| Dig Dug Island | |
|---|---|
 Promotional artwork. | |
| Developer(s) | VerX |
| Publisher(s) | Namco Bandai Games |
| Director(s) | Kazutoshi Mori |
| Designer(s) | Haruki Negi |
| Series | Dig Dug |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | Beta test
|
| Genre(s) | MMO |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Dig Dug Island: Minami no Jima no Pukapukapon[a] was a massively multiplayer online (MMO) video game developed by VerX and published by Namco Bandai Games exclusively for Japan. Beta testing began on December 21, 2007, followed by a public release on May 8, 2008. Based on Namco's Dig Dug video game series, specifically the 1985 direct sequel Dig Dug II, up to four players were tasked with defeating each of the enemies on a large, randomly-generated island. Enemies could be defeated by either pumping them up with air until they pop, or by drilling along fault lines to sink sections of the island they are standing on into the ocean. Players were given a custom island villa that could be customized with buildings and items that could be purchased with in-game currency.
Development of the game was by VerX, a subsidiary of Japanese company Vector Corporation. The idea for the game began in 2004 by director Kazutoshi Mori, who wished to create online-focused remakes of older Namco games and compile them into a service, similar to the Namco Museum series. Due to his work on Tales of Eternia Online, Mori made the game an online-only title. The head designer, Haruki Negi, wanted the game to appeal to a more casual audience, specifically children and newcomers to the Dig Dug franchise. For the multiplayer portion, Mori created a "gondola system", which stripped host-controlled parties in favor of pre-made servers for players to join; the team added this to help encourage teamwork with other users. The game's servers shut down on April 21, 2009.
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