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Business
The US arcade game market 's revenues increase to $8.2 billion in 1981[1] (equivalent to $21.3 billion in 2024).
Notable Releases
Arcade Games
February: Namco releases New Rally-X , which is (as the name suggests) the sequel to Rally-X .
February: Konami releases Scramble , the first side-scrolling shooter with forced scrolling and multiple distinct levels,[2] and an early example of multi-core processing , using two Z80 microprocessors and two AY-3-8910 sound chips .[3]
February: Williams Electronics release Defender , a challenging shoot-em-up space game with control configuration of five buttons and a joystick.
May: Atari releases Asteroids Deluxe , which was the sequel to Asteroids .
June: Konami releases Frogger , a popular arcade action game . It also uses multi-core processing, with two Z80 microprocessors and an AY-3-8910 sound chip.[4]
July: Namco releases the arcade game Warp & Warp .
July: Nintendo releases Donkey Kong , which was one of the first platform games . It was also the game that introduced Mario (named simply "Jumpman" at the time) to the video game world, and one of the first video games to have a fleshed out storyline.[5]
November: Namco releases Bosconian , introducing a free-roaming style of gameplay where the player's ship freely moves across open space that scrolls in all directions and a radar that tracks player & enemy positions on the map.[6]
December: Sega releases Eliminator , a space combat multi-directional shooter notable for being the only four-player vector game created.[7] It featured a colour vector display as well as both cooperative and competitive multiplayer .[8]
Polybius , an urban legend game, is said to have been released in 1981.
Computer Games
President Elect , a commercially published political simulation game , was released by Strategic Simulations .
References
↑ http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/video-game-myth-buster-did-crash-of.html
↑ Game Genres: Shmups , Professor Jim Whitehead, January 29, 2007, Accessed June 17, 2008
↑ Scramble at Museum of the Game
↑ Frogger at Museum of the Game
↑ [1]
↑ 1981 in video gaming at Allgame via the Wayback Machine
↑ Mark J. P. Wolf (2008), The video game explosion: a history from PONG to Playstation and beyond , ABC-CLIO , p. 69, ISBN 0-313-33868-X , http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XiM0ntMybNwC&pg=PA69&lpg=PA69 , retrieved 2011-03-28
↑ Eliminator at Museum of the Game
Video game releases
Name
Release Date
Category
Region(s)
Platform(s)
005
December 1 , 1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Alpine Ski
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Amidar
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade , Atari 2600
Armored Car
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Astro Blaster
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Astro Fantasia
March , 1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Astrocade BASIC
January 1 , 1981
Video Game
North America
Bally Astrocade
Astrosmash
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 2600
Battle of Atlantis
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Battle Trek
1981
Video Game
North America
TRS-80
Black Hole
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Blast Droids
1981
Video Game
North America
Bally Astrocade
Blockout!/Breakdown!
1981
Video Game
Europe
Magnavox Odyssey 2
Borderline
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Bosconian
November 20 , 1981
Video Game
Japan
Arcade
Boxing
October 21 , 1981
Video Game
North America
Intellivision
Bridge (1981)
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Castle Wolfenstein
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Checkers (1981)
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 2600
Colony 7
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Conquest of the World
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Cosmic Avenger
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Crazy Kong
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Defender
February , 1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Defender II
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Donkey Kong
July 31 , 1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Donkey Kong
July 9 , 1981
Video Game
Japan
Arcade
DONKEY.BAS
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Fairchild Channel F Videocart 22
1981
Video Game
North America
Fairchild Channel F
Fairchild Channel F Videocart 26
1981
Video Game
North America
Fairchild Channel F
Fairchild Channel F Videocart-20
1981
Video Game
North America
Fairchild Channel F
Fairchild Channel F Videocart-21
1981
Video Game
North America
Fairchild Channel F
Fairchild Channel F Videocart-23
1981
Video Game
North America
Fairchild Channel F
Fairchild Channel F Videocart-24
1981
Video Game
North America
Fairchild Channel F
Fairchild Channel F Videocart-25
1981
Video Game
North America
Fairchild Channel F
Fantasy
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Freeway (1981)
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 2600
Frisky Tom
1981
Video Game
International
Arcade
Frogger
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Galaga
September , 1981
Video Game
Japan
Arcade
Galaga
December , 1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Gun Fight
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 8-bit
Hangly-Man
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Haunted House (1981)
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Haunted House (1982)
February , 1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Hockey!/Soccer!
1981
Video Game
Europe
Magnavox Odyssey 2
Ice Hockey (1981)
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Jump Bug
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
K.C. Munchkin
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Kaboom!
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 2600
Keyboard Creations
1981
Video Game
North America
Magnavox Odyssey 2
Kick
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Lady Bug
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Laser Blast
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Lock 'n' Chase
June 19 , 1981
Video Game
International
Arcade
Manhole
1981
LCD Game
North America
Game & Watch
Missile Command
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 2600
Monkeyshines
1981
Video Game
North America
Magnavox Odyssey 2
Mouse Trap
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Ms. Pac-Man
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Music Maker
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Musician
1981
Video Game
Europe
Magnavox Odyssey 2
New Rally-X
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
New Rally-X
February , 1981
Video Game
Japan
Arcade
Pac-Man
1981
Video Game
North America
Bally Astrocade
Pachinko
1981
Video Game
Europe
Magnavox Odyssey 2
PBA Bowling
July 31 , 1981
Video Game
North America
Intellivision
Pele's Soccer
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Pleiads
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Polaris
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Pulsar
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Qix
October , 1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Reversi
May 11 , 1981
Video Game
North America
Intellivision
Robby Roto
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Round-Up
November , 1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Route-16
1981
Video Game
International
Arcade
Royal Dealer
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Scramble
1981
Video Game
Europe
Arcade
Scramble
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Scramble
1981
Video Game
Japan
Arcade
Secret of the Pharaohs
1981
Video Game
Europe
Magnavox Odyssey 2
Sengoku Ninja Tai
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Shark Attack
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Skeet Shoot
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Sky Skipper
1981
Video Game
Japan
Arcade
Smithereens
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Snafu
October 15 , 1981
Video Game
North America
Intellivision
Solar Fox
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Solar Quest
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Space Armada
October 15 , 1981
Video Game
North America
Intellivision
Space Cavern
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 2600
Space Dungeon
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Space Fortress
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Space Fury
June 17 , 1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade , ColecoVision
Space Hawk
April 19 , 1981
Video Game
North America
Intellivision
Space Invaders
1981
Video Game
North America
Bally Astrocade
Spacechase
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Spiders
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Stampede
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 2600
Star Strike
December 22 , 1981
Video Game
North America
Intellivision
Star Trek
1981
Video Game
North America
MS-DOS
Star Trek 3.5
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 800
Steeplechase (1981)
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 2600
Stellar Track
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 2600
Strategy X
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 2600
Super Breakout
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 2600
Super Cobra
June 22 , 1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Syracuse
1981
Video Game
Europe
Magnavox Odyssey 2
Tari Trek
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 800
Tempest
August , 1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Tennis (Atari 2600)
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
The Quest for the Rings
1981
Video Game
North America
Magnavox Odyssey 2
Thief (1981)
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Triple Action
October 15 , 1981
Video Game
North America
Intellivision
Turbo
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Turtles
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
UFO
1981
Video Game
Europe
Magnavox Odyssey²
Utopia (1981)
June 3 , 1981
Video Game
North America
Intellivision
Vanguard
1981
Video Game
Europe
Arcade
Vanguard
October , 1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Vanguard
July , 1981
Video Game
Japan
Arcade
Venture
1981
Video Game
North America
Arcade
Video Hustler
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Video Life
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Video Pinball
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 2600
War of Nerves
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Warlords
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 2600
Warp & Warp
July , 1981
Video Game
Japan
Arcade
Wizard of Wor
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 2600 , Bally Astrocade
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
December 31 , 1981
Video Game
North America
Apple II
Yars' Revenge
1981
Video Game
North America
Atari 2600
Zarzon
December 31 , 1981
Video Game
United States
Arcade
Zarzon
1981
Video Game
Undefined
Undefined
Hardware releases