Game & Watch (Japanese: ゲーム&ウオッチ Gēmu & Uotchi; called Tricotronic in West Germany and Austria), also known as G&W, is a series of handheld electronic games made by Nintendo from 1980 to 1991. Each Game & Watch features a single game to be played on an LCD screen in addition to a clock, an alarm, or both. It was Nintendo's first line of handheld gaming, and more generally the video game industry's first successful handheld LCD games.[1] Several of these games were collected and remade as part of the short lived Game & Watch Gallery series.
A year after its debut, the series had sold 14 million units worldwide by 1981.[2] As of April 2010, the series sold 43.4 million hardware units worldwide, including 12.87 million in Japan and 30.53 million overseas.[3]
Hardware units[]
| Title | Date | Model | Sales | Revenue (est.) | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball (Toss-Up) | 1980-04 | Silver | 250,000 | $13,300,000 | [4] |
| Flagman (Flag Man) | 1980-06 | Silver | 250,000 | $11,320,000 | [5][6] |
| Vermin (The Exterminator) | 1980-07 | Silver | 1,000,000 | $60,000,000 | [7][8] |
| Fire | 2,200,000 | $101,500,000 | |||
| Fire (Fireman) | 1980-07 | Silver | 1,000,000 | $45,300,000 | [9][6] |
| Fire | 1981-12 | Wide Screen | 1,200,000 | $56,200,000 | [10][6] |
| Fire Attack | 1,000,000 | $47,000,000 | |||
| Fire Attack | 1982-03 | Wide Screen | 1,000,000 | $47,000,000 | [7][6] |
| Manhole | 1,250,000 | $54,700,000 | |||
| Manhole | 1981-01 | Gold | 1,000,000 | $45,300,000 | [7][6] |
| 1983-08 | Wide Screen (New) | 250,000 | $9,400,000 | [11][6] | |
| Popeye | 1,700,000 | $83,420,000 | |||
| Popeye | 1981-08 | Wide Screen | 1,200,000 | $56,200,000 | [12][6] |
| 1983-08 | Table Top | 250,000 | $15,220,000 | [13][6] | |
| 1983-08 | Panorama | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [14][6] | |
| Mickey Mouse | 1,450,000 | $68,200,000 | |||
| Mickey Mouse | 1981-10 | Wide Screen | 1,200,000 | $56,200,000 | [12][6] |
| 1984-02 | Panorama | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [14][6] | |
| Mickey & Donald | 1,250,000 | $59,000,000 | |||
| Mickey & Donald | 1982-11 | Multi Screen (Vertical) | 1,250,000 | $59,000,000 | [15][6] |
| Snoopy Tennis | 1,200,000 | $56,200,000 | |||
| Snoopy Tennis | 1982-04 | Wide Screen | 1,200,000 | $56,200,000 | [12][6] |
| Snoopy | 500,000 | $27,220,000 | |||
| Snoopy | 1983-06 | Table Top | 250,000 | $15,220,000 | [13][6] |
| 1983-08 | Panorama | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [14][6] | |
| Donkey Kong | 8,000,000 | $375,000,000 | |||
| Donkey Kong | 1982-06 | Multi Screen (Vertical) | 8,000,000 | $375,000,000 | [16][6] |
| Donkey Kong Jr. | 2,950,000 | $131,220,000 | |||
| Donkey Kong Jr. | 1982-10 | Wide Screen (New) | 1,200,000 | $45,000,000 | [11][6] |
| Donkey Kong II | 1983-03 | Multi Screen (Vertical) | 1,250,000 | $59,000,000 | [17][6] |
| Donkey Kong Jr. | 1983-04 | Table Top | 250,000 | $15,220,000 | [13][6] |
| 1983-10 | Panorama | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [14][6] | |
| Other Donkey Kong games | 750,000 | $36,000,000 | |||
| Donkey Kong Circus | 1984-03 | Panorama | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [14][6] |
| Donkey Kong 3 | 1984-08 | Micro Vs. System | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [18][6] |
| Donkey Kong Hockey | 1984-11 | Micro Vs. System | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [18][6] |
| Mario Bros. | 1,250,000 | $59,000,000 | |||
| Mario Bros. | 1983-03 | Multi Screen (Horizontal) | 1,250,000 | $59,000,000 | [19][6] |
| Mario's Cement Factory | 1,000,000 | $43,320,000 | |||
| Mario's Cement Factory | 1983-04 | Table Top | 250,000 | $15,220,000 | [13][6] |
| 1983-06 | Wide Screen (New) | 750,000 | $28,100,000 | [11][6] | |
| Super Mario Bros. | 1,260,000 | $49,800,400 | |||
| Super Mario Bros. | 1986-06 | Crystal Screen | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [20][6] |
| 1987-08 | Special Edition | 10,000 | $300,400 | [21][22] | |
| 1988-03 | Wide Screen (New) | 1,000,000 | $37,500,000 | [11][6] | |
| Other Mario games | 500,000 | $21,400,000 | |||
| Mario's Bombs Away | 1983-11 | Panorama | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [14][6] |
| Mario the Juggler | 1991-10 | Wide Screen (New) | 250,000 | $9,400,000 | [23][6] |
| Super Color series | 500,000 | $24,000,000 | |||
| Spitball Sparky | 1984-02 | Super Color | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [24][6] |
| Crab Grab | 1984-02 | Super Color | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [24][6] |
| Climber | 500,000 | $21,400,000 | |||
| Climber | 1986-07 | Crystal Screen | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [20][6] |
| 1988-03 | Wide Screen (New) | 250,000 | $9,400,000 | [11][6] | |
| Balloon Fight | 500,000 | $21,400,000 | |||
| Balloon Fight | 1986-11 | Crystal Screen | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [20][6] |
| 1988-03 | Wide Screen (New) | 250,000 | $9,400,000 | [11][6] | |
| Other adaptations | 500,000 | $24,000,000 | |||
| Boxing (Punch-Out!) | 1984-07 | Micro Vs. System | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [18][6] |
| Zelda | 1989-08 | Multi Screen (Vertical) | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [25][6] |
| Other games | 11,900,000 | $544,740,000 | |||
| Judge | 1980-10 | Silver | 250,000 | $11,320,000 | [5][6] |
| Helmet (Headache) | 1981-02 | Gold | 1,000,000 | $45,300,000 | [7][6] |
| Lion | 1981-04 | Gold | 250,000 | $11,320,000 | [26][6] |
| Parachute | 1981-06 | Wide Screen | 1,200,000 | $56,200,000 | [10][6] |
| Octopus (Mysteries of the Sea) | 1981-07 | Wide Screen | 1,200,000 | $56,200,000 | [10][6] |
| Chef | 1981-09 | Wide Screen | 1,000,000 | $47,000,000 | [7][6] |
| Egg | 1981-10 | Wide Screen | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [10][6] |
| Turtle Bridge | 1982-02 | Wide Screen | 1,000,000 | $47,000,000 | [7][6] |
| Oil Panic | 1982-05 | Multi Screen (Vertical) | 1,250,000 | $59,000,000 | [15][6] |
| Green House | 1982-12 | Multi Screen (Vertical) | 1,250,000 | $59,000,000 | [15][6] |
| Rain Shower | 1983-08 | Multi Screen (Horizontal) | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [19][6] |
| Lifeboat | 1983-10 | Multi Screen (Horizontal) | 1,000,000 | $47,000,000 | [7][6] |
| Pinball | 1983-12 | Multi Screen (Vertical) | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [15][6] |
| Black Jack | 1985-02 | Multi Screen (Vertical) | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [15][6] |
| Tropical Fish | 1985-07 | Wide Screen (New) | 250,000 | $9,400,000 | [11][6] |
| Squish | 1986-04 | Multi Screen (Vertical) | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [27][6] |
| Bomb Sweeper | 1987-06 | Multi Screen (Vertical) | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [27][6] |
| Safebuster | 1988-01 | Multi Screen (Vertical) | 500,000 | $12,000,000 | [27][6] |
| Gold Cliff | 1988-10 | Multi Screen (Vertical) | 250,000 | $12,000,000 | [27][6] |
| Total | 43,400,000 | $1,933,140,400 | [3][6] | ||
Software units[]
| Title | Year | Platform | Sales (millions) |
Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Game Boy Gallery | 1995 | GB | Unknown | |
| Game & Watch Gallery | 1997 | GB | 1.00 | [28] |
| Game & Watch Gallery 2 | GB/GBC | 1.22 | [28] | |
| Game & Watch Gallery 3 | 1999 | GBC | 1.22 | [28] |
| Game & Watch Gallery 4 | 2002 | GBA | 0.521* | [29][30] |
| Game & Watch Collection | 2006 | DS | N/A | |
| Game & Watch Collection 2 | 2008 | DS | N/A | |
| Ball | 2009 | DSiWare | Unknown | |
| Flagman | ||||
| Vermin | ||||
| Judge | ||||
| Helmet | ||||
| Chef | ||||
| Donkey Kong Jr. | ||||
| Mario's Cement Factory | ||||
| Manhole | ||||
| Total sales | 3.961+ |
Notes[]
- *Identify VGChartz numbers
- Game & Watch Gallery 4 | 351,000 (NA) [NPD] + 170,000 (EU/Other) [VGChartz]
- Game Boy Gallery was only released in Europe and Australia.
- Game & Watch Gallery 4 was not released in Japan until its Wii U Virtual Console release in 2016.
- Game & Watch Collection and Game & Watch Collection 2 were only available through Club Nintendo.
- All of the Game & Watch games that were released for the DSiWare were later released for the Nintendo 3DS eshop in 2011.
References[]
- ↑ "Holiday gifts have futuristic trend". Lodi News-Sentinel: p. 3-C. 25 November 1982. https://books.google.com/books?id=YZszAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA14&article_id=5639,2840744.
- ↑ 昔(1970年代）のテレビゲームは何台売れた？ (ja). Classic Videogame Station Odyssey.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/clubn/game-and-watch-ball-reward/0/3/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080705111130/www.dsfanboy.com/photos/game-and-watch-a-retrospective-2/863704/
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20080705111125/www.dsfanboy.com/photos/game-and-watch-a-retrospective-2/863703/
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19 6.20 6.21 6.22 6.23 6.24 6.25 6.26 6.27 6.28 6.29 6.30 6.31 6.32 6.33 6.34 6.35 6.36 6.37 6.38 6.39 6.40 6.41 6.42 6.43 6.44 6.45 6.46 6.47 6.48 6.49 6.50 6.51 6.52 6.53 6.54 6.55 6.56 6.57 https://kopenguin.com/post-2210/
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 http://www.warpedfactor.com/2020/11/the-million-selling-nintendo-game-watch.html
- ↑ https://www.inverse.com/gaming/nintendo-zelda-game-watch
- ↑ http://www.gameandwatch.at/katalog/4/fire.html
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20080705111146/www.dsfanboy.com/photos/game-and-watch-a-retrospective-2/875760/
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 Panayiotakis, Michael (June 24, 2008). Game & Watch: A Retrospective: Not just any old Wide Screen .... DS Fanboy. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20080705111157/www.dsfanboy.com/photos/game-and-watch-a-retrospective-2/875817/
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Panayiotakis, Michael (June 24, 2008). Game & Watch: A Retrospective: Just add table. DS Fanboy. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 https://web.archive.org/web/20080705111614/www.dsfanboy.com/photos/game-and-watch-a-retrospective-2/881133/
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 https://web.archive.org/web/20080705111207/www.dsfanboy.com/photos/game-and-watch-a-retrospective-2/878814/
- ↑ Epstein, David (27 June 2019). "Chapter 9: Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology". Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. Pan Macmillan. p. 196. ISBN 978-1-5098-4351-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=oEGCDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT196. "The Donkey Kong Game & Watch was released in 1982 and alone sold eight million units."
- ↑ https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/09/book_review_the_unofficial_game_and_watch_collectors_guide
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20080705111636/www.dsfanboy.com/photos/game-and-watch-a-retrospective-2/881171/
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20080705111242/www.dsfanboy.com/photos/game-and-watch-a-retrospective-2/878979/
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 https://web.archive.org/web/20080705111110/www.dsfanboy.com/photos/game-and-watch-a-retrospective-2/863676/
- ↑ Nintendo Super Mario Bros Promo. Handheld Games Museum.
- ↑ https://www.famitsu.com/cominy/?m=pc&a=page_h_title&title_id=18429&redirect=no
- ↑ http://www.gameandwatch.at/katalog/60/mario-the-juggler.html
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20080705111625/www.dsfanboy.com/photos/game-and-watch-a-retrospective-2/881167/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080705111049/www.dsfanboy.com/photos/game-and-watch-a-retrospective-2/863670/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20080705111120/www.dsfanboy.com/photos/game-and-watch-a-retrospective-2/863702/
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20080705111237/www.dsfanboy.com/photos/game-and-watch-a-retrospective-2/878904/
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 https://www.resetera.com/threads/nintendo-software-and-hardware-sales-data-from-1983-to-present.2725/
- ↑ https://www.npd.com/industry-expertise/video-games/ As of December 2008
- ↑ https://www.vgchartz.com/game/13396/game-amp-watch-gallery-4/?region=All
| Best selling franchises | |
|---|---|
| Mario · Pokémon · FIFA · Grand Theft Auto · Call of Duty · Wii Series · Lego · The Sims · Minecraft · Final Fantasy · Assassin's Creed · Need for Speed · Sonic · Madden NFL · The Legend of Zelda · Star Wars · Resident Evil · Pro Evolution Soccer · Tetris · NBA 2K · (more) See also: Best selling games · Best selling games worldwide · Highest grossing franchises |