Double Dragon

This article is about the video game series. For the first game in the series, see Double Dragon (video game). For other uses, see Double Dragon (disambiguation).
Double Dragon
iOS/Android version logo
Genre(s)Beat-'em-up
Developer(s)Technōs Japan
WayForward Technologies
Arc System Works
Yuke's
Publisher(s)Technōs Japan
Taito
SNK
Million Corp.
Atlus
Arc System Works
Creator(s)Yoshihisa Kishimoto
Platform(s)Arcade, NES, Master System, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Game Boy, Mega Drive/Genesis, Lynx, Game Gear, Super NES, Jaguar, Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD, PlayStation, PlayStation 3, Game Boy Advance, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, iOS, Android, DOS, Windows, Amiga, Commodore 64, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, MSX, Zeebo, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, iiRcade
First releaseDouble Dragon
1987
Latest releaseDouble Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons
2023

Double Dragon (双截龍(ダブルドラゴン), Daburu Doragon - Sō Setsu Ryū) is a beat 'em up video game series originally developed and published by Technōs Japan. It began with the release of the arcade game Double Dragon in 1987. The series features twin martial artists, Billy and Jimmy Lee, as they fight against various adversaries and rivals.

The original Double Dragon was a hit arcade video game,[1] ushering in a "Golden Age" for the beat 'em up genre,[2][3] resulting in a flood of beat 'em ups during the late 1980s[3] to 1990s that followed the conventions set by Double Dragon.[4] A 1993 animated series and 1994 live-action film adaptation were produced; these adaptations were widely-panned by critics and audiences.[5]

In June 2015, Arc System Works acquired the rights to all former Technōs IPs, including the Double Dragon series.[6] Arc System Works had previously ported the original Double Dragon to the Master System console in 1988.

  1. ^ "Combatribes!". RePlay. Vol. 15, no. 9. June 1990. pp. 32–6.
  2. ^ Spencer, Spanner, The Tao of Beat-'em-ups (part 2), EuroGamer, Feb 12, 2008, Accessed Mar 18, 2009
  3. ^ a b Cassidy, William, Hall of Fame: Double Dragon Archived 2009-08-18 at the Wayback Machine, Gamespy, Jan 5, 2003, Accessed, March 24, 2009
  4. ^ Williams, Andrew (16 March 2017). History of Digital Games: Developments in Art, Design and Interaction. CRC Press. pp. 143–6. ISBN 978-1-317-50381-1.
  5. ^ "Double Dragon: Neon – Quick History – IGN Video". Uk.ign.com. 2012-04-10. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  6. ^ Handrahan, Matthew (June 12, 2015). "Arc System Works buys Double Dragon rights". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2020-08-21.