1984 in video games

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Overview of the events of 1984 in video games

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1984 saw many sequels and prequels along with new titles such as 1942, Boulder Dash, Cobra Command, Jet Set Willy, Karate Champ, Kung-Fu Master, Yie Ar Kung-Fu and Punch-Out!! The year's highest-grossing arcade video games were Pole Position in the United States, for the second year in a row, and Track & Field in the United Kingdom. The year's best-selling home system was Nintendo's Family Computer (Famicom), which was only sold in Japan at the time.

## Financial performance

[edit]

In the United States, home video game sales fall to $800 million[1] ($2.4 billion adjusted for inflation).

### Highest-grossing arcade games

[edit]

#### Japan

[edit]

In Japan, the following titles were the top-grossing arcade video games of each month on the Game Machine charts in 1984.

Month  | Table arcade cabinet | Upright/cockpit cabinet | Ref

|
|
|

Title  | Points  | Title  | Points
January | Hyper Olympic (Track & Field)  | 14.54  | TX-1 | 18.19  | [2][3]
February | 10-Yard Fight | 15.64  | 16.95  | [4][5]
March | Vs. Tennis | 14  | 16.25  | [6][7]
April | 13.23  | 15.56  | [8][9]
May | Gaplus | 14.66  | Thunder Storm (Cobra Command)  | 15.83  | [10][11]
June | Vs. Baseball | 14.79  | 15.76  | [12][13]
July | Crowns Golf | 15.08  | 15.44  | [14][15]
August | Karate Champ | 15.58  | 14.95  | [16][17]
September | Jan Oh (Jang-Oh)  | 16.89  | TX-1 V8 | 18  | [18][19]
October | Night Gal | 15  | 15.67  | [20][21]
November | Jan Oh (Jang-Oh)  | 14.68  | 16.92  | [22][23]
December | Night Gal | 14.36  | Super Don Quix-ote | 17  | [24][25]

#### United Kingdom and United States

[edit]

The following titles were the highest-grossing arcade games of 1984 in the United Kingdom and United States.

Rank  | United Kingdom | United States

|
|

Title  | Manufacturer  | RePlay[26] | AMOA[27] | Play Meter[28]
Arcade  | Route/Street  | Video  | Title  | Points
1  | Track & Field[29] | Konami | Pole Position II | Pole Position[30] | Dragon's Lair | 499.8
2  | Un­known  | Pole Position | Track & Field,
Spy Hunter,
M.A.C.H. 3,
Punch-Out!! | Elevator Action,
Spy Hunter,
Pole Position II,
Punch-Out!! | Spy Hunter,
Ms. Pac-Man,
Track & Field,
Punch-Out!! | Pole Position | 459
3  | Un­known  | Un­known  | Track & Field | 370.6
4  | Un­known  | Un­known  | M.A.C.H. 3 | 280.6
5  | Un­known  | Un­known  | Spy Hunter | 256.5
6  | Un­known  | Un­known  | —  | Star Wars | 205.7
7  | Un­known  | Un­known  | —  | Space Ace | 192.6
8  | Un­known  | Un­known  | —  | Punch-Out!! | 191.8
9  | Un­known  | Un­known  | —  | Vs. Tennis | 170.8
10  | Un­known  | Un­known  | —  | Astron Belt | 137.8

### Best-selling home systems

[edit]

Rank  | System(s)  | Manufacturer  | Type  | Generation  | Sales

|
|
|
|
|

Japan  | Worldwide
1  | Family Computer | Nintendo | Console | Third | 2,940,000[31] | 2,940,000
2  | Commodore 64 (C64)  | Commodore | Computer | 8-bit | —  | 2,500,000[32]
3  | IBM Personal Computer (PC)  | IBM | Computer  | 8-bit / 16-bit | —  | 2,000,000[32]
4  | TI-99/4A | Texas Instruments | Computer  | 16-bit  | —  | 1,000,000+[33]
5  | Apple II | Apple Inc. | Computer  | 8-bit  | —  | 1,000,000[32]
6  | PC-88 / PC-98 | NEC | Computer  | 8-bit / 16-bit  | 470,000[34][35] | 470,000+
7  | Mac | Apple Inc.  | Computer  | 16-bit | —  | 370,000[32]
8  | MSX | ASCII Corporation | Computer  | 8-bit  | 350,000[36] | 350,000+
9  | Adam | Coleco | Computer  | 8-bit  | —  | 255,000[37]
10  | SG-1000 | Sega | Console  | Third  | 240,000[38] | 240,000+

### Best-selling home video games in the United Kingdom

[edit]

In the United Kingdom, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home computer games of 1984, according to N.O.P. Market Research.[39]

Rank  | Title  | Publisher  | Genre  | Platform

|
|
|
|

1  | Jet Set Willy | Software Projects | Platform | ZX Spectrum
2  | Fighter Pilot | Digital Integration  | Combat flight sim
3  | Manic Miner | Bug-Byte/Software Projects | Platform
4  | Atic Atac | Ultimate Play the Game | Action-adventure
5  | Chequered Flag | Psion | Racing
6  | Hunchback | Ocean | Platform
7  | Sabre Wulf | Ultimate Play the Game | Action-adventure
8  | Night Gunner | Digital Integration  | Shoot 'em up
9  | Jetpac | Ultimate Play the Game
10  | Manic Miner | Software Projects | Platform  | Commodore 64

## Major awards

[edit]

* The fifth Arcade Awards are held, for games released during 1982–1983. Pole Position wins Coin-Op Game of the Year, Ms. Pac-Man and Lady Bug win console Videogames of the Year, Lode Runner wins Computer Game of the Year, and Q*bert wins dedicated Stand-Alone Game of the Year.[40]
* In the second Golden Joystick Awards (held in 1985) for best home computer games, Knight Lore takes Game of the Year.

## Business

[edit]

* New companies: Accolade, Elite Systems, Gremlin Graphics, Kemco, New World Computing, Novagen, Ocean, Psygnosis, Sculptured Software
* Defunct companies: Astrocade, Human Engineered Software, Imagine, Sirius, Starpath.
* Hasbro, Inc. acquires Milton Bradley Company.
* Management Sciences America acquires Edu-Ware Services.
* Broderbund acquires 8-bit gaming competitor Synapse Software.
* Atari shuts down the Atari Program Exchange, which sold notable "user written" games such as Eastern Front (1941) and Dandy.
* Warner Communications sells the Atari, Inc. home video game and home computer intellectual properties, including the Atari logo and trademark, inventories of home video game and home computer hardware and software, as well as certain international subsidiaries to Tramel Technology, but retains the arcade games division, which becomes Atari Games.[41] Tramel Technology is promptly renamed to Atari Corporation.[42]
* Sega and CSK merge to form Sega Enterprises Ltd.
* Mattel sells its video game assets, including the M Network and Intellivision hardware and software intellectual property, to a group led by a former Mattel Electronics executive that becomes INTV Corporation. Mattel Electronics closes their game development offices in California and Taiwan.[43] The games development office in France is sold to investors and renamed Nice Ideas.[44]
* The largest video game retailer in the world, GameStop was founded (then known as Babbage's) in Dallas, Texas.

## Notable releases

[edit]

### Games

[edit]

#### Arcade

[edit]

* February 17 - Nintendo launches the initial version of boxing game Punch-Out!!.
* April – Namco releases Gaplus, the sequel to Galaga.
* June – Atari releases "I, Robot", the first polygonal 3D game.
* July – Data East releases Technōs Japan's Karate Champ, laying the foundations for the one-one-one fighting game genre.
* July 20 – Namco releases action role-playing game The Tower of Druaga.
* October – Namco releases Pac-Land and lays the foundations for horizontally-scrolling platform games.
* November 1 – Namco releases Grobda, a spin-off from Xevious.
* December – Namco releases Super Xevious and Dragon Buster, the latter of which is one of the first games to feature a life bar.
* December – Capcom releases 1942.
* December – Irem releases Kung-Fu Master and lays the foundations for the beat 'em up genre.
* December – Atari Games releases Marble Madness, their first game written in the C programming language and to use a 68000-family microprocessor.
* Bally/Midway releases Demolition Derby, which features a damage bar and the ability to join a game in progress.

#### Computer

[edit]

* January - Bullet-Proof Software releases The Black Onyx on the PC-8801, which helps popularize turn-based role-playing games in Japan.
* June - Ultimate Play the Game releases Sabre Wulf on the ZX Spectrum.
* September 20 – Elite, an influential wireframe 3D space trading game offering a then-unique open-ended design, is published by Acornsoft.
* October – Nihon Falcom releases action role-playing game Dragon Slayer.
* October - Automata UK releases Deus Ex Machina on the ZX Spectrum.
* December – T&E Soft releases Hydlide, an early action role-playing game that features a health regeneration mechanic and anticipates elements of The Legend of Zelda and Ys series.[45]
* December 7 – Knight Lore by Ultimate Play the Game is released for the ZX Spectrum (and later ported to the BBC Micro, Amstrad CPC, MSX, and Famicom Disk System). It is the third title in the Sabreman series, but the first to use the isometric Filmation engine.
* Broderbund releases The Ancient Art of War by Dave and Barry Murry. It is a real-time tactics game and a precursor to the real-time strategy genre.
* Broderbund releases Karateka for the Apple II.
* The Lords of Midnight, a strategy adventure game by Mike Singleton, is released.
* Infocom releases The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Sorcerer, Cutthroats, and Seastalker.
* First Star releases Boulder Dash, which inspired enough clones to create the rocks-and-diamonds genre.
* Epyx releases Impossible Mission for the Commodore 64.
* Electronic Arts releases Adventure Construction Set.
* Sierra On-Line releases King's Quest I for the PCjr.
* Synapse releases the Atari 8-bit game Dimension X, over 9 months after running magazine ads showing features that were not present in the final game.[46]
* Software Projects releases platform game Jet Set Willy on the ZX Spectrum.
* First Star Software releases Spy vs. Spy for the Commodore 64.
* Game Gems releases Flyer Fox for the ZX Spectrum and the Commodore 64.

#### Console

[edit]

* March 30 - Activision releases H.E.R.O. for the Atari 2600.
* June 4 – Nintendo releases a conversion of their own Donkey Kong 3 for the Famicom.
* October 5 - Nintendo releases Devil World on the Famicom in Japan.
* December 17 – Nintendo releases Ice Climber and Balloon Fight for the Famicom.
* Activision releases Pitfall II: Lost Caverns, one of the last major titles for the Atari 2600. Each cartridge contains a custom chip allowing improved visuals and 4-voice sound.

#### Hardware

[edit]

* January 24 – Apple Inc. announces the original, 128K, floppy disc-only, Macintosh 128K.
* March – IBM releases the IBM PCjr in an attempt to enter the home computer market. It has improved sound and graphics over the original, business-oriented IBM PC, but is a commercial failure.
* Atari, Inc. announces the Atari 7800, a next-gen console that's compatible with Atari 2600 cartridges, but capable of greatly improved visuals. It is shelved until 1986 due to the sale of the company and legal issues.
* Discontinued systems: Atari 5200, Magnavox Odyssey², Vectrex

## See also

[edit]

* 1984 in games

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Lindner, Richard (1990). Video Games: Past, Present and Future; An Industry Overview. United States: Nintendo of America.
2. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 228\. Amusement Press, Inc. January 15, 1984. p. 31.
3. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 229\. Amusement Press, Inc. February 1, 1984. p. 29.
4. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 230\. Amusement Press, Inc. February 15, 1984. p. 27.
5. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 231\. Amusement Press, Inc. March 1, 1984. p. 29.
6. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 232\. Amusement Press, Inc. March 15, 1984. p. 31.
7. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 233\. Amusement Press, Inc. April 1, 1984. p. 27.
8. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 234\. Amusement Press, Inc. April 15, 1984. p. 29.
9. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 235\. Amusement Press, Inc. May 1, 1984. p. 29.
10. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 236\. Amusement Press, Inc. May 15, 1984. p. 29.
11. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 237\. Amusement Press, Inc. June 1, 1984. p. 29.
12. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 238\. Amusement Press, Inc. June 15, 1984. p. 25.
13. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 239\. Amusement Press, Inc. July 1, 1984. p. 25.
14. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 240\. Amusement Press, Inc. July 15, 1984. p. 37.
15. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 241\. Amusement Press, Inc. August 1, 1984. p. 27.
16. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 242\. Amusement Press, Inc. August 15, 1984. p. 25.
17. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 243\. Amusement Press, Inc. September 1, 1984. p. 29.
18. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 244\. Amusement Press, Inc. September 15, 1984. p. 31.
19. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 245\. Amusement Press, Inc. October 1, 1984. p. 35.
20. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 246\. Amusement Press, Inc. October 15, 1984. p. 31.
21. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 247\. Amusement Press, Inc. November 1, 1984. p. 31.
22. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 248\. Amusement Press, Inc. November 15, 1984. p. 25.
23. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 249\. Amusement Press, Inc. December 1, 1984. p. 31.
24. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 250\. Amusement Press, Inc. December 15, 1984. p. 29.
25. ^ "Best Hit Games 25" (PDF). Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 251\. Amusement Press, Inc. January 1, 1985. p. 37.
26. ^ "Top Hits of Last 5 Years". RePlay. March 1987.
27. ^ "Nominees Announced For 1984 AMOA Awards" (PDF). Cash Box. September 8, 1984. p. 28.
28. ^ "Top 20 Performing Video Games of 1984". Play Meter. Vol. 10, no. 20\. November 1, 1984. p. 47.
29. ^ "Commando: Soldier of Fortune". Your Sinclair. No. 1\. January 1986. p. 54.
30. ^ "Michael Jackson Sweeps AMOA Awards; 'Pole Position' Wins In Games Division" (PDF). Cash Box. November 10, 1984. pp. 31, 33.
31. ^ "昔(1970年代）のテレビゲームは何台売れた？" [How many old (1970s) video games sold?]. Classic Videogame Station Odyssey (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 9, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
32. ^ a b c d Reimer, Jeremy (December 15, 2005). "Total share: 30 years of personal computer market share figures". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
* Jeremy Reimer (December 7, 2012). "Total Share: Personal Computer Market Share 1975-2010". Jeremy Reimer.
33. ^ Mace, Scott (April 2, 1984). "Speaker at conference predicts software shakeout". InfoWorld. Vol. 6, no. 14\. InfoWorld Media Group, Inc. p. 16\. ISSN 0199-6649.
34. ^ Methe, David; Mitchell, Will; Miyabe, Junichiro; Toyama, Ryoko (January 1998). "Overcoming a Standard Bearer: Challenges to NEC's Personal Computer in Japan". Research Papers in Economics (RePEc): 35 – via ResearchGate.
35. ^ Juliussen, Egil; Juliussen, Karen (1990). The Computer Industry Almanac 1991. Pearson P T R. pp. 10–47, 10–48\. ISBN 978-0-13-155748-2.
36. ^ "ElectronicsWeek". ElectronicsWeek. Vol. 58, no. 13–23\. McGraw-Hill. 1985. p. 41\. "The home computer market in Japan consumed 1.1 million machines last year and is growing modestly in 1985, but it remains essentially a game market. (...) The two largest producers of home computers in Japan—NEC Corp., which claims a 40% market share, and Sharp Corp., which claims 20%—do not use the MSX (Microsoft Extended Basic) system that Microsoft Corp. developed and has licensed to 18 other Japanese companies. Total MSX sales last year are estimated at 350,000 units. But NEC's best-selling 8801-MII is used mostly by university students and small businesses for bookkeeping or document filing; MSX users are overwhelmingly 15 years of age or younger—game fanatics."13–23&rft.pages=41&rft.date=1985&rft_id=https://books.google.com/books?id=RMMpAQAAMAAJ&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:1984+in+video+games" class="Z3988">
37. ^ Adams, Jane Meredith (January 3, 1985). "Adam Just Couldn't Deliver on Promises". The Boston Globe. p. 41.
38. ^ Tanaka, Tatsuo (August 2001). Network Externality and Necessary Software Statistics (PDF). Statistics Bureau of Japan. p. 2.
39. ^ The Year's Top 10 Games. EMAP. p. 88\. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved April 11, 2021. `{{cite book}}`: `|work=` ignored (help)
40. ^ 1984 Arcade Awards – Electronic Games January 1984, pages 68–81.
41. ^ Current, Michael. "A History of WCI Games / Atari / Atari Games / Atari Holdings". Atari History Timelines. Archived from the original on September 25, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
42. ^ Current, Michael. "A History of Tramel Technology / Atari". Atari History Timelines. Archived from the original on September 25, 2018. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
43. ^ "M Network Titles for Computers". Intellivision Lives. Intellivision Productions. Archived from the original on January 10, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
44. ^ "Where Are They Now?". Intellivision Lives. Archived from the original on July 27, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
45. ^ Kurt Kalata & Robert Greene. "Hydlide". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
46. ^ Hague, James (1997). Halcyon Days: Interviews with Classic Computer and Video Game Programmers. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2015.

History of video games

* v
* t
* e

Chronology of video games

Early history|

* 1947–1972

1970s|

* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979

1980s|

* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989

1990s|

* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999

2000s|

* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009

2010s|

* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019

2020s|

* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025
* In development

* v
* t
* e

Video game history by platform

By platform|

* Early mainframe games
* History of arcade video games
* Golden age
* Timeline
* History of video game consoles
* Crash of 1983
* Console war
* History of mobile games

By console generation|

* First (1972–1980)
* Second (1976–1992)
* Third (1983–2003)
* Fourth (1987–2003)
* Fifth (1993–2005)
* Sixth (1998–2013)
* Seventh (2005–2017)
* Eighth (2012–)
* Ninth (2020–)

* v
* t
* e

Video game genres

* List of video game genres

Action|

| Platformer|

* Endless runner
* Platform fighter

|

Shooter|

* Arena
* First-person
* Hero
* Light gun
* Shoot 'em up
* Bullet hell
* Rail
* Twin-stick
* Tactical
* Third-person

Survival|

* Battle royale
* Survival horror

Other|

* Beat 'em up
* Hack and slash
* Fighting
* Platform fighter
* Maze
* Pac-Man clone
* Snake
* Stealth

Action-adventure|

* Grand Theft Auto clone
* Metroidvania

Adventure|

* Escape room
* Graphic adventure
* Interactive fiction
* Interactive film
* Visual novel
* Walking sim

Digital tabletop|

* Deck-building
* Roguelike deck-building
* Digital collectible card

Puzzle|

* Hidden object
* Sokoban
* Tile-matching

Role-playing|

* Action role-playing
* Looter shooter
* Soulslike
* Dungeon crawl
* MMORPG
* Monster-taming
* Roguelike
* Roguelike deck-building
* Tactical role-playing
* Turn-based role-playing

Simulation|

| Life|

* Dating
* Farming
* God
* Social
* Virtual pet

|

CMS|

* Business
* City-building
* Government

Sports|

* Fishing
* Racing
* Kart racing
* Sim racing

Vehicle|

* Flight simulation
* Combat
* Lunar Lander
* Space
* Submarine simulator
* Train simulator
* Vehicular combat

Other|

* Falling-sand
* Immersive sim

Strategy|

* 4X
* Auto battler
* MOBA
* Real-time strategy
* Time management
* Real-time tactics
* Tactical role-playing
* Tower defense
* Turn-based strategy
* Turn-based tactics
* Artillery
* Wargame
* Grand strategy

Other genres|

* Cozy
* Fitness
* Horror
* Survival horror
* Incremental
* Music
* Rhythm
* Non-game
* Party
* Photography
* Programming
* Typing

Related concepts|

| Themes|

* Advergame
* Bishōjo
* Christian
* Comedy
* Educational
* Girls
* Licensed
* Otome
* Sexual
* Eroge
* Nonviolent
* Personalized
* Sci-fi
* Serious
* Art
* Climate change
* News

|

Player modes|

* Multiplayer
* Co-op
* PVP
* Single-player

Production|

* AAA
* Indie
* Doujin soft
* Fan game

Design|

* Casual
* Hypercasual
* Emergent gameplay
* FMV
* Gacha
* Kaizo
* Masocore
* Nonlinear gameplay
* Open world
* Sandbox
* Side-scrolling
* Twitch gameplay
* Vertically scrolling

Other|

* Minigame
* Toys-to-life
* Video game clone
* Video game modding
* Video game remake

* v
* t
* e

Video games by country

Africa|

* Ghana
* Kenya
* Nigeria
* South Africa

Americas|

* Latin America
* Brazil
* Colombia
* Canada
* United States

Asia|

* Bangladesh
* China
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Japan
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Malaysia
* Philippines
* Russia
* Taiwan
* Thailand
* Turkey

Europe|

* Belgium
* Czech Republic
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Ireland
* Italy
* Lithuania
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Poland
* Russia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Turkey
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom

Oceania|

* Australia
* New Zealand

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