Defender (1981 video game)

"Defender (video game)" redirects here. For the 2002 game, see Defender (2002 video game).
Defender
Artwork of a vertical rectangular poster. The poster depicts the upper half of a black arcade cabinet with the title "Defender" displayed on the top portion. Above the cabinet, the poster reads "First, the pinball universe. Now, the world of video. Once again, Williams reigns supreme".
Developer(s)Williams Electronics
Publisher(s)Arcade
Ports
Atari, Inc.
Atarisoft
Designer(s)
Programmer(s)
  • Eugene Jarvis
  • Larry DeMar
  • Sam Dicker
  • Paul Dussault
Platform(s)Arcade, Adventure Vision, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, BBC Micro, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, Intellivision, IBM PC, SAM Coupé, TI-99/4A, VIC-20, ZX Spectrum
Release
Genre(s)Scrolling shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Defender is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Williams Electronics in 1980 and released as an arcade video game in 1981. 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.

Ports were developed for contemporary game systems, most of them by either Atari, Inc. or its software label for non-Atari platforms, Atarisoft. The 1982 Atari 2600 version was one of the best-selling games for the system and sold over 3 million cartridges.

  1. ^ a b "ディフェンダー アップライト筺体版" [Defender upright cabinet version]. Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  2. ^ "Coin Machine: Chicago Chatter" (PDF). Cashbox. March 7, 1981. p. 40. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 28, 2020.
  3. ^ "Arcade Action". Computer and Video Games. No. 2 (December 1981). 18 November 1981. pp. 30–1.