1985 in video gaming
Encyclopedia

Notable releases

  • Brøderbund
    Brøderbund
    Brøderbund Software, Inc. was an American maker of computer games, educational software and The Print Shop productivity tools. It was best known as the original creator and publisher of the popular Carmen Sandiego games. The company was founded in Eugene, Oregon, but moved to San Rafael,...

     releases Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
    Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?
    Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? is the title of several edutainment computer games in the Carmen Sandiego series that teach geography. The World games, often marketed as the flagship products of the Carmen series, were created by Brøderbund Software from 1985 to 1996 with another version...

    , the first game of the prolific Carmen Sandiego
    Carmen Sandiego
    Carmen Sandiego is a media franchise of educational computer and video games, television programs, books and other media featuring a thieving villain of the same name. The basic premise of the franchise lets the user or protagonists become agents of the ACME Detective Agency, who attempts to thwart...

    series
  • Nintendo
    Nintendo
    is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....

     releases Super Mario Bros.
    Super Mario Bros.
    is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...

    on September 13, 1985, which eventually sells 40 million copies making it the best-selling video game of all time until 2008.
  • September 19,Ghosts 'n Goblins
    Ghosts 'n Goblins
    is a 1985 platform game developed by Capcom for video arcades and has since been released on several other platforms. It is the first game in the Ghosts'n Goblins franchise.-Gameplay:...

    by Tokuro Fujiwara
    Tokuro Fujiwara
    Tokuro Fujiwara , sometime credited as Professor F or Arthur King, is a Japanese video game designer, best known for creating Ghosts 'n Goblins and producing the Mega Man series. He worked as the general manager of the Capcom Console Games Division from 1988 to 1996...

     (Capcom
    Capcom
    is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...

    , arcade), one of the most popular arcade games of the year, spawned a series of later games
  • October 18, Nintendo
    Nintendo
    is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....

     releases Duck Hunt
    Duck Hunt
    is a video game for the Nintendo Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System game console system in which players use the NES Zapper to shoot ducks on screen for points. The game was developed and published by Nintendo, and was released in 1984 in Japan...

  • Namco
    Namco
    is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...

     releases Dig Dug II
    Dig Dug II
    Dig Dug II is the arcade sequel to Dig Dug, released by Namco in 1985. It runs on Namco Super Pac-Man hardware but with a video system like that used in Mappy. In 2005, it was ported to the PlayStation Portable in Namco Museum Battle Collection and is included in Namco Museum DS released for the...

    , Metro-Cross
    Metro-Cross
    Metro-Cross is an arcade game, released by Namco in 1985. It runs on Namco Pac-Land hardware , modified to support a 2048-color palette...

    , Baraduke
    Baraduke
    is a scrolling shooter arcade game that was released by Namco in 1985. It runs on Namco Pac-Land hardware but with a video system like that used in Metro-Cross and Dragon Buster.-Gameplay:...

    , Motos
    Motos
    Motos is an arcade game that was released by Namco in 1985. It runs on Namco Super Pac-Man hardware but with a video system like that used in Mappy. It has 62 levels.-Gameplay:...

    , Battle City
    Battle City (video game)
    Battle City is a multi-directional shooter video game for the Nintendo Family Computer produced and published in 1985 by Namco. The game was later released for the Game Boy and was included in the Japanese version of Star Fox: Assault...

    , and Sky Kid
    Sky Kid
    is a horizontal scrolling shooter arcade game that was released by Namco in 1985. It runs on Namco Pac-Land hardware but with a video system like that used in Dragon Buster. It is also the first game from Namco to allow 2 players to play simultaneously...

    .
  • Atari Games
    Atari Games
    Atari Games Corporation was an American producer of arcade games, and originally part of Atari, Inc..-History:When, in 1984, Warner Communications sold the Atari Consumer division of Atari Inc...

     releases Gauntlet (by Ed Logg
    Ed Logg
    George Edward Logg born in Seattle in 1948 is a retired arcade video game designer, employed first at Atari and after at Atari Games. He co-developed the video game Asteroids with Lyle Rains...

    ), the first dungeon crawl
    Dungeon crawl
    A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment, battling various monsters, and looting any treasure they may find...

     arcade game.
  • Adventure Construction Set
    Adventure Construction Set
    Adventure Construction Set is a program written by Stuart Smith that is used to construct tile-based graphical adventure games. ACS was originally published by Electronic Arts in 1984 on the Commodore 64, and was later ported to the Apple II, Amiga and MS-DOS platforms...

    by Stuart Smith
    Stuart Smith
    Stuart Smith may refer to:*Stuart Lyon Smith , politician, psychiatrist, academic and public servant in Ontario, Canada*Stuart Saunders Smith , American composer and percussionist*Stuart Tyson Smith, American Egyptologist...

     and Racing Destruction Set
    Racing Destruction Set
    Racing Destruction Set is a car racing and motocross computer game that was published in 1985 by Electronic Arts. It was developed for the Commodore 64 computer system, and was advertised as being Commodore 128 compatible...

     by Rick Koenig are both released by Electronic Arts
    Electronic Arts
    Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...

     and become hits, following on the success of 1982
    1982 in video gaming
    -Events:* December 27 - Starcade, a video game television game show, debuts on TBS in the United States.-Notable releases:*October 13 - Mystique releases the Custer's Revenge adult video game for the Atari 2600 home console....

    's Pinball Construction Set
    Pinball Construction Set
    Pinball Construction Set is a computer game by Bill Budge published by Electronic Arts. It was released for the Apple II and Atari 800 in 1983 and was later ported to other platforms, such as the Commodore 64 and DOS .-Description:...

     by Bill Budge
    Bill Budge
    Bill Budge is a computer game programmer and designer. His two main claims to fame are 1981's Raster Blaster and 1983's Pinball Construction Set. Both these games were released originally for the Apple II....

    .
  • Elite Systems UK
    Elite Systems
    Elite Systems is a UK video game developer and publisher established in 1984 as Richard Wilcox Software. They are best known for producing home computer conversions of popular arcade games...

     releases Roller Coaster
    Roller Coaster (video game)
    Roller Coaster is a platform-based game which contains some strategy and puzzle elements. Uniquely it holds the claim of being the first video game to ever simulate amusement rides....

    , a platformer in the mould of the previous year's best seller, Jet Set Willy
    Jet Set Willy
    Jet Set Willy is a computer game originally written for the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published in 1984 by Software Projects and ported to most home computers of the time....

    . Roller Coaster was the first game to ever simulate fairground rides.
  • Bubble Bus software release the popular arcade adventure Starquake
    Starquake (game)
    Starquake is an arcade adventure, platform and maze game written by Dave Collins and Stephen Crow and published by Bubble Bus software in 1985. It was released for Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Atari XL, Tatung Einstein , the BBC Micro and IBM Compatible and Atari ST...

    for several 8-bit computers. In later years, it is ported to 16-bit platforms.
  • Pete Cooke
    Pete Cooke
    Pete Cooke is a famous British computer games programmer, best known for his work published in the 1980s for the 8-bit home computers, especially the ZX Spectrum....

    's ambitious, sprawling science-fiction game Tau Ceti
    Tau Ceti (computer game)
    Tau Ceti is a science fiction themed computer game first published in 1985 by CRL for the ZX Spectrum and later converted to several other platforms. It was designed and programmed by Pete Cooke. It was groundbreaking at the time for its extensive use of 3D graphics, shadow effects and its large...

    is published in the United Kingdom
    United Kingdom
    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

    .
  • The Learning Company
    The Learning Company
    The Learning Company is an American educational software company, founded in 1980. It produced a grade-based system similar to Knowledge Adventure's JumpStart series. The products for preschoolers through second graders feature Reader Rabbit, and software for more advanced students features The...

     releases the first commercial version of The Oregon Trail
    The Oregon Trail (computer game)
    The Oregon Trail is a computer game originally developed by Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger in 1971 and produced by the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium in 1974. The original game was designed to teach school children about the realities of 19th century pioneer life...

    on the Apple II
    Apple II
    The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...

    .
  • Micronics
    Micronics
    Micronics is a Japanese video game developing company which developed the NES versions of 1942, Athena, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Ikari Warriors, Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road, and Tiger Heli. Although uncredited in almost all their games, their work can often be identified by a distinct Pause sound...

     releases the Japan-exclusive action game Onyanko Town
    Onyanko Town
    is a Japan-exclusive video game for the Family Computer. ROM images of this game are sometimes known as Dog Town or Cat Town. The game has no Japanese text at all; everything is perfectly understandable to an English-speaking Westerner.-Gameplay:...

    ; which has a nonsensical title and fast-paced action

Hardware

  • Atari
    Atari
    Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...

     releases the 520ST
    Atari ST
    The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...

     personal computer
  • Commodore
    Commodore International
    Commodore is the commonly used name for Commodore Business Machines , the U.S.-based home computer manufacturer and electronics manufacturer headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, which also housed Commodore's corporate parent company, Commodore International Limited...

     releases the Amiga
    Amiga 1000
    The A1000, or Commodore Amiga 1000, was Commodore's initial Amiga personal computer, introduced on July 23, 1985 at the Lincoln Center in New York City....

     personal computer
  • INTV Corp. releases the INTV III home console
  • Telegames
    Telegames
    Telegames, Inc. is a North American video game company based in Gun Barrel City, Texas, with a sister operation based in England.Telegames was well known for supporting not just modern game systems but also classic game systems, after they've been abandoned by its manufacturer. Effective September...

     releases the Dina
    Dina
    Dina may refer to:*Sanskrit word meaning "day"*Dina , game by Bit Corp*Hebrew word meaning "judged"*Dina , Russian futsal club based in Moscow-Places:*The Massina Empire...

     home console, a ColecoVision
    ColecoVision
    The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, and the means to expand the system's basic hardware...

     clone
  • Nintendo
    Nintendo
    is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....

     does a limited test release of the NES
    Nes
    -Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...

     video game console in the United States
    United States
    The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

     and the Robotic Operating Buddy (ROB) robot and video game for the NES home console
  • Sega
    Sega
    , usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...

    's SG-1000 Mark III released in Japan
    Japan
    Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...


Business

  • New companies: Titus Interactive
    Titus
    Titus , was Roman Emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to come to the throne after his own father....

    , Code Masters, Westwood Studios, Inc.
    Westwood Studios
    Westwood Studios was a computer and video game developer, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was founded by Brett Sperry and Louis Castle in as Westwood Associates, and renamed to Westwood Studios when it merged with Virgin Interactive in...

    , Square Co., Ltd., Bethesda Softworks
    Bethesda Softworks
    Bethesda Softworks, LLC, is an American video game company. A subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, the company was originally based in Bethesda, Maryland and eventually moved to their current location in Rockville, Maryland...

     Inc.
  • Edu-Ware
    Edu-Ware
    Edu-Ware Services, Inc. was an educational and entertainment software publisher established in 1979 by Sherwin Steffin and Steven Pederson It was known for its adventure games, role-playing video games, and flight simulators for the Apple II family of computers.-History:Edu-Ware founders Sherwin...

     closes; David Mullich
    David Mullich
    David Mullich is an American game producer and designer best known for creating the cult classic 1980 adventure game The Prisoner, producing the 1995 adaptation I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, and developing many games in the Heroes of Might and Magic franchise...

     and several other laid-off employees form Electric Transit, which becomes the first company to join Electronic Art's
    Electronic Arts
    Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...

    new affiliated publisher program.
  • Defunct companies: RDI Systems
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