Defender
Golden Age Game
Class of 2015 Inductee
Defender is a 1981 horizontally scrolling shooter video game developed by Williams Electronics for arcades. The game is set on either an unnamed planet or city (depending on platform) where the player must defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts. Development was led by Eugene Jarvis, a pinball programmer at Williams; Defender was Jarvis’s first video game project and drew inspiration from Space Invaders and Asteroids. Defender was demonstrated in late 1980 and was released in March 1981. It was distributed in Japan by Taito.
Defender was one of the most important titles of the golden age of arcade video games, selling over 55,000 units to become the company’s best-selling game and one of the highest-grossing arcade games ever. Praise among critics focused on the game’s audio-visuals and gameplay. It is frequently listed as one of Jarvis’s best contributions to the video game industry and one of the most difficult video games. Though not the first game to scroll horizontally, it created the genre of horizontal scrolling shoot ’em ups. It inspired the development of other games and was followed by sequels and many imitations.
Wikipedia Link:
Defender eventually became Williams’ best-selling arcade game, with over 55,000 units sold worldwide, and it became one of the highest grossing arcade games ever, earning over US$1 billion. It has sold 70,000 arcade units as of 2020, and grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide as of 2000.
Arcade Museum Article:
International Video Game Hall of Fame Class of 2015 Induction:
Twin Galaxies Card #0679 – Golden Defender – 50,000 machine produced: