Hercules (corporation)

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Hercules Computer Technology, Inc. was formed in 1982 in California, by Van Suwannukul, and was one of the major graphics card companies of the 1980s. Its biggest product was the MDA-compatible Hercules Graphics Card and associated standard, which was widely copied and survived into the 1990s. The company also produced CGA compatible cards, and also tried to go head-to-head with EGA with the unsuccessful (and now rare) Hercules InColor Card.

The company declined in the 1990s with the rise of firms such as ATI Technologies, sales falling to just $20 million in 1998. It was acquired by ELSA in August 1998 for $8.5m; ELSA also assumed all of Hercules' debts. ELSA entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy the following year and the Hercules brand was purchased by the French-based Guillemot Corporation for $1.5m. Hercules became a general brandname for Guillemot cards based on nVIDIA parts before eventually switching to ATI Technologies.

In 2004 Guillemot announced it would cease to produce graphics cards and announced plans to attach the name to AV software and other products.

Today, Hercules offers a wide range of products dedicated to PC imaging, audio, and wireless (Wi-Fi) technology.

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