Passings: Paul Moriarity

Coin-op and gaming exec Paul Moriarity, 69, passed away at his home on Oct. 25 following a swift battle with an aggressive form of cancer. Most recently, Paul worked with Don Fiechter at World Touch Gaming, a company the duo founded in 1995. Don wrote that Paul had been at work up to two weeks before his passing.

For most of our readers, Paul will be remembered fondly from his days in coin-op beginning in the mid-1970s when he worked as an importer for manufacturer, arcade operator and distributor Taito, and the subsequent formation of Taito America Corp. While plans were underway to open its manufacturing facility in the Midwest, Taito had a hot property ready to launch: Space Invaders. Longtime friend and former Taito America VP of R&D Keith Egging recalled that since their own factory wasn’t ready and “after we saw the phenomenal earnings on test locations, we decided to license it to Midway Manufacturing.”

As the video game business boomed, Paul was ever busy at Taito working as VP of administration. When Taito America President Jack Mittel stepped down in the 1980s, Paul was promoted to that position. Egging related, “This was a tough time in the industry as early saturation was everywhere. Fortunately, we had orders for over 40,000 of our Ice Cold Beer electro-mechanical arcade games while many of the ‘video games only’ manufacturers were closing their doors.”

Soon Taito of Japan wanted to venture into the home market and Paul was made president of Taito Software until Japan shuttered manufacturing in the U.S.

After a couple of years working as a consultant in the Chicagoland area, Paul headed south to Georgia where he assisted Michael Pace in getting his company U.S. Games off the ground. Paul focused on business operations, freeing Michael to focus on R&D of his popular Pot-O-Gold.

In December 1995, Paul and Don Fiechter founded World Touch Gaming to develop multi-game Class II machines for Native American gaming. More recently, the company released charitable video pull-tab technologies in New Hampshire with Diamond Distributors and recently formed a partnership with Video King to deploy the video pull-tabs on tablets in the Kentucky charitable market. Partner Fiechter wrote, “Paul was so excited about the upcoming release of the new skill game technology known
as ‘Quantum Leap’ to be deployed on tablets in his home state of Georgia through the Georgia Lottery Corporation.”

A year ago Paul, Don and their development team created Sloth Rocket Games, a mobile App development studio, as an entrepreneurial venture from within. Don said they launched their first game app, Congo’s Coin Pusher, which to date has awarded over $15k in gift certificates to its players.

Paul and Don also formed Totem Technologies and had received Federal approval to work with tribal nations to establish “the first true national lottery across Indian country.” Don said he will carry on to make this a reality.

During his years with Taito, Moriarity raised his children in Arlington Heights, Ill. He was a member of the St. Edna’s Parish until he moved the family from Illinois to Atlanta in 1998 where he became actively involved with the congregation at Shallowford Presbyterian Church.

Paul is survived by his a loving wife, Janice Moriarity, with whom he was married for 19 years, as well as his children Darren Moore and his wife Alison; Sheri Taylor; Paul Moriarity Jr. and his fiancé Gemma Doyle; Aaron Moore and Heather Brown; and Jill Moriarity and her partner Sara Verhaeghe; grandchildren, siblings and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

His life was celebrated on Friday, Nov. 4. Funeral Mass was at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 3773 Chamblee Tucker Rd., Atlanta, GA 30341, followed by services and interment at 2:00 p.m. at Shallowford Presbyterian Church, 2375 Shallowford Rd., Atlanta, GA 30345. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Shallowford Presbyterian Church.

May he rest in peace.