1997 in video gaming
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Contents
Events[edit | edit source]
- October 4 — Gunpei Yokoi (1941–1997) dies after a double car accident.
- November – Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA) launched.
- 3rd annual E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo)
- TSR, Inc., the owner of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, was acquired by Wizards of the Coast.
- 3D Realms begins production of the infamous Duke Nukem Forever, winner of numerous vaporware awards.
Notable releases[edit | edit source]
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- January 2 - Diablo (PC)
- February 10 - Mario Kart 64 (N64)
- February 28 - Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (N64)(PC)
- March 20 - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS) (Sega Saturn)
- April 1 - SoulTrap (PC)
- April 30 - Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter (PC)
- May 31 - MDK: (PC) (PS)
- June 26 - Dungeon Keeper (PC)
- July 1 - Star Fox 64 (Nintendo 64)
- July 30 - Carmageddon (PC)
- July 31 - Mega Man X4 (PSX)
- August 25 - GoldenEye 007 (N64)
- August 31 - Hexen II (PC)
- September 7 - Final Fantasy VII (PS), (PC)
- September 19 - Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (PS), (PC)
- September 25 - Ultima Online (PC)
- September 30 - Fallout (PC)
- September 30 - Total Annihilation (PC)
- October - Grand Theft Auto (PC)
- October 9 - Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II (PC)
- October 26 - Age of Empires (PC)
- October 29 - Riven (PC) (Mac)
- October 31 - The Curse of Monkey Island (PC)
- November - Tomb Raider II (PC) (PS)
- November 14 - Postal (PC)
- November 21 - Diddy Kong Racing (N64)
- November 25 - Myth: The Fallen Lords (PC)
- December 6 - Quake II (PC)
- December 10 - JSF - Joint Strike Fighter (PC)
- December 19 - Wing Commander: Prophecy (PC)
- December 23 - Gran Turismo (PS1)
Hardware[edit | edit source]
- March 1 — The Nintendo 64 is released in Europe and Australia
- October — Nintendo releases a smaller redesigned SNES.
- Sony releases PlayStation development software for PC
- Tiger Electronics releases the Game.com
Business[edit | edit source]
- Activision acquires CentreSoft Ltd. and Raven Software
- Electronic Arts Inc. acquires Maxis
- GameTek filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed its doors in July 1999
- 2015, Inc. founded
- 4D Rulers Software, Inc. founded
- September — 4HEAD Studios created
- Bungie Studios West formed by Bungie Software Products Corp.
- Conspiracy Entertainment Corporation founded
- Crave Entertainment, Inc. formed
- August — Human Head Studios, Inc. formed
- Illusion Softworks, a.s. founded
- April 15 — Irem Software Engineering Inc. founded
- Irrational Games LLC founded
- Mythic Entertainment renames itself from Interworld Productions after name dispute with another "Interworld" company
- THQ renamed from Toy Head-Quarters, Inc.
- Warthog PLC founded
Lawsuits[edit | edit source]
- Nintendo v. Games City; Nintendo sues Games City for selling the Game Doctor and Doctor V64 backup devices for the SNES and N64 consoles. Nintendo wins the suit.
- Nintendo v. Prima Publishing; Nintendo sues Prima over copyrights to map of the N64 video game GoldenEye 007. Nintendo loses the suit
- Nintendo vs Sony Video Games; Nintendo sues Sony over copyrights about Mario game
Video game releases[edit | edit source]
| Name | Release Date | Category | Region(s) | Platform(s)
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Hardware releases[edit | edit source]
| Name | Release Date | Category | Region(s) |
| Nintendo 64 | March 1, 1997 | Home Console | Europe |
| Nintendo 64 Controller | March 1, 1997 | Controller | Europe |
| Nintendo 64 Rumble Pak | October 20, 1997 | Peripheral | Europe |
| Nintendo 64 Rumble Pak | April 27, 1997 | Peripheral | Japan |
| Nintendo 64 Rumble Pak | June 1, 1997 | Peripheral | North America |
