The Origins of Snake: Blockade by Gremlin Industries

Before Snake became the famous mobile game everyone knows, its story began in the noisy and crowded arcades of the 1970s. In 1976, a company based in San Diego called Gremlin Industries released Blockade, the game that introduced the core mechanics of Snake as we know them today. With its simple but addictive gameplay and forward thinking technology, Blockade did more than create a fun experience. It set the foundation for an entire genre. And the story behind it includes a surprising amount of international attention, smart innovation and even an unexpected moment on the radio.

Gremlin Industries: From Oceanography to Video Games

It may sound strange, but Gremlin Industries did not start out in the world of games. The company was founded in 1970 and originally built oceanographic instruments. In 1973, they changed direction and moved into coin operated amusement machines, launching a wall mounted arcade title called Playball. That shift opened the door to later classics like Hustle and of course Blockade.

The company’s success came from a strong partnership between Lane Hauck, who led research and development and Agoston Kiss, a talented software architect. Hauck understood hardware and software equally well, while Kiss brought deep knowledge of both fields to the table. Together they created a microprocessor based system that powered Gremlin’s games and got better with every new release.

This architecture first appeared in a game called Fooswall, then was refined for Blockade and later titles such as CoMotion and Hustle. Hauck once explained their approach by saying, “With this architecture, we were able to get excellent performance using off the shelf components.” In short, they used smart design and got an impressive result without needing exotic hardware.

The Making of Blockade: Simple and Addictive

When Blockade launched late 1976, it marked an important step forward for multiplayer arcade games. The machine cost $895 at the time, which would be well over $5,000 today, but arcade owners felt it was worth every dollar. The game quickly became a hit.

The idea behind it was clear and easy to grasp. Two players controlled moving lines, often called tails, across a grid. As they moved, they left trails behind. The goal was simple. You tried to trap your opponent so they would crash into a trail, either yours or their own. As the speed increased, so did the excitement. The tension of the rising pace drew players in and kept them coming back.

The controls were also very simple. Each player had only four directions to choose from: up, down, left and right. That was all they needed. The ease of use made the game approachable for anyone, which played a big part in its success.

Blockade Hits the Airwaves

Here comes the part of the story no one expected. Blockade already had strong gameplay, but its sound effects, created by Bob Pecoraro, became famous in a surprising place. In Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, the game became so popular that the local radio station WANA recorded its sounds and used them as the opening for their news broadcast.

During a business trip to Puerto Rico, Gremlin’s international marketing expert Bob Haim heard those sounds coming from a car radio. Curious, he followed the noise to a nearby arcade and discovered that the station was using audio straight from Blockade. This unplanned exposure helped turn the game into a local sensation. Arcades filled up with players throughout the day.

When Gremlin vice president Malcolm Bains heard about it, he simply responded, “Fantastic.” By that point, Blockade had gone beyond being a game. It had become a small piece of cultural history.

The Legacy of Blockade

Blockade did far more than entertain players. It inspired a new style of gameplay. Some early examples include:

• Surround from 1977 by Atari, which brought the Blockade concept to the Atari 2600
• Dominos from 1977 by Atari, which added new twists to the basic idea

These titles helped shape the trail based mechanics we still see today. Many years later, Snake on Nokia phones revived those mechanics and turned them into a worldwide phenomenon. After that came Google Snake, which spread the idea even further.

Why Blockade Still Matters

Blockade was not only the first game of its kind. It was an important milestone in video game development. It showed the potential of real time multiplayer gameplay and proved that thoughtful design paired with efficient technology can create something unforgettable. Hauck and Kiss helped push arcade hardware forward in ways that shaped future games.

Blockade’s unexpected fame on Puerto Rican radio also shows how video games can influence culture in unexpected ways. And although Gremlin Industries eventually became part of Sega, the work they did still matters.

So the next time you find yourself deep in a round of Snake, remember that it all began back in 1976 with a small company in San Diego, an $895 arcade machine and a team that believed in what they were building. Blockade was not just the start of Snake. It was the launch point for a style of gameplay that millions of people around the world still enjoy today.