1984 in video games

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Template:Short description Template:More citations needed Template:Use mdy dates Template:Year nav topic5

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

In the United States, home video game sales fall to Template:US$<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (Template:US$ adjusted for inflation).

Highest-grossing arcade games

Japan

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 Template:Abbr
Title Points Title Points
Template:Dts Hyper Olympic (Track & Field) {{#expr:6.81+7.73}} TX-1 {{#expr:9.27+8.92}} <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Template:Dts 10-Yard Fight {{#expr:8.09+7.55}} {{#expr:8.6+8.35}} <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Template:Dts Vs. Tennis {{#expr:7+7}} {{#expr:7.81+8.44}} <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Template:Dts {{#expr:6.85+6.38}} {{#expr:8+7.56}} <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Template:Dts Gaplus {{#expr:7.55+7.11}} Thunder Storm (Cobra Command) {{#expr:8+7.83}} <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Template:Dts Vs. Baseball {{#expr:7.88+6.91}} {{#expr:8.13+7.63}} <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Template:Dts Crowns Golf {{#expr:7.6+7.48}} {{#expr:7.64+7.8}} <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Template:Dts Karate Champ {{#expr:8.19+7.39}} {{#expr:7.39+7.56}} <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Template:Dts Jan Oh (Jang-Oh) {{#expr:9+7.89}} TX-1 V8 {{#expr:8.67+9.33}} <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Template:Dts Night Gal {{#expr:8+7}} {{#expr:8+7.67}} <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Template:Dts Jan Oh (Jang-Oh) {{#expr:7.91+6.77}} {{#expr:8.67+8.25}} <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Template:Dts Night Gal {{#expr:7.17+7.19}} Super Don Quix-ote {{#expr:9+8}} <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

United Kingdom and United States

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<ref name="RePlay">Template:Cite magazine</ref> AMOA<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Play Meter<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Arcade Route/Street Video Title Points
1 Track & Field<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Konami Pole Position II Pole Position<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Dragon's Lair {{#expr:11.9*42}}
2 colspan="2" Template: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 {{#expr:10.2*45}}
3 colspan="2" Template:Unknown Template:Unknown Track & Field {{#expr:10.9*34}}
4 colspan="2" Template:Unknown Template:Unknown M.A.C.H. 3 {{#expr:12.2*23}}
5 colspan="2" Template:Unknown Template:Unknown Spy Hunter {{#expr:13.5*19}}
6 colspan="2" Template:Unknown Template:Unknown colspan="3" Template:N/A Star Wars {{#expr:12.1*17}}
7 colspan="2" Template:Unknown Template:Unknown colspan="3" Template:N/A Space Ace {{#expr:10.7*18}}
8 colspan="2" Template:Unknown Template:Unknown colspan="3" Template:N/A Punch-Out!! {{#expr:13.7*14}}
9 colspan="2" Template:Unknown Template:Unknown colspan="3" Template:N/A Vs. Tennis {{#expr:12.2*14}}
10 colspan="2" Template:Unknown Template:Unknown colspan="3" Template:N/A Astron Belt {{#expr:10.6*13}}

Best-selling home systems

Rank System(s) Manufacturer Type Generation Sales
Japan Worldwide
1 Family Computer Nintendo Console Third citation CitationClass=web

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2,940,000
2 Commodore 64 (C64) Commodore Computer 8-bit Template:N/A citation CitationClass=web

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3 IBM Personal Computer (PC) IBM Computer 8-bit / 16-bit Template:N/A 2,000,000<ref name=":222" />
4 TI-99/4A Texas Instruments Computer 16-bit Template:N/A 1,000,000+<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
5 Apple II Apple Inc. Computer 8-bit Template:N/A 1,000,000<ref name=":222" />
6 PC-88 / PC-98 NEC Computer 8-bit / 16-bit {{#expr:(917+279)*0.39 round -1}},000<ref name=":02">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":12">Template:Cite book</ref> {{#expr:(917+279)*0.39 round -1}},000+
7 Mac Apple Inc. Computer 16-bit Template:N/A 370,000<ref name=":222" />
8 MSX ASCII Corporation Computer 8-bit 350,000<ref name=":0">Template:Cite magazine</ref> 350,000+
9 Adam Coleco Computer 8-bit Template:N/A {{#expr:350,000−95,000}}<ref name="adams198501032">Template:Cite news</ref>
10 SG-1000 Sega Console Third 240,000<ref name="Tanaka">Template:Cite book</ref> 240,000+

Best-selling home video games in the United Kingdom

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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

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

Business

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> Tramel Technology is promptly renamed to Atari Corporation.<ref name="TramelTech">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • 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.<ref name="int_taiwan">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> The games development office in France is sold to investors and renamed Nice Ideas.<ref name="int_nice">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • The largest video game retailer in the world, GameStop was founded (then known as Babbage's) in Dallas, Texas.

Notable releases

Games

Arcade

Computer

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Console

Hardware

  • 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

References

Template:Reflist

Template:History of video games

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