES hardware to lock out unlicensed games. The company went bankrupt because Nintendo kept changing the base unit's internal workings of the NES. The company also offered a hotline and directions to mod the NES to play unlicensed games. On January 11, 1991 various American Video Entertainment had filed suit for $105 millions against Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Japan in the US District Court in San Francisco on January 7 for having an illegal monopoly and changing their machines unlicensed cartridges wouldn't work. The case between American Video Entertainment and Nintendo was settled under a secrecy order. When the companies products reach Europe, there was very low advertisement and most of the games didn't work on the European NES.

Published games[ | ]

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