Jai Alai

Jai Alai was designed by Tony Kraemer for Williams Electronics as an electro-mechanical (EM) game themed around the sport of Jai Alai (Pelota). Designer Barry Oursler recalled that Kraemer wanted the flippers to look like the wicker "gloves" used in the sport, but since most players were unfamiliar with Jai Alai, the theme was changed — the game was ultimately reworked and released as Williams' 'Disco Fever,' reusing the same curved "banana" flippers.

Only one single-player electro-mechanical engineering prototype of Jai Alai was ever built; former Williams service manager Tom Cahill noted it shared some visual similarities to World Cup and Disco Fever. That prototype was eventually left behind in a former employee's apartment and its whereabouts are unknown today. Williams' production log shows 67 units were authorized for a 2-player 'Jai Alai' in March 1977, but the game was deleted from the log in mid-1978 with none manufactured; a related 4-player 'Super Jai Alai' was also authorized and cancelled around the same time, the same day the solid-state 'Disco Fever' first appeared on the log.