Early advertisement for Ms. Pac-Man on flip-style phones.
In the mid-2000s, upon the rise of mobile cell phones, Namco began work on several Pac-Man mobile games. The original became one of the most popular mobile games at the time[1], and in addition to ports of other Pac-Man and Namco titles, many Pac-Man spin-offs were released exclusively for mobile devices. Many of these games have fallen into obscurity, and a majority of them are currently unplayable in any form.
Mobile phones[]
Overview[]
In North America and Europe, Namco's mobile games were released as individual, paid downloads; select carriers and devices would have different games available for them. In addition to various Java-based flip phones, games were also released for operating systems such as Palm OS, Windows Mobile, and Blackberry. The games may still be purchasable to some extent, at least in North America; though due to the age of the devices they run on, they would be difficult to obtain regardless.
The majority of Namco's Japanese mobile games (prior to the smartphone era) were available as part of a monthly service. The first of these services was known as "Appli Carrot" (アプリキャロット), which was later succeeded by "Namco i-Land" (ナムコiランド) and "Namco Games" (ナムコ・ゲームス); there was also a separate Taito no Tatsujin service. The service(s) costed around 300 yen per month to access, and did not allow games to be directly downloaded to the device. As a result of this, effectively every Japanese mobile phone game by Namco is "lost" and currently unplayable in any form; whereas games from other regions are still somewhat accessible.
Namco of Japan began production on mobile software around 2001, with development moved to Bandai Namco Holdings in 2006. Namco's American mobile operations began in 2003, run through the Namco-America company (an otherwise solely arcade-focused division). In 2006, Namco-America's mobile operations were split into a separate subsidiary, Namco Networks America; which itself was consolidated in 2011.
In terms of technical specifications, America's market for phone applications mainly went through the phone carriers (AT&T, Sprint, etc.), while Japan's market went through the internet provider (most prominently i-mode or EZWeb). The European market utilized both of these release strategies; though the majority of European games were only released through i-mode. Due to the vastly different markets (for all of the aforementioned reasons), the games will be categorized into two sections below; there are some "duplicates" between the lists as a result.
Mobile phone games (America/Europe)[]
| Name | Release date | Information |
|---|---|---|
| Pac-Man | 2001, 2003 (?) | Port of the arcade game, the American version features three difficulty levels and a level select. |
| Ms. Pac-Man | 2001, 2003 (?) | Port of the arcade game, the American version features three difficulty levels and a level select. |
| Pac-Man Crisis | 2002 | Released in Europe (and Japan); an American release was planned but canceled.[2] |
| Pac-Man Billiards | 2003 | Released in Europe (and Japan), but not America; known in Japan as Family Billiards. |
| Pac-Man Casino - Card Game Pack | 2003 | |
| Pac-Man Casino - Slots Pack | 2003 | |
| Ms. Pac-Man for Prizes | Dec. 8, 2004 | A variation of Ms. Pac-Man where players could compete for real-life prizes. |
| Pac-Man Bowling | 2004[3] | Only released in America. |
| Pac-Man Puzzle | 2004[3] | |
| PAC-Match! | 2004[3] | Released as Chain Shot in Europe (and Japan). |
| Pac-Man Pinball | 2005[4] | |
| Pac-Mania | 2005 | Port of the arcade game. |
| Super Pac-Man (American version) |
2006 | Port of the arcade game; features an “Enhanced” mode with new levels and power-ups. Originally exclusive to Sprint but later expanded. |
| Super Pac-Man (European version) |
2007 | Port of the arcade game; features a "Deluxe" mode with enhanced graphics. |
| Pac-Man Plus | 2007 | Port of the arcade game; features various enhancements over the original. Only released in America. |
| Namco Arcade Golf | 2007 | Only released in Europe (?); a golf game with 3D graphics. |
| Pac-Man Arcade Golf | Sep. 8, 2008 | Only released in America (?); a golf game with 2D graphics. Uses the same characters and gameplay mechanics as Namco Arcade Golf. |
| Pac-Man Pinball Deluxe | Nov. 2008 | Released as Pac-Man Pinball 2 in Europe. |
| Pac-Man (remastered) | Dec. 5, 2008 | Released in Europe (and Japan), but not America; known in Japan as Taisen Pac-Man. |
| Pac-Man Hold'em Poker | 2008 | Only released in Europe. |
| Pac-Man Championship Edition | 2009 | Port of the Xbox 360 game. |
| Pac-Man Kart Rally | 2010 | |
| Pac-Man Party | 2010 | Loose adaption of the Nintendo Wii game. |
Mobile phone applications (America/Europe)[]
| Name | Release date | Information |
|---|---|---|
| Game Tones | 2004 (?) | Features downloadable ringtones. |
| Pactones | 2004 | Features downloadable ringtones from both Namco games and proper musical artists.[5] The service was later replaced with Pac-Man's Arcade Corner. |
| Pac-Man's Arcade Corner | 2005 | The follow-up service to Pactones; also includes a bonus "Game That Tone!" minigame.[6] |
| Pac-Man Fever | 2007 | A mobile phone menu theme. |
| Ms. Pac-Man Fever | 2007 | A mobile phone menu theme. |
Mobile phone games (Japan)[]
| Name | Service Provider | Date of Service | Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pac-Man | i-mode, EZWeb, Yahoo! Keitai, Willcom | Jan. 26, 2001 - 20?? | Port of the arcade game. |
| Chain Shot | i-mode | Mar. 5, 2001 - 20?? | Released in North America as PAC-Match!. |
| Reversi | i-mode, J-SKY* | Jul. 2, 2002 - 20?? | Pac-Man is a playable character. |
| Pac-Man Crisis | i-mode, Yahoo! Keitai | Jul. 21, 2002 - 201? | |
| Family Billiards | J-SKY*, EZWeb | Feb. 13, 2003 - 20?? | Released in Europe as Pac-Man Billiards. |
| Pac-Mania | i-mode, EZWeb, Yahoo! Keitai | Dec. 1, 2004 - 201? | Port of the arcade game; developed by Windream.[7] |
| Space Invaders × Pac-Man | i-mode | Sept. 1 - Oct. 31, 2005 (original) Jul. 15 - Aug. 31, 2006 (relaunch) |
A port of Pac-Man with Space Invaders elements; published by Namco. |
| Pac-Man × Space Invaders | i-mode | Sept. 1 - Oct. 31, 2005 (original) Jul. 15 - Aug. 31, 2006 (relaunch) |
A port of Space Invaders with Pac-Man elements; published by Taito. |
| Pac-Man Pack | EZWeb | 2005 - 201? | Compilation featuring Pac-Man and Pac-Man DE Puzzle. |
| Taisen Pac-Man | EZWeb, Yahoo! Keitai | May 25, 2006 - 201? | Released in Europe as just Pac-Man. Some Japanese phones featured a preinstalled "demo" of Taisen Pac-Man: including the Vodafone 705SH and 905SH, and the docomo P-04B and SH-07B. |
| Honeycomb Rock | Unknown | Dec. 19, 2006 - 20?? | Developed by Platinum Egg.[8] |
| Pac-Man Pinball | i-mode, EZWeb, Yahoo! Keitai, Willcom | Dec. 27, 2007 - 201? | Some releases call the game "Pinball NOW!" or simply "Pinball Game". Possibly released earlier (2003-2004?) than the known date. |
| Pac-Man DE Puzzle | i-mode, Yahoo! Keitai | 200? - 201? | Released in North America as Pac-Man Puzzle. The "SoftBank 841SH" phone model reportedly features a preinstalled "demo" of the game. |
| Pac 'n Roll | i-mode, EZWeb | Feb. 25, 2010 - 201? | Port of the Nintendo DS game; developed by Windream.[9] |
| Pac-Man × Bomberman | i-mode (?) | Jun. 23, 2010 - 201? | Released through the "DocoDemoGame" service. Based on Adobe Flash technology; the game may have been compatible with computers as well. |
| Pac-Man Reborn | Unknown | Aug. 2010 - 201? | |
| Pac-Man SP | i-mode, EZWeb, Yahoo! Keitai | Mar. 30, 2011 - 201? | An original game similar to Pac-Man Arrangement (1996); the original Pac-Man game is also included. |
(*The J-SKY service is an earlier version of Yahoo! Keitai.)
Mobile phone applications (Japan)[]
| Name | Service Provider | Years of Service | Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melochara | i-mode | 2000-20?? | Featured downloadable wallpapers, ringtones, and other applications (such as digital clocks) featuring Namco characters.[10] Some Pac-Man graphics from Melochara were reused in the Nintendo DS game QuickSpot. |
| "Summer Vacation Project" | i-mode | Jul. 19 - Aug. 31, 2001 | A wallpaper featuring Pac-Man, Slime from Dragon Quest, and Chocobo from Final Fantasy.[11] |
| Custamo: Pac-Man | Unknown | 2006-20?? | A mobile phone menu theme based on Pac-Man.[12] |
| Twit-Man | Unknown | Jul. 7, 2010 - Dec. 6, 2010 | A Twitter client based on Pac-Man; later replaced with Pac'N Twit. |
| Pac'N Twit | Unknown | Dec. 6, 2010 - Mar. 21, 2012 | The follow-up service to Twit-Man. Featured a puzzle minigame to unlock wallpapers. |
Smartphones[]
Note that the below list(s) do not include Namco Catalog IP games; information on those titles can be found on its respective article.
Smartphone games[]
| Name | Platform(s) | Years of Service | Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pac-Man | iOS, Android | Jul. 10, 2008 - Dec. 12, 2013 (iOS) Sep. 24, 2008 - Mar. 22, 2013 (Android) |
Port of the arcade game; a free "Pac-Man Lite" version was also released. Later delisted and replaced with Pac-Man + Tournaments. |
| Ms. Pac-Man | iOS, Android | Jul. 10, 2008 - Jul. 2022 (iOS) Oct. 16, 2010 - Jul. 2022 (Android) |
Port of the arcade game; a free "Ms. Pac-Man Lite" version was also released. |
| Pac-Man Championship Edition | iOS, Android | Dec. 2009 - 201? (iOS) Jun. 8, 2010 - Mar. 25, 2020 (Android) |
Port of the Xbox 360 game. |
| Pac-Man Remix | iOS | Jul. 20, 2009 - Mar. 30, 2015[13] | Port of the console game Pac-Man Arrangement (2005). |
| Pac-Match Party | iOS | Jun. 10, 2010 - 201? | Originally released as a Flash game; was briefly available for iOS devices as well. |
| Namco Games Portal | iOS | Jul. 26, 2010 - 201? | A collection of free "Lite" versions of apps, including Pac-Man. |
| Pac-Man Reborn | iOS | Aug. 2010 - 201? | |
| Pac-Man Kart Rally | Android | Oct. 14, 2010 - 201? | |
| Pac-Chain | iOS | Sep. 2, 2010 - Mar. 30, 2015[13] | An alternate version was released titled Pac-Chain Compact. |
| Pac-Attack | iOS | Oct. 14, 2010 - Mar. 30, 2015[13] | Remake of the console game. |
| Letter Labyrinth: Pac-Man Edition | iOS | Nov. 10, 2010 - 201? | |
| Pac-Mania | iOS | Nov. 25, 2010 - Mar. 30, 2015[13] | Port of the arcade game. |
| Pac-Man Battle Royale | iOS | Jan. 28, 2011 - 201? | A one-round "demo" of Battle Royale to advertise the arcade game's launch. |
| Pac'N-Jump | iOS, Android | Apr. 7, 2011 - Mar. 30, 2015[13] | |
| =10 | Android | Apr. 13, 2011 - Mar. 30, 2015[13] | A Pac-Man-themed remake of the 2005 game 10 Keshi. |
| Pac-Chomp! | iOS, Android | Apr. 21, 2011 - Mar. 30, 2015 | |
| Namco Arcade | iOS, Android | Jan. 26, 2012 - Mar. 15, 2016 (iOS) Jun. 9, 2015 - Mar. 15, 2016 (Android) |
Featured ports of various Namco titles, including Pac-Man and Pac-Land. |
| Pac-Man Games | iOS | Mar. 29, 2012, Mar. 30, 2014 | Ports of the Facebook versions of Namco titles to iOS. |
| Pac-Man + Tournaments | iOS, Android | Mar. 22, 2013 - present (Android) Dec. 12, 2013 - present (iOS) |
An "enhanced" version of the original Pac-Man; the game was later renamed to just "Pac-Man". |
| Pac-Man Dash! | iOS, Android | Jul. 18, 2013 - Mar. 21, 2017 | |
| Pac-Man Monsters | iOS, Android | Mar. 31, 2014 - Mar. 18, 2015 | |
| Pac-Man Friends | iOS, Android | Aug. 20, 2014 - Mar. 19, 2018 | |
| Pac-Man Bounce | iOS, Android | Jul. 17, 2015 - 2018 (?) | |
| Pac-Man Championship Edition DX | iOS, Android | Jul. 23, 2015 - Mar. 25, 2020 | Port of the console game. An alternate "free-to-play" version was test-marketed in New Zealand in 2014, which was ultimately never released in other regions.[14] |
| Pac-Man 256 | iOS, Android | Aug. 19, 2015 - present | |
| Pac-Man Slots | Android | 2015 - 201? | |
| Pac-Man Puzzle Tour | iOS, Android | Feb. 25, 2016 - Oct. 6, 2016 (first version) Oct. 6, 2016 - Mar. 21, 2017 (second version) |
The game received a large overhaul in an October 2016 update, redesigning the game's visuals. |
| Moff Pac-Man | iOS, Android | Spring 2016 - 20?? | Variation of the original Pac-Man using a "smart bracelet" controller. |
| The Sandbox Evolution | iOS, Android | Jun. 23, 2016 (launch) Feb. 15, 2017 (Pac-Man content launch) |
Pac-Man content was added to the game in a February 2017 update. |
| Sparcade | iOS | Jul. 26, 2016 - 201? | Featured a variation of Pac-Man where the player could earn real money. |
| Pac-Man Pop! | iOS, Android | Sep. 1, 2016 - Mar. 2020 | |
| Pac-Man Hats | Android | 2016 - 2017 | Only ever released as an open beta. |
| Pac-Man Maker | iOS | Oct. 2, 2017 - 20?? | Only released in Canada for unknown reasons; similar to The Sandbox Evolution's Pac-Man content. |
| Pac-Man Hats 2 | Android | 2017 - 2017 | Only ever released as an open beta. |
| PAC-MAN: Ralph Breaks the Maze | iOS, Android | Oct. 1, 2018 - 202? | |
| Pac-Man Party Royale | iOS | Oct. 18, 2019 - present | Released as part of the Apple Arcade service. |
| Pac-Man Geo | iOS, Android | Oct. 14, 2020 - Oct. 28, 2021 | |
| Namco Online Crane | iOS, Android | Feb. 13, 2024 - present | Originally launched in 2018 as Torumo; it was rebranded as a Pac-Man game in 2024. |
Additionally, numerous promotional games were tailored for mobile devices, but were not released as standalone apps.
Smartphone applications[]
| Name | Platform(s) | Years of Service | Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pac'N Twit | iOS | Feb. 3, 2011 - Mar. 21, 2012 | It is unknown if the earlier "Twit-Man" version was released on iOS or not. |
| Pac-Man Live Wallpaper | Android | Sep. 8, 2011 - 201? | |
| Pac-Man Moving Stickers | iOS | Sep. 12, 2016 - present |
Other games featuring Pac-Man content[]
The following smartphone games featured content related to Pac-Man (under license by Namco), but were not directly connected to the franchise.
- Crossy Road - Pac-Man characters were added in 2015, following the release of Pac-Man 256.
- Pixels Defense - based on the movie Pixels; features Pac-Man as an enemy.
- Zoobe - a now-defunct app that would sync recorded voice messages to a character animation. Pac-Man (based on his Ghostly Adventures form) was added as a character in 2015.
- Galaga Wars - a Pac-Man spaceship was added as DLC in 2017.
- Tap My Katamari - a Pac-Man cloud was added in 2017.
- Big Fish Casino: Slots - featured a "Pac-Man Jackpot Power" mode in 2018, and a "Pac-Man 40th Anniversary Rush" mode in 2020.
- Cooking Craze - limited-time Pac-Man content was added in 2020.
- Gummy Drop! - limited-time Pac-Man content was added in 2020.
- Happy Xiao Xiao Le (开心消消乐) - limited-time Pac-Man content was added in 2021.
Trivia[]
- The Appli Carrot service was named after "Carrot", a Japanese arcade chain operated by Namco in the 1980s.
- In 2002, a port of Pac-Man was released for a Mitsubishi car navigation screen known as the "CU-V7000RVP-Z". This Pac-Man port is reportedly a direct conversion of the mobile game, even using artwork from Melochara/QuickSpot.[15]
- In early 2010, select mobile games from Namco of Europe were playable on Facebook, presumably through some sort of emulation. These games included Pac-Man Championship Edition, Pac-Man Pinball 2, and Namco Arcade Golf.[16]
- In February of 2019, the Pac-Man Twitter account posted a link to a survey asking "how [the reader] feels about the Pac-Man brand".[17] Somewhat contrary to the headline, the poll questions appeared to be comprised of concepts for new Pac-Man mobile games, particularly "crossover" games similar to Pac-Man: Ralph Breaks the Maze; these included franchises such as Minecraft, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Looney Tunes. Ultimately, no mobile games based on the franchises listed were ever actually produced.
Gallery[]
Various flip phone releases.
Various early iOS and Android releases.
Pac-Man Hats
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Pac-Man 25th Anniversary interview with Toru Iwatani (https://youtu.be/krDH-MSLeDA)
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20040609124756/http://namcogames.com/index.php
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 https://www.namcogames.com/pressDetails.php?id=2
- ↑ https://www.namcogames.com/pressDetails.php?id=22
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20040528073124/http://www.pactones.com/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20050722003449/http://www.arcade-corner.com/
- ↑ http://windream.co.jp/deve/pacmania.html
- ↑ https://www.platinum-egg.com/products/
- ↑ http://windream.co.jp/deve/pacnroll.html
- ↑ https://www.bandainamcoent.co.jp/corporate/bnours/nours/vol34/pdf/furoku.pdf (note: clicking the link will download the document)
- ↑ https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20010713/game20010714.html
- ↑ https://www.custamo.com/pc/905/screen/chara/16/index.html
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 https://web.archive.org/web/20150315134357/http://pacman.com/en/pac-man-news/pac-man-game-news/important-notice-of-service-termination
- ↑ https://toucharcade.com/2014/09/15/pac-man-championship-edition-dx-soft-launched-in-new-zealand/
- ↑ https://nlab.itmedia.co.jp/games/gsnews/0209/25/news04.html
- ↑ https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/01/20/news-namco-arcade-hits-facebook.aspx
- ↑ https://twitter.com/officialpacman/status/1093658434325499904