# 1997 in video games

"none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]]
1997 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Final Fantasy VII, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, GoldenEye 007, Star Fox 64, Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back, Quake II, Mega Man Legends, Riven, Tomb Raider II, Dark Rift, Tekken 3 and Virtua Striker 2, along with new games such as Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Gran Turismo, Diablo, Grand Theft Auto, Fallout, and Postal.
Sony's PlayStation was the year's best-selling video game console worldwide for the second year in a row, while also being the annual best-selling console in Japan for the first time (overtaking the Game Boy and Sega Saturn). The year's best-selling home video game worldwide was Squaresoft's Final Fantasy VII for the PlayStation, while the year's highest-grossing arcade games in Japan were Sega's Virtua Fighter 3 and Print Club 2.

## Events

* March 6 - Sega opens Sega World Sydney in Australia. It is the second Sega World park to open outside of Japan, with the first opening as part of the London Trocadero the previous year.
* June 19–21 – The 3rd annual E3 is held in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
* October:
** Video game retailer FuncoLand opens its first Greater Cincinnati locations.
** 4 – Gunpei Yokoi (1941–1997) dies after a double car accident.
* November – Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA) launched.
* December 16 – A scene from the Pokémon anime (based upon the highly successful games) causes 685 Japanese children to have seizures. Nintendo makes a statement proclaiming the safety of the Pokémon games from fear that the games would cause a similar effect, the episode to be permanently removed from circulation, and the featured Pokémon in the episode (Porygon) has not made an appearance in the Pokémon anime since.
* TSR, Inc., the owner of the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing game, was acquired by Wizards of the Coast.
* 3D Realms begins production of Duke Nukem Forever, winner of numerous vaporware awards.
* The gaming portal Cool Math Games went online for the first time.
* Sony releases PlayStation development software for PC

## Hardware

| Month | Day | System |
| March | 1 | Nintendo 64$^{EU/AU}$ |
| April | 25 | Dual Analog Controller$^{JP}$ |
| September | 12 | Game.com$^{NA}$ |
| October | 20 | New-style Super NES$^{NA}$ |
| November | 20 | DualShock controller$^{JP}$ |

### Discontinued

| Month | Day | System |
| Unknown | Unknown | Genesis/Mega Drive |
| April | 30 | Game Gear |

## Top-rated games
### Game of the Year awards

The following titles won Game of the Year awards for 1997.
| Awards | Game of the Year | Platform(s) | Genre | Publisher |
| CESA Awards | Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation | Role-playing | Squaresoft |
| Japan Media Arts Festival | Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation | Role-playing | Squaresoft |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) | Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation | Role-playing | Sony |
| Game Informer | Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation | Role-playing | Sony |
| GamePro | Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation | Role-playing | Sony |
| Hyper | Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation | Role-playing | Sony |
| Origins Awards | Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation | Role-playing | Sony |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) | GoldenEye 007 | Nintendo 64 | First-person shooter | Nintendo |
| Interactive Achievement Awards | GoldenEye 007 | Nintendo 64 | First-person shooter | Nintendo |
| VideoGame Advisor | GoldenEye 007 | Nintendo 64 | First-person shooter | Nintendo |
| Electronic Playground | GoldenEye 007 | Nintendo 64 | First-person shooter | Nintendo |
| GamePro | GoldenEye 007 | Nintendo 64 | First-person shooter | Nintendo |
| Nintendo Power | GoldenEye 007 | Nintendo 64 | First-person shooter | Nintendo |
| Digitiser | Super Mario 64 | Nintendo 64 | Platformer | Nintendo |
| Golden Joystick Awards | Super Mario 64 | Nintendo 64 | Platformer | Nintendo |
| GameSpot | Total Annihilation | PC | Real-time strategy | Cavedog |
| Gamest Awards | Vampire Savior (Darkstalkers 3) | Arcade (CP System II) | Fighting | Capcom |
| Japan Media Arts Festival | Intelligent Qube (I.Q. / Kurushi) | PlayStation | Puzzle | Sony |
| Origins Awards | Sid Meier's Gettysburg! | PC | Wargame | Electronic Arts |
| Origins Awards | Tomb Raider | Multi-platform | Action-adventure | Eidos Interactive |

### Critically acclaimed titles
#### Metacritic and GameRankings

Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are online aggregators of video game journalism reviews. Note that their coverage of print magazines at the time was limited, with numerous print magazines not listed on their sites.
1997 games and expansions scoring at least 88/100 (MC) or 87.5% (GR) :
| Game | Publisher | Release Date | Platform(s) | MC score | GR score |
| Gran Turismo | Sony Computer Entertainment | December 23, 1997 | PlayStation | 96/100 | 94.95% |
| GoldenEye 007 | Nintendo | August 25, 1997 | Nintendo 64 | 96/100 | 94.7% |
| Castlevania: Symphony of the Night | Konami | March 20, 1997 | PlayStation | 93/100 | 93.03% |
| Final Fantasy VII | Square | January 31, 1997 | PlayStation | 92/100 | 92.35% |
| Dungeon Keeper | Electronic Arts | June 26, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | — | 92.2% |
| Diablo | Blizzard Entertainment | January 3, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | 94/100 | 89.07% |
| Colony Wars | Psygnosis | October 31, 1997 | PlayStation | 91/100 | 92.09% |
| Sid Meier's Gettysburg! | Electronic Arts | October 14, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | 92/100 | 91% |
| Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II | LucasArts | October 10, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | 91/100 | 88.69% |
| Myth: The Fallen Lords | Bungie | November 7, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | 91/100 | 80.8% |
| Blast Corps | Nintendo | March 21, 1997 | Nintendo 64 | 90/100 | 88.87% |
| NFL GameDay 98 | Sony Computer Entertainment | September 4, 1997 | PlayStation | — | 90% |
| Fallout | Interplay Productions | October 10, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | 89/100 | 89.69% |
| Carmageddon | Sales Curve Interactive | June 13, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | — | 89.6% |
| Formula 1 97 | Psygnosis | September 26, 1997 | PlayStation | — | 89.43% |
| MDK | Playmates Interactive | May 5, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | — | 89.2% |
| Star Fox 64 | Nintendo | April 27, 1997 | Nintendo 64 | 88/100 | 89.01% |
| The Curse of Monkey Island | LucasArts | November 1, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | 89/100 | 89% |
| Einhänder | Square | November 20, 1997 | PlayStation | 89/100 | 85% |
| Total Annihilation | GT Interactive | September 26, 1997 | Microsoft Windows | 86/100 | 88.85% |
| Diddy Kong Racing | Rare | November 21, 1997 | Nintendo 64 | 88/100 | 88.65% |
| Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back | Sony Computer Entertainment | October 31, 1997 | PlayStation | — | 88.54% |
| Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee | GT Interactive | September 18, 1997 | PlayStation | 85/100 | 87.94% |

#### Famitsu Platinum Hall of Fame

The following video game releases in 1997 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.
| Title | Platform | Developer | Publisher | Genre | Score (out of 40) |
| Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | Role-playing | 38 |
| Final Fantasy VII International | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | Role-playing | 37 |
| Tobal 2 | PlayStation | DreamFactory | Squaresoft | Fighting | 36 |
| Star Fox 64 | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Rail shooter | 36 |
| Derby Stallion | PlayStation | ASCII Corporation | ASCII Corporation | Simulation | 35 |
| Gran Turismo | PlayStation | Polys Entertainment | Sony | Racing simulation | 35 |

## Financial performance
### Highest-grossing arcade games in Japan

In Japan, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade games of 1997.
| Rank | Gamest | Gamest | Gamest | Game Machine | Game Machine | Game Machine | Game Machine |
| Rank | Title | Manufacturer | Genre | Title | Manufacturer | Type | Points |
| 1 | Virtua Fighter 3 | Sega | Fighting | Print Club 2 | Atlus | Other | 4068 |
| 2 | Tekken 3 | Namco | Fighting | Virtua Fighter 3 | Sega | Dedicated | 3995 |
| 3 | X-Men vs. Street Fighter | Capcom | Fighting | Tekken 3 | Namco | PCB | 3757 |
| 4 | Street Fighter III: New Generation | Capcom | Fighting | Virtual On: Cyber Troopers | Sega | Dedicated | 2969 |
| 5 | Vampire Savior (Darkstalkers 3) | Capcom | Fighting | X-Men vs. Street Fighter | Capcom | PCB | 2776 |
| 6 | Samurai Spirits 4: Amakusa Kōrin | SNK | Fighting | Puzzle Bobble 3 | Taito | PCB | 2626 |
| 7 | Real Bout Garō Densetsu Special | SNK | Fighting | Densha de Go! | Taito | Dedicated | 2614 |
| 8 | Virtual On: Cyber Troopers | Sega | Shooter | Time Crisis | Namco | Dedicated | 2459 |
| 9 | The King of Fighters '97 | SNK | Fighting | Gallop Racer | Tecmo | PCB | 2420 |
| 10 | DoDonPachi | Atlus | Bullet hell | Rave Racer | Namco | Dedicated | 2399 |

### Best-selling video game consoles

| Rank | Manufacturer | Game console | Type | Generation | Sales | Sales | Sales |
| Rank | Manufacturer | Game console | Type | Generation | Japan | United States | Worldwide |
| 1 | Sony | PlayStation | Home | 32-bit | 5,050,000+ | 6,750,000+ | 17,200,000+ |
| 2 | Nintendo | Game Boy / Game Boy Pocket | Handheld | 8-bit | 4,220,000 | Un­known | 10,370,000 |
| 3 | Nintendo | Nintendo 64 | Home | 64-bit | 1,110,000 | 4,488,000 | 9,420,000 |
| 4 | Nintendo | Super NES / Super Famicom | Home | 16-bit | 190,000 | 593,000 | 2,040,000 |
| 5 | Sega | Sega Saturn | Home | 32-bit | 800,000 | 249,000 | 1,800,000 |
| 6 | Sega | Sega Genesis | Home | 16-bit | Un­known | 478,000 | 478,000+ |
| 7 | Nintendo | NES / Famicom | Home | 8-bit | 30,000 | 81,000 | 111,000 |
| 8 | NEC | PC-FX | Home | 32-bit | 30,000 | — | 30,000 |

### Best-selling home video games

Final Fantasy VII was the best-selling home video game worldwide in 1997. It sold more than 6 million copies worldwide by 1998, becoming the best-selling PlayStation game up until then.
The following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games (console games or computer games) of 1997 in Japan and the United States.
| Rank | Title | Platform | Sales | Sales | Sales |
| Rank | Title | Platform | Japan | United States | Combined |
| 1 | Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation | 3,447,500+ | 1,500,000+ | 4,947,500+ |
| 2 | Pocket Monsters: Red / Green / Blue | Game Boy | 3,995,988 | — | 3,995,988 |
| 3 | Mario Kart 64 | Nintendo 64 | 731,385 | 1,500,000+ | 2,231,385+ |
| 4 | Star Fox 64 | Nintendo 64 | 373,479 | 1,500,000+ | 1,873,479+ |
| 5 | Super Mario 64 | Nintendo 64 | 361,302 | 1,500,000+ | 1,861,302+ |
| 6 | Diddy Kong Racing | Nintendo 64 | 217,259 | 1,500,000+ | 1,717,259+ |
| 7 | Derby Stallion | PlayStation | 1,581,138 | — | 1,581,138 |
| 8 | Minna no Golf (Everybody's Golf) | PlayStation | 1,327,000 | — | 1,327,000 |
| 9 | Final Fantasy Tactics | PlayStation | 1,239,000 | — | 1,239,000 |
| 10 | SaGa Frontier | PlayStation | 1,057,263 | — | 1,057,263 |

#### United States

In the United States, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1997.
| Rank | Title | Platform | Developer | Publisher | Genre | Sales |
| 1 | Mario Kart 64 | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Kart racing | 1,500,000+ |
| 2 | Star Fox 64 | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Rail shooter | 1,500,000+ |
| 3 | Super Mario 64 | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Platformer | 1,500,000+ |
| 4 | Diddy Kong Racing | Nintendo 64 | Rare | Rare | Kart racing | 1,500,000+ |
| 5 | GoldenEye 007 | Nintendo 64 | Rare | Nintendo | FPS | 1,500,000+ |
| 6 | Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Sony | RPG | 1,500,000+ |
| 7 | NFL GameDay 98 | PlayStation | Sony Interactive | Sony | Sports | Un­known |
| 8 | Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire | Nintendo 64 | LucasArts | Nintendo | Action | Un­known |
| 9 | Madden NFL 98 | PlayStation | Tiburon Entertainment | EA Sports | Sports | Un­known |
| 10 | Crash Bandicoot | PlayStation | Naughty Dog | Sony | Platformer | Un­known |

#### Japan

In Japan, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 1997.
| Rank | Title | Platform | Developer | Publisher | Genre | Sales |
| 1 | Pocket Monsters: Red / Green / Blue | Game Boy | Game Freak | Nintendo | RPG | 3,995,988 |
| 2 | Final Fantasy VII | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | RPG | 3,447,500+ |
| 3 | Derby Stallion | PlayStation | ASCII | ASCII | Simulation | 1,581,138 |
| 4 | Minna no Golf (Everybody's Golf) | PlayStation | Camelot Software Planning | Sony | Sports | 1,327,000 |
| 5 | Final Fantasy Tactics | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | SRPG | 1,239,000 |
| 6 | SaGa Frontier | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | RPG | 1,057,263 |
| 7 | Gran Turismo | PlayStation | Polys Entertainment | Sony | Racing simulation | 905,000 |
| 8 | Game de Hakken!! Tamagotchi | Game Boy | Tom Create | Bandai | Breeding simulation | 808,000 |
| 9 | Chocobo no Fushigi na Dungeon | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | Roguelike | 801,000 |
| 10 | PaRappa the Rapper | PlayStation | NanaOn-Sha | Sony | Rhythm | 761,621 |

#### Europe

In Europe, the following titles were the top-selling home video games of each month in 1997.
| Month(s) | United Kingdom | United Kingdom | France |
| January | Die Hard Trilogy (PlayStation) | Die Hard Trilogy (PlayStation) | Un­known |
| February | Cool Boarders (PlayStation) | Cool Boarders (PlayStation) | | Un­known |
| March | Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64) | Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64) | | Un­known |
| April | Wave Race 64 (Nintendo 64) | Micro Machines V3 (PlayStation) | Un­known |
| May | Soul Blade (PlayStation) | Soul Blade (PlayStation) | | Un­known |
| June | Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64) | Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64) | | Un­known |
| July | International Superstar Soccer 64 (Nintendo 64) | International Superstar Soccer 64 (Nintendo 64) | | Un­known |
| August–September | V-Rally (PlayStation) | V-Rally (PlayStation) | | Un­known |
| October | Formula 1 97 (PlayStation) | Lylat Wars (Nintendo 64) | Un­known |
| November | Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation) | Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation) | | Un­known |
| December | FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 (PlayStation, PC) | FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 (PlayStation, PC) | | Un­known |
| 1997 | | | Tomb Raider 2 |

## Notable releases

* Video game platforms
| GBC | Game Boy Color |
| Mac | Mac |
| N64 | Nintendo 64 |
| Neo | Neo Geo |
| NeoCD | Neo Geo CD |
| Pippin | Apple Pippin |
| PS1 | PlayStation |
| Sat | Saturn |
| SMD | Mega Drive / Genesis |
| SNES | Super NES |
| Win | Windows |
Notable releases of the year 1997 :
| Release | Title | Windows / DOS | 4th Gen | 5th Gen | Handheld | Arcade |
| January 3 | Diablo | Yes | — | PS1 (1998) | — | — |
| January 14 | Tengai Makyō: Daiyon no Mokushiroku | — | — | Sat | — | — |
| January 31 | Final Fantasy VII | 1998 | — | PS1 | — | — |
| February 5 | DoDonPachi | — | — | Sat (September 18), PS1 (1998) | — | Yes |
| February 10 | Mario Kart 64 | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| February 27 | The Lost Vikings 2 | April 30 | SNES | PS1 (May), Sat (May) | — | — |
| February 28 | Blast Corps | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| February 28 | Independence Day | Yes | — | PS1, Sat | — | — |
| February 28 | Mega Man 8 | — | — | PS1, Sat | — | — |
| February 28 | Turok: Dinosaur Hunter | November 30 | — | N64 | — | — |
| February 28 | Interstate '76 | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| March 20 | Castlevania: Symphony of the Night | — | — | PS1, Sat (1998) | — | — |
| March 20 | Tekken 3 | — | — | PS1 (1998) | — | Yes |
| March 24 | Realms of the Haunting (NA) | Yes | | | | |
| March 26 | Vandal Hearts | — | — | PS1, Sat (November 27) | — | — |
| March 30 | The Last Express | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| March 31 | Need for Speed II | Yes | — | PS1 | — | — |
| April 7 | Outlaws | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| April 7 | Redneck Rampage | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| April 30 | Fighters Megamix | — | — | Sat | Game.com (1998) | — |
| April 30 | Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| May 21 | Blood | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| May 31 | MDK | Yes | — | PS1 (1998) | — | — |
| June 10 | Ecstatica II | Yes | | | | |
| June 17 | Harvest Moon | — | SNES | — | — | — |
| June 20 | Sonic Jam | — | — | Sat | Game.com (1998) | — |
| June 20 | Final Fantasy Tactics | — | — | PS1 | — | — |
| June 26 | Dungeon Keeper | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| June 30 | Star Fox 64 | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| July 4 | Jane's 688(I) Hunter/Killer | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| July 28 | The King of Fighters '97 | — | Neo, NeoCD | PS1, Sat (1998) | — | Yes |
| July 30 | Carmageddon | Yes | — | PS1 (1999), N64 (2000) | GBC (2000) | — |
| July 31 | Herc's Adventures | — | — | PS1, Sat | — | — |
| July 31 | Warlords III: Reign of Heroes | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| August 1 | Mega Man X4 | 1999 | — | PS1, Sat | — | — |
| August 11 | Tetrisphere | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| August 25 | GoldenEye 007 | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| August 25 | Shadow Warrior | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| August 26 | Madden NFL 98 | Yes | — | PS1, Sat | — | — |
| August 31 | Imperialism | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| September 9 | Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire | Yes | | | | |
| September 10 | Silhouette Mirage | — | — | Sat, PS1 (1998) | — | — |
| September 11 | Breath of Fire III | — | — | PS1 | — | — |
| September 11 | Hexen II | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| September 17 | Resident Evil | Yes | | | | |
| September 18 | Street Fighter Collection | — | — | Sat, PS1 (October 23) | — | — |
| September 19 | Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee | Yes | — | PS1 | — | — |
| September 24 | Ultima Online | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| September 24 | Postal | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| September 26 | Bomberman 64 | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| September 26 | LEGO Island | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| September 29 | Croc: Legend of the Gobbos | Yes | — | PS1, Sat | — | — |
| September 30 | Close Combat: A Bridge Too Far | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| September 30 | Fallout | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| September 30 | Panzer General II | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| September 30 | Poy Poy | — | — | PS1 | — | — |
| September 30 | Total Annihilation | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| October | Combat Chess | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| October 9 | Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| October 15 | Age of Empires | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| October 15 | Mortal Kombat 4 | 1998 | — | N64, PS1 (1998) | GBC (1998) | Yes |
| October 23 | Steep Slope Sliders | — | — | Sat | — | 1998 |
| October 28 | Shipwreckers | Yes | — | PS1 | — | — |
| October 29 | Riven | Yes | — | Sat, PS1 (November 30) | — | — |
| October 30 | Culdcept | — | — | Sat, PS1 (1999) | — | — |
| October 31 | The Curse of Monkey Island | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| October 31 | Zork: Grand Inquisitor | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| November | Independence War | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| November 1 | Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back | — | — | PS1 | — | — |
| November 1 | Shock Troopers | — | Neo | — | — | Yes |
| November 4 | Colony Wars | — | — | PS1 | — | — |
| November 14 | Blade Runner | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| November 17 | Sonic R | 1998 | — | Sat | — | — |
| November 18 | Tomb Raider II | Yes | — | PS1 | — | — |
| November 21 | Diddy Kong Racing | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| November 21 | Worms 2 | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| November 25 | Myth: The Fallen Lords | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| November 27 | Kirby's Dream Land 3 | — | SNES | — | — | — |
| November 27 | Grand Theft Auto | Yes | — | PS1 (December 12) | GBC (1999) | — |
| November 30 | FIFA: Road to World Cup 98 | Yes | — | N64, PS1, Sat | — | — |
| November 30 | One | — | — | PS1 | — | — |
| November 30 | Wing Commander: Prophecy | Yes | — | — | — | — |
| November 30 | WCW vs. nWo: World Tour | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| December | Puzzle Bobble 4 | — | — | PS1, Sat (1998) | — | Yes |
| December 6 | Quake II | Yes | — | PS1, N64 (1999) | — | — |
| December 11 | Klonoa: Door to Phantomile | — | — | PS1 | — | — |
| December 18 | Grandia | — | — | Sat, PS1 (1999) | — | — |
| December 18 | Mega Man Legends | 2001 | — | PS1, N64 (2000) | — | — |
| December 21 | Yoshi's Story | — | — | N64 | — | — |
| December 23 | Gran Turismo | — | — | PS1 | — | — |
| December 31 | Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero | — | — | N64 | — | — |

## Business

* Activision acquires CentreSoft Ltd. and Raven Software
* Electronic Arts Inc. acquires Maxis
* GameTek filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed its doors in July 1998
* 2015, Inc. founded
* 4D Rulers Software, Inc. founded
* September – 4HEAD Studios created
* Bungie West formed by Bungie
* Conspiracy Entertainment Corporation founded
* Crave Entertainment, Inc. formed
* August – Human Head Studios, Inc. formed
* Illusion Softworks, a.s. founded
* April 15 – Irem Software Engineering Inc. founded
* Irrational Games LLC founded
* Mythic Entertainment renames itself from Interworld Productions after name dispute with another "Interworld" company
* THQ renamed from Toy Headquarters, Inc.
* Warthog PLC founded

## Lawsuits

* Nintendo vs Games City: Nintendo sues Games City for selling the Game Doctor and Doctor V64 backup devices for the SNES and N64 consoles. Nintendo wins the suit.
* Nintendo vs Prima Publishing: Nintendo sues Prima over copyrights to maps of the N64 video game GoldenEye 007. Nintendo loses the suit.
* Nintendo vs Sony Video Games: Nintendo sues Sony over copyrights about Mario games.