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{{Year nav topic5|1975|video games}}
{{Year nav topic5|1975|video games}}


1975 saw several critical influences in the history of video games, including the first commercial games utilizing large-scale [[Integrated circuit|integrated circuits]] and [[Microprocessor|microprocessors]], as well as the first [[Role-playing video game|role-playing video games]].
1975 had new titles such as ''[[Western Gun]]'', ''[[Dungeon (video game)|Dungeon]]'' and ''[[Dnd (video game)|dnd]]''. The year's best-selling [[arcade game]] was [[Taito]]'s ''[[Speed Race]]'', released as ''Wheels'' and ''Wheels II'' in North America.


On the back end of the ''[[Pong]]'' boom, the [[Arcade video game|coin-operated video game]] industry achieved new expressions of gameplay and animation in arcade games. [[Racing game|Racing games]] and competitive [[Shooter game|shooting games]] became particularly popular. Local [[Multiplayer video game|multiplayer games]] accommodating more than four players were released by [[Atari, Inc.|Atari]], featuring advanced implementations of [[Transistor–transistor logic|transistor-transistor logic]] hardware. Several games utilizing microprocessors debuted in coin-op, including the influential ''[[Gun Fight]]'' from [[Midway Games|Midway Mfg]].
==Financial performance in the United States==
The "paddle game" trend came to an end in arcades around 1975, with the arcade video game industry entering a period of stagnation in the "post paddle game era" over the next several years up until 1977.<ref name="RePlay80">{{cite magazine |title=Special Report: Tom Petit (Sega Enterprises) |magazine=RePlay |date=January 1991 |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=80, 82 |url=https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-16-issue-no.-4-january-1991-600dpi/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2016%2C%20Issue%20No.%204%20-%20January%201991/page/44}}</ref>


The console industry saw its first competitive environment in the United States with [[Magnavox]], Atari, and smaller competitors introducing systems utilizing advanced circuit designs. Atari’s Pong [[Home video game console|home console]] featured a sophisticated custom chip created in-house.<ref name=":03" /><ref name=":0" /> European [[Dedicated console|dedicated consoles]] remained isolated to specific regions, but offered some of the first console lines from companies like Videomaster. Japan’s first native console was developed and released by toy company [[Epoch Co.|Epoch]].
===Best-selling arcade games===
The following titles were the best-selling [[arcade video game]]s of 1975 in the United States, according to annual [[arcade cabinet]] sales figures provided by [[Ralph H. Baer]].<ref name="Baer">{{cite book |last1=Baer |first1=Ralph H. |author1-link=Ralph H. Baer |title=Videogames: In the Beginning |date=2005 |publisher=Rolenta Press |isbn=978-0-9643848-1-1 |pages=10–3 |url=https://archive.org/details/VideogamesInTheBeginningRalphH.Baer/page/n31/mode/2up}}</ref>


[[Computer network|Computer networks]] saw a mass proliferation of game variants written in the [[BASIC]] programming language which influenced the emerging field of [[Microcomputer|microcomputers]]. Games introduced in publications like [[People's Computer Company|People’s Computer Company]] and ''[[BASIC Computer Games|101 BASIC Computer Games]]'' were frequently played via [[teletypes]] on [[time-sharing]] connected terminals; some were distributed via the remote connected [[ARPANET]]. The [[PLATO (computer system)|PLATO]] network likewise experienced a massive uptick in titles following the popularity of ''[[Empire (1973 video game)|Empire]]'' and ''[[Spasim]]''. Midwestern universities connected to the PLATO system were early recipients of the spread of ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', which prompted several student groups to develop the earliest computer role-playing games.
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"

! Rank
==Events==
! Title

! [[Arcade cabinet]] sales
* February 16–19<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zemo |first=Gini |date=1975-02-14 |title=Toymakers Await Holidays |work=Asbury Park Press |pages=A–15}}</ref> – [[Atari, Inc.|Atari]] attends the New York [[North American International Toy Fair|Toy Fair]] to interest retailers to stock their forthcoming ''[[Pong]]'' home console. They fail to find any interest among toy buyers.<ref name=":03">{{Cite book |last=Goldberg |first=Marty |title=Atari Inc.: Business is Fun |last2=Vendel |first2=Curt |publisher=Syzygy Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0985597405}}</ref><ref name=":0" />
! Developer
* March 12 – Wallace Kirschner and Lawrence Haskel file US Patent #4,026,555 for Alpex Computer Corporation relating to a [[Raster graphics|bitmapped]] system for [[video game graphics]].<ref>{{Cite patent|number=US4026555A|title=Television display control apparatus|gdate=1977-05-31|invent1=Kirschner|invent2=Haskel|inventor1-first=Wallace|inventor2-first=Lawrence Martin|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US4026555A/}}</ref>
! Manufacturer
* March 17 – [[Sears|Sears, Roebuck & Co.]] signs an agreement with Atari Inc. to distribute their Pong home console in their Sears retail stores.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Alexander |title=They create worlds: the story of the people and companies that shaped the video game industry |date=2020 |publisher=CRC Press, Taylor & Francis group |isbn=978-1-138-38990-8 |location=Boca Raton, [Florida] London New York, [New York]}}</ref> Sears creates the Tele-Games brand to market the game while also allowing Atari’s logo to appear on the product. [[Magnavox]] later sues Sears over infringement of their [[Magnavox Odyssey|Odyssey]] patents.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=1974-09-22 |title=Complaint For Patent Infringement |url=https://archive.org/details/19750922TransferNotice/page/n37/ |access-date=2 November 2024 |work=Magnavox Company v. Sears, Roebuck and Co. |agency=US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division}}</ref>
! Genre
* September 16–19 – The first WESCON computer [[trade show]] is held in [[San Francisco]], California. Premiering there is the [[MOS Technology 6502]] microprocessor, which powers many future video game systems. Steve Mayer and Ron Milner of Atari's [[Cyan Engineering]] are convinced to use the 6502 in their prototype home video game system which developes into the [[Video Computer System]].<ref name=":03" /><ref name=":0" />
* October 17–19 – The Music Operators of America show is held in [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]]. Several [[microprocessor]] video games make their debut including ''[[Gun Fight]]'' from [[Midway Games|Midway]], ''Shark'' from U.S. Billiards, ''PT-109'' from [[Mirco Games]], and ''Destruction Derby'' from Major Manufacturers.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=November 1975 |title=V/TMG Visits the Displays at MOA Expo |journal=Vending Times |volume=15 |issue=11 |pages=74–76}}</ref>
* October 29 – Stephen Bristow of Atari Inc. patents the technology behind the first hardware-enabled [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprites]] for video games, dubbed Player/Missile Graphics by Atari.<ref>{{Cite patent|number=US4045789A|title=Animated video image display system and method|gdate=1977-08-30|invent1=Bristow|inventor1-first=Stephen D.|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US4045789A/}}</ref>
* November 26 – A market study evaluating the Alpex Computer home [[Video game console|video game system]] using [[ROM cartridge|ROM cartridges]] is drafted by Gene Landrum for [[Fairchild Semiconductor]], which convinces the company to create the Fairchild [[Video Entertainment System]].<ref name=":0" />

==Financial performance==

=== United States ===

==== Arcade ====
Total unit sales: 50,000–79,000.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kerwin |first=Robert |date=1976-06-06 |title=Put Another Quarter In... |work=The San Francisco Examiner |pages=Sunday Examiner & Chronicle 24}}</ref><ref name=":33">{{Cite book |title=The Coin Operated and Home Electronic Games Market |publisher=Frost & Sullivan Inc. |year=1976 |publication-date=}}</ref>''{{refn|The Frost & Sullivan estimate totals 53,000 games with traditional arcade cabinets and 26,000 for those under the new cocktail table presentation.|group=Note}}''

Total Revenue (machine sales): $68–76 million.<ref name=":33" />''{{refn|The Frost & Sullivan estimate totals $58 million in games with traditional arcade cabinets and $18 million for those under the new cocktail table presentation.|group=Note}}''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Title
![[Arcade cabinet]] units (Estimates)
!Manufacturer
!Developer
!Genre
|-
|-
|''[[Gun Fight]]''
| 1
|8,600<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jarrell |first=Timothy |date=November 1976 |title=Like Old Man River Midway Sales Go Rollin' Along |journal=Play Meter |volume=2 |issue=12 |pages=50-52}}</ref>
| [[Speed Race|''Wheels / Wheels II'' (''Speed Race'')]]
|[[Kee Games|Midway Manufacturing]]
| 10,000
|Dave Nutting Associates
| [[Taito]]
|[[Shooter game|Multi-directional shooter]]
| [[Midway Manufacturing]]
| [[Racing game|Racing]]
|-
|-
|''[[Speed Race|Wheels]]''
| 2
|7,000<ref name=":02">{{cite book |last1=Baer |first1=Ralph H. |author1-link=Ralph H. Baer |url=https://archive.org/details/VideogamesInTheBeginningRalphH.Baer/page/n31/mode/2up |title=Videogames: In the Beginning |date=2005 |publisher=Rolenta Press |isbn=978-0-9643848-1-1 |pages=}}</ref>{{refn|Ralph Baer's numbers compiled in April 1976 are mostly estimates without direct access to sales figures.|group=Note}}
| ''[[Tank (video game)|Tank / Tank II]]''
2,400<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Cognevich |first=Valerie |date=1986-03-15 |title=Video-game industry still evolving |journal=Play Meter |volume=12 |issue=4 |pages=12, 14-16}}</ref>
| 6,000
| [[Kee Games]]
|[[Midway Manufacturing]]
| [[Kee Games]]
|[[Taito|Taito Corp]]
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
| [[List of maze video games|Maze]]
|-
|-
|''Wheels II''
| rowspan="2" | 3
|3,000<ref name=":02" />
| ''Flim-Flam''
|[[Midway Manufacturing]]
| 4,000
| [[Meadows Games]]
|[[Taito|Taito Corp]]
| [[Meadows Games]]
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
| [[Pong]]
|-
|-
|''PT 109''
| ''[[Gran Trak 10|Gran Trak 20]]''
|1,500<ref name=":02" />
| 4,000
| [[Atari, Inc.]]
|[[Mirco Games]]
| [[Atari, Inc.]]
|[[Mirco Games]]
| [[Racing game|Racing]]
|[[Action game|Action]]
|-
|-
|''Avenger''
| 5
|1,200<ref name=":02" />
| ''PT-109''
|Electra Games
| 1,500
|Universal Research Laboratories
| [[Mirco Games]]
|[[Shoot 'em up|Fixed shooter]]
| [[Mirco Games]]
| rowspan="2" | [[Shooter game|Shooter]]
|-
|-
|''Tank II''
| 6
|1,000<ref name=":02" />
| ''Avenger''
|[[Kee Games]]
| 1,000
|[[Chicago Coin|Atari Inc.]]
| Electra Games
|[[Shooter game|Multi-directional shooter]]
| Electra Games
|-
|-
|''Super Flipper''
| rowspan="5" | 7
|538<ref name="Agreed Statement of Facts v Chicago222">{{cite news |last=Neven |first=John F. |date=1977-07-11 |title=Notice of Motion |url=https://archive.org/details/19770711NoticeOfMotion/page/n9/ |access-date=22 March 2024 |work=Magnavox Company v. Chicago Dynamic Industries, et al. |pages= |agency=US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division}}</ref>
| ''[[Crash 'N Score]]''
|[[Chicago Coin]]
| 500
|Model Racing
| [[Atari, Inc.]]
|[[Sports video game|Sports]]
| [[Atari, Inc.]]
| [[Driving game|Driving]]
|-
|-
| ''[[Gun Fight]]'' (''Western Gun'')
|''[[Crash 'N Score]]''
|500<ref name=":02" />
| 500
|[[Chicago Coin|Atari Inc.]]
| [[Taito]]
|[[Chicago Coin|Atari Inc.]]
| [[Midway Manufacturing]]
| rowspan="2" | [[Shooter game|Shooter]]
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
|-
|-
| ''[[Jet Fighter (video game)|Jet Fighter]]''
|''[[Jet Fighter (video game)|Jet Fighter]]''
|500<ref name=":02" />
| 500
| [[Atari, Inc.]]
|[[Chicago Coin|Atari Inc.]]
| [[Atari, Inc.]]
|[[Chicago Coin|Atari Inc.]]
|[[Shooter game|Multi-directional shooter]]
|-
|-
| ''[[Shark Jaws]]''
|''[[Shark Jaws]]''
|500<ref name=":02" />
| 500
| [[Atari, Inc.]]
|[[Chicago Coin|Atari Inc.]]
| [[Atari, Inc.]]
|[[Atari, Inc.|Atari Inc.]]
| [[Action game|Action]]
|[[Action game|Action]]
|-
|-
| ''[[Steeplechase (video game)|Steeplechase]]''
|''Steeplechase''
|500<ref name=":02" />
| 500
| [[Atari, Inc.]]
|[[Ramtek Corporation|Atari Inc.]]
| [[Atari, Inc.]]
|[[Ramtek Corporation|Atari Inc.]]
| [[Racing game|Racing]]
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
|}
|}


===Highest-grossing arcade games===
==== Most popular arcade games ====
In the United States, ''RePlay'' magazine published the first annual chart of top-grossing [[Arcade game|arcade games]] in March 1976, listing both video games and [[electro-mechanical games]] (EM games) on the same chart for the previous year. The following were the highest-grossing arcade games of the previous year, in terms of coin drop earnings.<ref name="RePlay">{{cite magazine |title=The Nation's Top Arcade Games |magazine=RePlay |date=March 1976}}</ref>
RePlay magazine published its first popularity chart for coin-operated games in the United States in March 1976, covering games of the previous year. The lists were based on polling operators regarding their opinions of games receiving the most attention in their locations.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |date=March 1976 |title=The Nation's Top Arcade Games |journal=RePlay |volume=1 |issue=22 |pages=26}}</ref> RePlay's charts were based only on a subset of operators and are not on imperial metrics such as earnings reports, but they give a strong indication of games which were of the most value to arcades and street locations.

The RePlay rankings included both video and [[electro-mechanical games]] which ran in close competition through the 1970s until video games became dominant. Outside of the top twenty ranked in order, forty-eight other games were also listed.<ref name=":1" />


{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
! rowspan="2" |Rank
! rowspan="2" |Rank
! colspan="3" |[[Arcade video game|Arcade video games]]
! colspan="2" |[[Arcade video game|Arcade video games]]
!
! colspan="3" |Arcade [[electro-mechanical games]] (EM games)
|-
|-
! Title
! Title
! Overall rank
!Genre
! Title
! Overall rank
!Genre
!Genre
!Manufacturer
|-
|-
| 1
| 1
| ''[[Tank (video game)|Tank / Tank II]]''
| ''[[Tank (video game)|Tank]] / Tank II''
|[[Shooter game|Multi-directional shooter]]
| 1
|[[Maze game|Maze]]
|[[Kee Games]]
| ''[[Allied Leisure|Super Shifter]]''
| 4
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
|-
|-
| 2
| 2
| [[Speed Race|''Wheels / Wheels II'' (''Speed Race'')]]
| ''[[Speed Race|Wheels]] / Wheels II''
| 2
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
|[[Midway Manufacturing]]
| ''[[Air Hockey]]''
| 6
|[[Air hockey]]
|-
|-
| 3
| 3
| ''[[Gun Fight]]'' (''Western Gun'')
| ''[[Gun Fight]]''
|[[Shooter game|Multi-directional shooter]]
| 3
|[[Shooter game|Shooter]]
|[[Midway Manufacturing]]
| ''[[Bally Manufacturing|Wizard]]''
| 7
|[[Pinball]]
|-
|-
| 4
| 4
| ''[[Indy 800]]''
| ''[[Indy 800]]''
| 5
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
|[[Kee Games]]
| ''[[Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters|Skee Ball]]''
| 9
|[[Skee-Ball]]
|-
|-
| 5
| 5
| ''[[Gran Trak 10]] / Gran Trak 20''
| ''[[Gran Trak 10]] / Gran Trak 20''
|8
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
|[[Allied Leisure|''F-114'']]
|[[Chicago Coin|Atari Inc.]]
|10
|[[Shooter game|Shooter]]
|-
|-
| 6
| 6
| ''[[Kee Games|Twin Racer]]''
| ''Twin Racer''
| 11
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
|[[Kee Games]]
|''[[Williams Electronics|OXO]]''
|15
|[[Pinball]]
|-
|-
| 7
| 7
| ''BiPlane''
| ''BiPlane''
|[[Shooter game|Multi-directional shooter]]
| 12
|[[Shooter game|Shooter]]
|[[Chicago Coin|Atari Inc.]]
| ''Rifle Range''
| 16
|[[Gun game|Gun]]
|-
|-
| 8
| 8
| [[Speed Race|''Racer'' (''Speed Race'')]]
| ''Racer''
| 13
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
|[[Midway Manufacturing]]
| [[List of Taito games|''Crown Basketball'']]
| 18
|[[Sports game|Sports]]
|-
|-
| 9
| 9
| [[Destruction Derby (1975 video game)|''Demolition Derby'']]
| [[Destruction Derby (1975 video game)|''Demolition Derby'']]
| 14
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
| [[Gottlieb|''Amigo'']]
|[[Chicago Coin]]
|19
|[[Pinball]]
|-
|-
| 10
| 10
| ''[[Allied Leisure|Street Burners]]''
| ''Street Burners''
| 17
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
| ''[[List of Sega arcade games|Grand Prix]]''
|20
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
|[[Racing game|Racing]]
|[[Allied Leisure|Allied Leisure Industries]]
|}
|}
'''Home consoles'''


Total unit sales: 250,000-400,000 consoles.<ref name=":33" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |title=Electronic Games & Personal Computers |date=February 1979 |publisher=Predicasts Inc.}}</ref>
==Events==
*In [[Autumn|Fall]], [[Magnavox]] discontinues the original [[Magnavox Odyssey|Odyssey]] [[video game console]].<ref name="odyssey">{{cite web
| author=Winter, David
| year=2006
| title=Magnavox Odyssey: The first home video game console
| url=http://www.pong-story.com/odyssey.htm
| work=pong-story.com
| access-date=February 17, 2006
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060221124902/http://www.pong-story.com/odyssey.htm| archive-date= February 21, 2006 | url-status= live}}</ref>
*On April 21, [[Zanussi]] obtained the license to implement [[Pong]] from [[Sanders Associates]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://pongmuseum.com/news/?content=detail&id=86|title=pongmuseum.com - Newsblog|website=pongmuseum.com|access-date=2019-05-20|archive-date=April 27, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427044750/http://pongmuseum.com/news/?content=detail&id=86|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Sega]] (formerly Service Games), who at the time made a arcade game called "[[Lists of Sega games|Bullet Mark]]" which was released this year changes their 1956 logo<ref>https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/logopedia/images/b/bf/Sega_%281956%29.svg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/800?cb=20200917052944</ref> to their current logo on October 11.<ref>https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/logopedia/images/c/ce/Sega.svg/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/800?cb=20210722154852</ref>


Total revenue (retail): $32-40 million.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":12">{{Cite book |title=The Electronic Games Market in the U.S. |date=1983 |publisher=Frost & Sullivan Inc.}}</ref>
==Business==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
* New companies: [[Cinematronics]], [[Enix]]
!Title
!Game console units (1975)
!Manufacturer
!Developer
|-
|[[Magnavox Odyssey|Odyssey]]
|80,000<ref name=":02" />
|[[Magnavox]]
|[[Sanders Associates]]/[[Magnavox]]
|-
|Odyssey 100 / Odyssey 200
|100,000<ref name=":02" />
|[[Magnavox]]
|[[Sanders Associates]]/[[Texas Instruments]]
|-
|Pong
|85,000<ref name=":12" />
|[[Atari, Inc.|Atari Inc.]]
|MOS Sorcery/[[Atari, Inc.|Atari Inc.]]<ref name=":03" />
|}


== Notable releases ==
== Publications ==


* [[Ted Nelson]] publishes [[Computer Lib/Dream Machines]]. It discusses numerous games, including variants of ''[[Spacewar!]]'' and those on the [[PLATO (computer system)|PLATO]] network.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schultz |first=Kaye |date=1975-05-28 |title=Who's in control: Man or machine? |work=The News |pages=The World 3}}</ref>
=== Video game consoles ===
* October – RePlay magazine publishes its first issue. Edited by [[Eddie Adlum]] – previously editor for the coin machine section of publication [[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]] – the monthly magazine covers all aspects of coin-operated entertainment.
* September 12 – [[Epoch Co.|Epoch]] releases [[Video gaming in Japan|Japan]]'s first home video game console, the [[TV Tennis Electrotennis]] dedicated home video game console. Its most unusual feature is that the console (including the [[Game controller|controller]]) is [[wireless]], functioning through a [[Ultra high frequency|UHF]] antenna.<ref>Martin Picard, [http://gamestudies.org/1302/articles/picard The Foundation of Geemu: A Brief History of Early Japanese video games] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150624050100/http://gamestudies.org/1302/articles/picard |date=June 24, 2015 }}, ''International Journal of Computer Game Research'', 2013</ref>
* December – [[Atari]] and Tele-Games (a division of [[Sears Holdings Corporation|Sears, Roebuck and Company]]) release the first official home version of ''[[Pong]]'' (called ''[[Home Pong]]'') through Sears [[department store]]s.<ref name="pong">{{cite web
| author=KCTS-TV
| author-link=KCTS-TV
| title=History of Gaming / Interactive Timeline of Game History
| website=[[PBS]]
| url=https://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/history/timeline_flash.html
| access-date=February 17, 2006
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060218080821/http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/history/timeline_flash.html| archive-date= February 18, 2006 | url-status= live}}</ref>
* Magnavox releases two new models of their Odyssey console: the [[Odyssey series#Odyssey 100|Odyssey 100]] and the [[Odyssey series#Odyssey 200|Odyssey 200]].<ref name="odyssey" />
*[[Philips]] released the [[Philips Tele-Game series#ES 2201|Philips Tele-Game ES 2201]] dedicated home video game console, the first system of the [[Philips Tele-Game series]].


=== Games ===
==Notable releases==
*February – [[Midway Games|Midway]] releases [[Taito Corporation|Taito]]'s 1974 [[Arcade game|arcade]] [[racing video game]] ''Speed Race'', the first video game in the ''[[Speed Race]]'' series designed by [[Tomohiro Nishikado]], in North America as ''Wheels''<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/video-game-firsts.html|title = The Golden Age Arcade Historian: Video Game Firsts??|date = November 22, 2013|access-date = November 4, 2014|archive-date = November 5, 2017|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171105041440/http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/video-game-firsts.html|url-status = live}}</ref> and ''Racer''.<ref name=Barton-197>Bill Loguidice & Matt Barton (2009), ''Vintage games: an insider look at the history of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the most influential games of all time'', p. 197, [[Focal Press]], {{ISBN|0-240-81146-1}}</ref>
* February – Horror Games, founded by [[Nolan Bushnell]], publishes its only game, ''[[Shark Jaws]]'', intended to cash-in on the popularity of [[Steven Spielberg]]'s film ''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]''.<ref name="icwhen">{{cite web
|author=Thomas, Donald A. Jr.
|year=2005
|title=&ndash;1975&ndash;
|url=http://www.icwhen.com/book/the_1970s/1975.shtml
|access-date=February 17, 2006
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060312080525/http://www.icwhen.com/book/the_1970s/1975.shtml
|archive-date=March 12, 2006
|url-status=dead
}}</ref>


=== Arcade games ===
* [[Taito Corporation|Taito]] releases ''[[Gun Fight|Western Gun]]'', the first video game to depict human-to-human [[Action game|combat]].<ref name=gamespy2>{{cite web|last=Cassidy |first=William |title=Gun Fight |url=http://uk.gamespy.com/articles/491/491634p2.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130124064335/http://uk.gamespy.com/articles/491/491634p2.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 24, 2013 |publisher=[[GameSpy]] |access-date=September 14, 2012 |date=May 6, 2002 }}</ref><ref name="Steinberg">{{citation|title=Boy Culture: An Encyclopedia|volume=1|author=Shirley R. Steinberg|editor1=Shirley R. Steinberg |editor2=Michael Kehler |editor3=Lindsay Cornish |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|year=2010|isbn=978-0-313-35080-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XRGEIqzv5rsC|access-date=April 2, 2011|page=451}}</ref> Designed by [[Tomohiro Nishikado]], the game had two distinct [[joystick]] controls per player, with one eight-way joystick for moving the computerized cowboy around on the screen and the other for changing the shooting direction.<ref name="Kotaku">{{cite web|author=Stephen Totilo|title=In Search Of The First Video Game Gun|publisher=Kotaku|date=August 31, 2010|url=http://kotaku.com/5626466/in-search-of-the-first-video-game-gun|access-date=March 27, 2011|archive-date=January 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124133826/https://kotaku.com/5626466/in-search-of-the-first-video-game-gun|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{KLOV game|10420|Western Gun}}</ref>
*November – Midway releases ''[[Gun Fight]]'', an adaptation of Taito's ''Western Gun'' and the first [[microprocessor]]-based video game.<ref name="gunfight">{{cite web
| author=Bousiges, Alexis
| year=2005
| title=Gun Fight
| url=http://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?page=detail&id=1040
| access-date=February 17, 2006
| archive-date=November 27, 2020
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127213519/https://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?page=detail&id=1040
| url-status=live
}}</ref> Taito's ''Western Gun'' used [[Transistor-transistor logic|TTL-based]] hardware, which [[Dave Nutting Associates]] [[Porting|ported]] to the [[Intel 8080]] [[microprocessor]] for its North American release.<ref name="gunfight2">{{cite web
|title = Western Gun
|url = http://emustatus.rainemu.com/games/westerngun.htm
|work = Emulation Status
|access-date = February 19, 2006
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150123095723/http://emustatus.rainemu.com/games/westerngun.htm
|archive-date = January 23, 2015
|url-status = dead
|df = mdy-all
}}</ref>


* April – ''[[Indy 800]]'' by [[Atari, Inc.|Atari]] (published under the [[Kee Games]] label) begins production.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=May 1975 |title=New Kee game has chills, spills, enough for eight |journal=Play Meter |volume=1 |issue=6 |pages=55}}</ref> The game features color graphics and an eight player cabinet powered by eight [[Printed circuit board|circuit boards]]. Despite its massive profile and price restricting the range of venues, the game is highly successful and proves the earning power of large, multiplayer games.<ref name=":0" />
*[[Don Daglow]] develops ''[[Dungeon (video game)|Dungeon]]'', an early [[role-playing video game]], for the [[PDP-10]].<ref name="dungeon">{{cite web
** Atari releases ''[[Hi-way|Hi-Way]]'', a scrolling racing game featuring a sit-down cabinet and screen-warping effects.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=April 1975 |title=Go out in the traffic and play! |journal=Vending Times |volume=15 |issue=4 |pages=59}}</ref>
|author=Maragos, Nich
* September – ''Western Gun'' is released by [[Taito]] in Japan. It features the first human-on-human combat in a video game as well as [[Destructible environment|destructible environments]].
|year=2004
* October – [[Sega]]’s American marketing arm, Sega of America, releases their first video game in the United States, ''Bullet Mark''.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=October 1975 |title=Bullet Mark Another First From Sega |journal=RePlay |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=41}}</ref>
|title=Talking: Don Daglow
** Project Support Engineering releases ''Maneater''. The game is noted for its special [[Arcade cabinet|cabinet]] design which is molded in the shape of a great white shark with open jaws.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=October 1975 |title=Maneater from PSE |journal=RePlay |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=28}}</ref> It is one of several games capitalizing on the release of the movie ''[[Jaws (film)|Jaws]]'' – including ''[[Shark Jaws]]'' by Atari and ''Shark'' by U.S. Billiards. [[Steven Spielberg]] is photographed with the ''Maneater'' cabinet.
|url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3133666&did=1
** Atari introduces ''Steeplechase'' – a unique, six-player game. Controls are simplified to a single button which causes a horse to leap.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1975-10-18 |title=Starshine |journal=Cash Box |pages=C7}}</ref> It is the first graphical game featuring a character who can jump.
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041013061213/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3133666&did=1
** Electra Games releases ''Avenger''.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1975-10-18 |title=Electra Intro's 'Avenger' At MOA Expo; 1-Plyr. W/3 Plays For 2 Quarters Pricing |journal=Cash Box |pages=C9}}</ref> It is an early example of a scrolling [[Shoot 'em up|shoot 'em-up]].
|url-status=dead
* November – ''[[Gun Fight]]'' is released by [[Midway Games|Midway Manufacturing]], based off of ''Western Gun'' by Taito.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1975-11-08 |title=New Midway's 'Gun Fight' – 'Old West' Thrills |journal=Cash Box |pages=39}}</ref> It is the preeminent video game to use a [[microprocessor]] as well as the first [[twin-stick shooter]]. The game is among the most successful of 1975 and its hardware is used for subsequent Midway-released games.<ref name=":0" />
|archive-date=October 13, 2004
* December – [[Exidy]]’s ''[[Destruction Derby (1975 video game)|Destruction Derby]]'' is released; [[Chicago Coin]] releases it as ''Demolition Derby''.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1975-12-20 |title=It's Chicago Coin's Game with a Brain |journal=RePlay |volume=1 |issue=10 |pages=7}}</ref> The game is later modified to become ''[[Death Race (1976 video game)|Death Race]]'' (1976).
|access-date=February 17, 2006
* [[Fairchild Semiconductor|Fairchild]] employee [[Jerry Lawson (engineer)|Jerry Lawson]] creates the game ''Destruction Derby{{refn|Unrelated to the ''Destruction Derby'' released by Exidy.|group=Note}}'' which he offers to Major Manufacturers.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=October 1975 |title=Major Manufacturing's Kinsel Hails Fascination |journal=Vending Times |volume=15 |issue=10 |pages=95}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=1975-10-18 |title=Illogical. |journal=Microelectronics News with Manager's Casebook |pages=2}}</ref> Though the game is never officially released, its creation leads to Lawson’s engineering leadership of the Fairchild [[Fairchild Channel F|Video Entertainment System]] console.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Donovan |first=Tristan |title=Replay: the history of video games |date=2010 |publisher=Yellow Ant |isbn=978-0-9565072-0-4 |location=East Sussex, England}}</ref>
}}</ref>


=== Computer games ===
*[[William Crowther (computer programmer)|William Crowther]] develops ''[[Colossal Cave Adventure|Adventure]]'' (also known as ''Colossal Cave'' and ''ADVENT''), the first [[interactive fiction]] game, for the [[PDP-10]].<ref name="adventure">{{cite web

| author=Adams, Rick
* August – ''[[Pedit5|The Dungeon]]'' (also known as ''pedit5'') is developed by Reginald “Rusty” Rutherford for the [[PLATO (computer system)|PLATO IV]] system at the [[University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign|University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana]]. It is an early [[Role-playing video game|computer role-playing game]], adapting ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' mechanics as a graphical [[dungeon crawl]] with [[randomly generated]] encounters. The game is also the first known video game to feature a [[high score table]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Peterson |first=Jon |title=Playing at the world: a history of simulating wars, people and fantastic adventures, from chess to role-playing games |date=2012 |publisher=Unreason Press |isbn=978-0-615-64204-8 |location=San Diego, CA}}</ref>
| title=A history of 'Adventure'
* In response to the deletion of ''The Dungeon'' from PLATO, Paul Resch, Larry Kemp, and Eric Hagstrom of the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana create the game ''Orthanc''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bollingbroke |first=Chester |date=2013-11-11 |title=The CRPG Addict: Game 123: Orthanc (1975) |url=https://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/2013/11/game-123-orthanc-1977.html |access-date=2024-11-02 |website=The CRPG Addict}}</ref>
| url=http://www.rickadams.org/adventure/a_history.html
* [[Don Daglow]] develops the role-playing game ''[[Dungeon (video game)|Dungeon]]'' for the [[PDP-10]] at [[Claremont Graduate University|Claremont University Center]].<ref name="daglow198808">{{cite magazine |last=Daglow |first=Don L. |date=August 1988 |title=The Changing Role of Computer Game Designers |url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_50.pdf |access-date=23 April 2016 |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |pages=18 |issue=50}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lucas |first=Raphaël |date=2015-04-02 |title=L’histoire du RPG: Don Daglow – Dungeon (1975) |url=https://geekomatick.com/2015/04/02/lhistoire-du-rpg-don-daglow-dungeon-1975/ |access-date=2024-11-02 |website=Geek -O- Matick |language=en}}</ref>
| access-date=February 17, 2006

| archive-date=May 17, 2011
=== Hardware ===
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517000635/http://www.rickadams.org/adventure/a_history.html

| url-status=live
==== Console ====
}}</ref>
* April – The company Jolieb distributes the [[Magnavox Odyssey|Odyssey]] console in Japan, the first home video game to be sold in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Herman |first=Leonard |date=2020-04-29 |title=THE NINTENDO ODYSSEY |url=https://thegamescholar.com/2020/04/28/the-nintendo-odyssey/ |access-date=2024-11-02 |website=The Game Scholar |language=en}}</ref>
* May – Control Sales offers the Video Action II console for sale for $299.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1975-05-23 |title=Plays on Your Home TV |work=The Los Angeles Times |pages=Part IV 34}}</ref> The console runs into difficulties with [[Federal Communications Commission]] restrictions, forcing the company to pull it from sale.<ref name=":0" />
* September – Toy company [[Epoch Co.|Epoch]] releases [[TV Tennis Electrotennis]] in Japan.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=February 1977 |title=Electronic Video Games |journal=Focus Japan |pages=22}}</ref> It is the first Japanese-developed home video game console, with the unusual feature of a [[Wireless LAN|wireless]] connection to the television via a [[UHF television broadcasting|UHF]] antenna.
* October – The Tele-Games home version of Pong (sometimes called Home Pong) is made available for purchase in [[Sears]] retail stores.<ref name=":0" />
* November – [[Magnavox]] releases two new models consoles based on the Odyssey using chips developed by [[Texas Instruments]], the [[Odyssey series|Odyssey 100]] and [[Odyssey 200]]. These consoles are paired down to play variants of the ''Ping Pong'' game from the original Odyssey – which is discontinued – and are much more successful.<ref name=":0" />
** Videomaster releases its Olympic Home T.V. Game model in the United Kingdom which plays six games.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1975-11-20 |title=Bridgers |work=Evening Post |pages=14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=1975-12-01 |title=apollo |work=Lincolnshire Echo |pages=8}}</ref>
** Television Tennis is released by Executive Games in the United States.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1975-11-24 |title=Video Games Playing to Home Market |journal=Weekly Television Digest with Consumer Electronics |volume=15 |issue=47 |pages=8}}</ref>
* December – [[Philips]] releases the [[Philips Tele-Game series|ES 2201 Tele-Spiel]] console in the Netherlands, an early console featuring interchangeable games similar to the original Odyssey.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=December 1975 |title=Philips tele-spel |journal=elektuur |issue=147 |pages=1206}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=December 1975 |title=Philips Tele-Spel |journal=Radio Bulletin |pages=A18}}</ref>
==Business==


* April 1 – [[San Diego Chargers]] football players [[Dennis Partee]] and [[Gary Garrison]] plus businessman Jim Pierce found the company [[Cinematronics|Cinematronics Inc]].
* Rusty Rutherford develops ''[[pedit5]]'', the first [[dungeon crawl]] game, for the [[PLATO system]].<ref name="pedit5">{{cite web
* April 4 – [[Microsoft|Micro-Soft]] is founded in [[Albuquerque, New Mexico|Albuquerque]], New Mexico, by [[Bill Gates]] and [[Paul Allen]] to focus on software for [[Microprocessor|microprocessors]].
| author=Rusty Rutherford
* September 22 – Yasuhiro Fukushima founds the Eidansha Boshu Service Center in the [[Shinjuku]] district of [[Tokyo]]. The advertising business is later renamed [[Enix|Enix Corporation]] when they enter computer games.
| title=The Creation of PEDIT5
* November 1 – [[Sega Sammy Holdings|Sammy Industry]] is established in Japan by [[Hajime Satomi]], a split of the coin-operated amusement assets from his company Satomi Corporation.
| url=http://armchairarcade.com/neo/node/1948
| access-date=June 10, 2011
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707162725/http://armchairarcade.com/neo/node/1948
| archive-date=July 7, 2011
| url-status=dead
}}</ref>


== Notes ==
* ''[[Dnd (video game)|dnd]]'', the first video game to include a [[boss (video games)|boss]], and arguably the first computer role-playing game, wrapped up initial development. Some sources list the game as 1974; it is unclear exactly when it became playable.
<references group="Note" responsive="1"></references>
* ''[[Nürburgring 1]]'', the first [[First-person (video games)|first-person]] [[Racing video game|racing game]], was developed in Germany by Dr. Reiner Foerst.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://jalopnik.com/5906386/meet-the-doctor-engineer-who-basically-invented-the-modern-racing-game|title=Meet The Doctor-Engineer Who Basically Invented The Modern Racing Game|last=Torchinsky|first=Jason|work=Jalopnik|access-date=2017-07-30|language=en-US|archive-date=January 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103082310/https://jalopnik.com/5906386/meet-the-doctor-engineer-who-basically-invented-the-modern-racing-game|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://weltenschule.de/vgames/Nuerburg/Nuerburgring.html|title=Reiner Foerst's Nürburgring - The world first 3D arcade car race game, made in Germany!|last=Oliver|first=Christian|website=weltenschule.de|access-date=2017-07-30|archive-date=February 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213121807/http://weltenschule.de/vgames/Nuerburg/Nuerburgring.html|url-status=live}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[1975 in games]]
*[[1974 in games]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
{{Reflist}}


<!--categories provided by template at top-->
{{History of video games}}
{{History of video games}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:1975 In Video games}}
[[Category:1975 in video gaming| ]]
[[Category:1975|Video games]]
[[Category:Video games by year]]
[[Category:Video games by year]]

Latest revision as of 04:01, 24 December 2024

List of years in video games
+...

1975 saw several critical influences in the history of video games, including the first commercial games utilizing large-scale integrated circuits and microprocessors, as well as the first role-playing video games.

On the back end of the Pong boom, the coin-operated video game industry achieved new expressions of gameplay and animation in arcade games. Racing games and competitive shooting games became particularly popular. Local multiplayer games accommodating more than four players were released by Atari, featuring advanced implementations of transistor-transistor logic hardware. Several games utilizing microprocessors debuted in coin-op, including the influential Gun Fight from Midway Mfg.

The console industry saw its first competitive environment in the United States with Magnavox, Atari, and smaller competitors introducing systems utilizing advanced circuit designs. Atari’s Pong home console featured a sophisticated custom chip created in-house.[1][2] European dedicated consoles remained isolated to specific regions, but offered some of the first console lines from companies like Videomaster. Japan’s first native console was developed and released by toy company Epoch.

Computer networks saw a mass proliferation of game variants written in the BASIC programming language which influenced the emerging field of microcomputers. Games introduced in publications like People’s Computer Company and 101 BASIC Computer Games were frequently played via teletypes on time-sharing connected terminals; some were distributed via the remote connected ARPANET. The PLATO network likewise experienced a massive uptick in titles following the popularity of Empire and Spasim. Midwestern universities connected to the PLATO system were early recipients of the spread of Dungeons & Dragons, which prompted several student groups to develop the earliest computer role-playing games.

Events

[edit]
  • February 16–19[3] – Atari attends the New York Toy Fair to interest retailers to stock their forthcoming Pong home console. They fail to find any interest among toy buyers.[1][2]
  • March 12 – Wallace Kirschner and Lawrence Haskel file US Patent #4,026,555 for Alpex Computer Corporation relating to a bitmapped system for video game graphics.[4]
  • March 17 – Sears, Roebuck & Co. signs an agreement with Atari Inc. to distribute their Pong home console in their Sears retail stores.[2] Sears creates the Tele-Games brand to market the game while also allowing Atari’s logo to appear on the product. Magnavox later sues Sears over infringement of their Odyssey patents.[2][5]
  • September 16–19 – The first WESCON computer trade show is held in San Francisco, California. Premiering there is the MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor, which powers many future video game systems. Steve Mayer and Ron Milner of Atari's Cyan Engineering are convinced to use the 6502 in their prototype home video game system which developes into the Video Computer System.[1][2]
  • October 17–19 – The Music Operators of America show is held in Chicago, Illinois. Several microprocessor video games make their debut including Gun Fight from Midway, Shark from U.S. Billiards, PT-109 from Mirco Games, and Destruction Derby from Major Manufacturers.[6]
  • October 29 – Stephen Bristow of Atari Inc. patents the technology behind the first hardware-enabled sprites for video games, dubbed Player/Missile Graphics by Atari.[7]
  • November 26 – A market study evaluating the Alpex Computer home video game system using ROM cartridges is drafted by Gene Landrum for Fairchild Semiconductor, which convinces the company to create the Fairchild Video Entertainment System.[2]

Financial performance

[edit]

United States

[edit]

Arcade

[edit]

Total unit sales: 50,000–79,000.[8][9][Note 1]

Total Revenue (machine sales): $68–76 million.[9][Note 2]

Title Arcade cabinet units (Estimates) Manufacturer Developer Genre
Gun Fight 8,600[10] Midway Manufacturing Dave Nutting Associates Multi-directional shooter
Wheels 7,000[11][Note 3]

2,400[12]

Midway Manufacturing Taito Corp Racing
Wheels II 3,000[11] Midway Manufacturing Taito Corp Racing
PT 109 1,500[11] Mirco Games Mirco Games Action
Avenger 1,200[11] Electra Games Universal Research Laboratories Fixed shooter
Tank II 1,000[11] Kee Games Atari Inc. Multi-directional shooter
Super Flipper 538[13] Chicago Coin Model Racing Sports
Crash 'N Score 500[11] Atari Inc. Atari Inc. Racing
Jet Fighter 500[11] Atari Inc. Atari Inc. Multi-directional shooter
Shark Jaws 500[11] Atari Inc. Atari Inc. Action
Steeplechase 500[11] Atari Inc. Atari Inc. Racing
[edit]

RePlay magazine published its first popularity chart for coin-operated games in the United States in March 1976, covering games of the previous year. The lists were based on polling operators regarding their opinions of games receiving the most attention in their locations.[14] RePlay's charts were based only on a subset of operators and are not on imperial metrics such as earnings reports, but they give a strong indication of games which were of the most value to arcades and street locations.

The RePlay rankings included both video and electro-mechanical games which ran in close competition through the 1970s until video games became dominant. Outside of the top twenty ranked in order, forty-eight other games were also listed.[14]

Rank Arcade video games
Title Genre Manufacturer
1 Tank / Tank II Multi-directional shooter Kee Games
2 Wheels / Wheels II Racing Midway Manufacturing
3 Gun Fight Multi-directional shooter Midway Manufacturing
4 Indy 800 Racing Kee Games
5 Gran Trak 10 / Gran Trak 20 Racing Atari Inc.
6 Twin Racer Racing Kee Games
7 BiPlane Multi-directional shooter Atari Inc.
8 Racer Racing Midway Manufacturing
9 Demolition Derby Racing Chicago Coin
10 Street Burners Racing Allied Leisure Industries

Home consoles

Total unit sales: 250,000-400,000 consoles.[9][15]

Total revenue (retail): $32-40 million.[15][16]

Title Game console units (1975) Manufacturer Developer
Odyssey 80,000[11] Magnavox Sanders Associates/Magnavox
Odyssey 100 / Odyssey 200 100,000[11] Magnavox Sanders Associates/Texas Instruments
Pong 85,000[16] Atari Inc. MOS Sorcery/Atari Inc.[1]

Publications

[edit]
  • Ted Nelson publishes Computer Lib/Dream Machines. It discusses numerous games, including variants of Spacewar! and those on the PLATO network.[17]
  • October – RePlay magazine publishes its first issue. Edited by Eddie Adlum – previously editor for the coin machine section of publication Cash Box – the monthly magazine covers all aspects of coin-operated entertainment.

Notable releases

[edit]

Arcade games

[edit]
  • April – Indy 800 by Atari (published under the Kee Games label) begins production.[18] The game features color graphics and an eight player cabinet powered by eight circuit boards. Despite its massive profile and price restricting the range of venues, the game is highly successful and proves the earning power of large, multiplayer games.[2]
    • Atari releases Hi-Way, a scrolling racing game featuring a sit-down cabinet and screen-warping effects.[19]
  • September – Western Gun is released by Taito in Japan. It features the first human-on-human combat in a video game as well as destructible environments.
  • October – Sega’s American marketing arm, Sega of America, releases their first video game in the United States, Bullet Mark.[20]
    • Project Support Engineering releases Maneater. The game is noted for its special cabinet design which is molded in the shape of a great white shark with open jaws.[21] It is one of several games capitalizing on the release of the movie Jaws – including Shark Jaws by Atari and Shark by U.S. Billiards. Steven Spielberg is photographed with the Maneater cabinet.
    • Atari introduces Steeplechase – a unique, six-player game. Controls are simplified to a single button which causes a horse to leap.[22] It is the first graphical game featuring a character who can jump.
    • Electra Games releases Avenger.[23] It is an early example of a scrolling shoot 'em-up.
  • November – Gun Fight is released by Midway Manufacturing, based off of Western Gun by Taito.[24] It is the preeminent video game to use a microprocessor as well as the first twin-stick shooter. The game is among the most successful of 1975 and its hardware is used for subsequent Midway-released games.[2]
  • December – Exidy’s Destruction Derby is released; Chicago Coin releases it as Demolition Derby.[25] The game is later modified to become Death Race (1976).
  • Fairchild employee Jerry Lawson creates the game Destruction Derby[Note 4] which he offers to Major Manufacturers.[26][27] Though the game is never officially released, its creation leads to Lawson’s engineering leadership of the Fairchild Video Entertainment System console.[28]

Computer games

[edit]

Hardware

[edit]

Console

[edit]
  • April – The company Jolieb distributes the Odyssey console in Japan, the first home video game to be sold in the country.[33]
  • May – Control Sales offers the Video Action II console for sale for $299.[34] The console runs into difficulties with Federal Communications Commission restrictions, forcing the company to pull it from sale.[2]
  • September – Toy company Epoch releases TV Tennis Electrotennis in Japan.[35] It is the first Japanese-developed home video game console, with the unusual feature of a wireless connection to the television via a UHF antenna.
  • October – The Tele-Games home version of Pong (sometimes called Home Pong) is made available for purchase in Sears retail stores.[2]
  • November – Magnavox releases two new models consoles based on the Odyssey using chips developed by Texas Instruments, the Odyssey 100 and Odyssey 200. These consoles are paired down to play variants of the Ping Pong game from the original Odyssey – which is discontinued – and are much more successful.[2]
    • Videomaster releases its Olympic Home T.V. Game model in the United Kingdom which plays six games.[36][37]
    • Television Tennis is released by Executive Games in the United States.[38]
  • December – Philips releases the ES 2201 Tele-Spiel console in the Netherlands, an early console featuring interchangeable games similar to the original Odyssey.[39][40]

Business

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The Frost & Sullivan estimate totals 53,000 games with traditional arcade cabinets and 26,000 for those under the new cocktail table presentation.
  2. ^ The Frost & Sullivan estimate totals $58 million in games with traditional arcade cabinets and $18 million for those under the new cocktail table presentation.
  3. ^ Ralph Baer's numbers compiled in April 1976 are mostly estimates without direct access to sales figures.
  4. ^ Unrelated to the Destruction Derby released by Exidy.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Goldberg, Marty; Vendel, Curt (2012). Atari Inc.: Business is Fun. Syzygy Press. ISBN 978-0985597405.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Smith, Alexander (2020). They create worlds: the story of the people and companies that shaped the video game industry. Boca Raton, [Florida] London New York, [New York]: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis group. ISBN 978-1-138-38990-8.
  3. ^ Zemo, Gini (February 14, 1975). "Toymakers Await Holidays". Asbury Park Press. pp. A–15.
  4. ^ US4026555A, Kirschner, Wallace & Haskel, Lawrence Martin, "Television display control apparatus", issued 1977-05-31 
  5. ^ "Complaint For Patent Infringement". Magnavox Company v. Sears, Roebuck and Co. US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. September 22, 1974. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  6. ^ "V/TMG Visits the Displays at MOA Expo". Vending Times. 15 (11): 74–76. November 1975.
  7. ^ US4045789A, Bristow, Stephen D., "Animated video image display system and method", issued 1977-08-30 
  8. ^ Kerwin, Robert (June 6, 1976). "Put Another Quarter In...". The San Francisco Examiner. pp. Sunday Examiner & Chronicle 24.
  9. ^ a b c The Coin Operated and Home Electronic Games Market. Frost & Sullivan Inc. 1976.
  10. ^ Jarrell, Timothy (November 1976). "Like Old Man River Midway Sales Go Rollin' Along". Play Meter. 2 (12): 50–52.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Baer, Ralph H. (2005). Videogames: In the Beginning. Rolenta Press. ISBN 978-0-9643848-1-1.
  12. ^ Cognevich, Valerie (March 15, 1986). "Video-game industry still evolving". Play Meter. 12 (4): 12, 14–16.
  13. ^ Neven, John F. (July 11, 1977). "Notice of Motion". Magnavox Company v. Chicago Dynamic Industries, et al. US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "The Nation's Top Arcade Games". RePlay. 1 (22): 26. March 1976.
  15. ^ a b Electronic Games & Personal Computers. Predicasts Inc. February 1979.
  16. ^ a b The Electronic Games Market in the U.S. Frost & Sullivan Inc. 1983.
  17. ^ Schultz, Kaye (May 28, 1975). "Who's in control: Man or machine?". The News. pp. The World 3.
  18. ^ "New Kee game has chills, spills, enough for eight". Play Meter. 1 (6): 55. May 1975.
  19. ^ "Go out in the traffic and play!". Vending Times. 15 (4): 59. April 1975.
  20. ^ "Bullet Mark Another First From Sega". RePlay. 1 (1): 41. October 1975.
  21. ^ "Maneater from PSE". RePlay. 1 (1): 28. October 1975.
  22. ^ "Starshine". Cash Box: C7. October 18, 1975.
  23. ^ "Electra Intro's 'Avenger' At MOA Expo; 1-Plyr. W/3 Plays For 2 Quarters Pricing". Cash Box: C9. October 18, 1975.
  24. ^ "New Midway's 'Gun Fight' – 'Old West' Thrills". Cash Box: 39. November 8, 1975.
  25. ^ "It's Chicago Coin's Game with a Brain". RePlay. 1 (10): 7. December 20, 1975.
  26. ^ "Major Manufacturing's Kinsel Hails Fascination". Vending Times. 15 (10): 95. October 1975.
  27. ^ "Illogical". Microelectronics News with Manager's Casebook: 2. October 18, 1975.
  28. ^ Donovan, Tristan (2010). Replay: the history of video games. East Sussex, England: Yellow Ant. ISBN 978-0-9565072-0-4.
  29. ^ Peterson, Jon (2012). Playing at the world: a history of simulating wars, people and fantastic adventures, from chess to role-playing games. San Diego, CA: Unreason Press. ISBN 978-0-615-64204-8.
  30. ^ Bollingbroke, Chester (November 11, 2013). "The CRPG Addict: Game 123: Orthanc (1975)". The CRPG Addict. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  31. ^ Daglow, Don L. (August 1988). "The Changing Role of Computer Game Designers" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 50. p. 18. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  32. ^ Lucas, Raphaël (April 2, 2015). "L'histoire du RPG: Don Daglow – Dungeon (1975)". Geek -O- Matick. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  33. ^ Herman, Leonard (April 29, 2020). "THE NINTENDO ODYSSEY". The Game Scholar. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
  34. ^ "Plays on Your Home TV". The Los Angeles Times. May 23, 1975. pp. Part IV 34.
  35. ^ "Electronic Video Games". Focus Japan: 22. February 1977.
  36. ^ "Bridgers". Evening Post. November 20, 1975. p. 14.
  37. ^ "apollo". Lincolnshire Echo. December 1, 1975. p. 8.
  38. ^ "Video Games Playing to Home Market". Weekly Television Digest with Consumer Electronics. 15 (47): 8. November 24, 1975.
  39. ^ "Philips tele-spel". elektuur (147): 1206. December 1975.
  40. ^ "Philips Tele-Spel". Radio Bulletin: A18. December 1975.
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