History od Laser Tag

The Netherlands: MultiMax Electronics B.V. (LaserMaxx brand) was founded.

USA: Shoot the Moon concluded agreement with Tiger Electronics (Illinois, USA) for exclusive sales of the new consumer laser tag equipment under the brand of Lazer Tag.

October - Ray Schaffer, Doug McBride, and Brian Fuery founded Stunner Corporation (Stunner brand; at the picture) in USA. Some years later, Stunner system would be recognized as the one possessing the best laser tag software of its time.

November - at IAAPA trade show in New Orlean (USA) Laserplay Pigeon Shoot by Veqtor was presented for the first time; Stargate Laser Tag by Laser Storm was awarded the 1st Place in the Best New Attraction for FEC / Amusement category.

November - The first laser tag site at the territory of the former USSR (equipped with Q-Zar system) was opened in Minsk (Belarus).

February - Q-Zar USA, Inc. became listed on the NASDAQ as QZARF; by this time the total quantity of the Q-Zar-equipped laser tag sites came to 400 and they were located in 52 countries of the world.

July: Q-Zar got the right to be the official entertainment provider during 1996' Olympic games in Atlanta and presented in the Olympic village their new version of the equipment - the so-called Q-Zar IQ system.

July - Laser Quest Corporation listed as LQC on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

August - International Laser Tag Association (ILTA) was founded in USA (at the picture).

September - Laser Storm, Inc. (USA) concluded exclusive license agreement with Marvel Entertainment Group Inc. for production of the themed after the X-Men comics laser tag mazes.

November - at IAAPA trade show (USA), new Megabeast system and Sens-a-sound SFX-module were presented by Veqtor (UK).

November - Q-Zar USA, Inc. went bankrupt. The Q-Zar sites operated in Great Britain and in Europe were supported by Quasar UK and a new company, Meno Electronics (which, in its own turn, presented a new modification of the equipment - Q-2000).

November - In the United States, Jeff Schilling started a new laser tag arena design and building company called Creative Works, Inc. (at the picture).

USA: Consumer laser tag equipment produced and marketed under Lazer Tag brand by Tiger Electronics (at the picture) got extremely popular - the 'Golden Age' of Lazer Tag began.

February - Laser Quest Corporation changed their name to Versent Corporation.

April - In USA, Lasertron Corporation presents the new type of arena design - Ground Zero.

May - Q-Zar USA Inc. got bankrupt; all their assets were purchased by Advanced Entertainment Concepts, Inc. Some time later, all the remaining assets would be divided between Jarvis Entertainment and Will Low. The assets remained in the United Kingdom, as well as the right for Quasar brand, were acquired by British Meno Electronics (that company had been engaged into development of the electronic components for the Q-Zar system back in early 1990th; later they introduced their own modification of the system - Q-2000).

Australia: Scapequest Pty Ltd. opened their first outdoor laser tag site and started marketing their new system - BattleFieldSports (at the picture).

February - In USA, UltraZone stopped their franchising program and focused only on licensed sites.

February - A US laser tag manufacturer, Laser Storm, Inc. was closed.

July - In USA, Advanced Entertainment Concepts, Inc. (Q-Zar) became inactive.

August - In Canada, Darkzone stopped selling the laser tag equipment and transferred to Australian P&C Micro the rights to Canada.

August - In USA, ILTA assumed operational control of an Indianapolis-based laser tag facility making it test location for the industry.

September - Actual Reality partners with DarkLight Systems, Ltd. becoming the DarkLight distributor in North America.

September - UltraZone stopped selling the laser tag equipment and transferred to P&C Micro the rights to USA.

September - Veqtor presented new equipment (Fireball, Gemini and Fire and Ice).

USA: As the Christmas season in 1999 had been a total failure from the marketing point of view for Tiger Electronics, the company stopped production of consumer laser tag equipment of Lazer Tag brand (the "Golden Era" of the Worlds of Wonder-based equipment was over).

World: Two years' period of the industry's stagnation began.

USA: With the help of the newly established Q-Zar World Wide, Will Low ineffectively attempted to revive Q-Zar brand.

March - Actual Reality and Darklight Development terminated their marketing relationship.

Russia: After two years' developing, Russian company Lasernye Tekhnologii (located in Siberian city of Novosibirsk) presented new product - indoor laser tag system of Ataka (Rus. for Attack; See the picture) brand. This system was the first commercial laser tag equipment to be ever produced at the territory of the former USSR.

August - In Europe, TRUTNEE Laser Tag Portal was founded.

Australia: BattleField Sports presented Water Cannon - outdoor laser tag equipment installed at motor boats.

Latvia: new outdoor laser tag system is created here. Later, it would be marketed under Specnaz (Rus. abbreviation for Special Military Forces) brand.

China: In Beijing, Widing Sport Development Ltd. (WSD) was founded - the first Chineese laser tag manufacturer (the owner of 2 brands: LandTrooper - for the outdoor laser tag system - at the picture, and StarTrooper - for the indoor laser tag system).

USA: In California, Laser Light Entertainment Inc. was founded. The company started both purchasing the assets of the former Q-Zar and servicing the existed arenas. Will Low sold all the belonged to him Q-Zar assets to Laser Light Entertainment Inc.

September - BattleFieldSports and Zone Systems made strategic aliance aiming at cooperative marketing of their equipment in the States and Europe.

October - Q-Zar USA is founded aiming at riviving of the Q-Zar brand. Remaining assets of the former Q-Zar that belonged to Jarvis Entertainment were purchased by Q-Zar USA.

November - Laser Tag Manufacturers' and Suppliers' Association (LTSMA) was founded by Creative Works, Dark Light, Laser Blast, Laser Chaser, Laser Mania, LaZer Runner, Laser Star, LaserTron, Veqtor и Zone Systems.

December - Zone Systems rivived Phasor Strike brand by presented new low-budget laser tag system. Earlier that year another new product was presented - Hangar 51.

USA: Q-Zar USA changed its name to Q-Zar Systems and launched mass sale of the Q-Zar stock; at that, roumors were spreading that a new Q-Zar-succeeding system would be developed soon.

Europe: Laser Mania, DarkLight, BattleField Sports and Laser Blast entered ex-Soviet market - laser tag expansion into Eastern Europe began.

Europe: Several companies in Russia and Ukraine (Action Ukraine Lasertag; at the picture) claimed they're about to mass product their own laser tag systems.

December - in USA, Tiger Electronics started new production of Lazer Tag laser tag equipment (that time - very successfully, Lazer Tag became hit No1 at Christmas-2004).

World: The established in 2003 marketing partnership between BattleField Sports and Zone was terminated.

February - In USA, Stunner, Corp. was closed.

September - Laser Tag Museum was founded in USA.

September - British company Quasar Manufacturing Ltd. presented new laser tag system - Quasar Elite (deeply modernized Q-Zar equipment; at the picture).

World: Zone presented new indoor/outdoor laser tag system - Begeara.

February - The first World Laser Triathlon Tournament was held in Tampere (Finland).

July - The first LaserTron arena in Europe was opened in St.-Petersburg (Russia). The estimated quantity of laser tag sites in operation in Eastern Europe came to 50, the estimated quantity of laser tag sites at the territory of USA at that time was about 700.

August - The first European multi-system laser tag tournament, UK Armageddon-2006, was held in the United Kingdom.

September - The first LaserMaxx arena at the territory of NIS was opened in Kiev (Ukraine).

November - Laser Chaser was purchased by MultiMax Electronics B.V. (LaserMaxx brand).

March - British Meno Electronics (Q-2000 brand) started manufacturing of mobile laser tag system.

April - FragTag and Laser Combat Technologies / LCT (both - Australia) formed cooperative marketing aliance.

November - At IAAPA-2007 Trade Show in Orlando (USA), Veqtor presented 'Tag Reinvented' - their futuristic Max Blaster system (at the picture).

December - In USA, Laser Storm, Inc. was closed.

Thailand: Sci-ARMS Ltd. presented new outdoor laser tag system - RAIDZ.

Russia: laser tag enthusiasts in Moscow unsuccessfully attempted to found Russian Lasertag Federation and to register laser tag as an official sport.

March - United Kingdom: Zone Eu Limited in cooperation with SMARTdragon Limited started European marketing of the mobile laser tag system - Begeara.

June - "Patent Affair": Australian outdoor laser tag manufacturer BattleField Sports (at the picture) applied to WIPO concerning acknowledgement of their intellectual rights for 'Outdoor combat simulation system'; some of the Industry's members were afraid that could influence the status of the very idea of laser tag.

November - Lasertag Cup Tournament by Russian Scout Union (RSU) was held in Nizhniy Novgorod (Russia).