Pac-Man mobile games

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 timePac-Man 25th Anniversary interview with Toru Iwatani (https://youtu.be/krDH-MSLeDA), 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. The European release would later be redone as a localization of Taisen Pac-Man.
Ms. Pac-Man 	2001, 2003 (?) 	Port of the arcade game, the American version features three difficulty levels and a level select. The European release would later be redone as a mod of Taisen Pac-Man.
Pac-Man Crisis 	2002 	Released in Europe (and Japan); an American release was planned but canceled.https://web.archive.org/web/20040609124756/http://namcogames.com/index.php
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 	2004https://www.namcogames.com/pressDetails.php?id=2 	Only released in America.
Pac-Man Puzzle 	2004 	
PAC-Match! 	2004 	Released as Chain Shot in Europe (and Japan).
Pac-Man Pinball 	2005https://www.namcogames.com/pressDetails.php?id=22	
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 mini-golf game available in both 3D and 2D formats.
Pac-Man Arcade Golf 	Sep. 8, 2008 	Only released in America; modified version of the "2D" variant of Namco Arcade Golf.
Pac-Man Pinball Deluxe 	Nov. 2008 	Released as Pac-Man Pinball 2 in Europe.
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 	A racing game available in both 3D and 2D formats.
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.https://web.archive.org/web/20040528073124/http://www.pactones.com/ 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.https://web.archive.org/web/20050722003449/http://www.arcade-corner.com/
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!.
Pac-Man DE Puzzle 	i-mode, Yahoo! Keitai 	2001Game Watch list of i-mode games as of 2001-12-28 - 201? 	Released in North America as Pac-Man Puzzle. The "SoftBank 841SH" phone model reportedly features a preinstalled "demo" of the game.
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-Man Pinball 	i-mode, EZWeb, Yahoo! Keitai, Willcom	2003"Nours" magazine, vol. 42 (Autumn 2003) pg. 28 - 201? 	Some releases call the game "Pinball NOW!" or simply "Pinball Game".
Pac-Mania 	i-mode, EZWeb, Yahoo! Keitai 	Dec. 1, 2004 - 201? 	Port of the arcade game; developed by Windream.http://windream.co.jp/deve/pacmania.html
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 Lock 	Unknown 	Dec. 19, 2006 - 20?? 	Developed by Platinum Egg.https://www.platinum-egg.com/products/
Pac 'n Roll 	i-mode, EZWeb 	Feb. 25, 2010 - 201? 	Port of the Nintendo DS game; developed by Windream.http://windream.co.jp/deve/pacnroll.html
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.https://www.bandainamcoent.co.jp/corporate/bnours/nours/vol34/pdf/furoku.pdf (note: clicking the link will download the document) 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.https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20010713/game20010714.html
Custamo: Pac-Man 	Unknown 	2006-20?? 	A mobile phone menu theme based on Pac-Man.https://www.custamo.com/pc/905/screen/chara/16/index.html
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, 2015https://web.archive.org/web/20150315134357/http://pacman.com/en/pac-man-news/pac-man-game-news/important-notice-of-service-termination	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 	An alternate version was released titled Pac-Chain Compact.
Pac-Attack 	iOS 	Oct. 14, 2010 - Mar. 30, 2015 	Remake of the console game.
Letter Labyrinth: Pac-Man Edition	iOS 	Nov. 10, 2010 - Mar. 30, 2015https://www.148apps.com/app/400397597/ 	
Pac-Mania 	iOS 	Nov. 25, 2010 - Mar. 30, 2015 	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 	
=10 	Android 	Apr. 13, 2011 - Mar. 30, 2015 	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.https://toucharcade.com/2014/09/15/pac-man-championship-edition-dx-soft-launched-in-new-zealand/
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 and altering its game rules.
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.
*Avatwee - Another Namco-developed Twitter client where the user could create avatars for their Twitter contacts; some of the outfits are based on Pac-Man.
*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.https://nlab.itmedia.co.jp/games/gsnews/0209/25/news04.html
*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.https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/01/20/news-namco-arcade-hits-facebook.aspx
*Invictus Games, the developers of the 2014 game Pac-Man Friends, formed a proposal for two additional "crossover" mobile games: Pac-Man Angry Birds and Pac-Man Star Wars. However, neither of these pitches led to produced games; the extent of Bandai Namco's involvement with the projects is unknown.Pac-Man Angry Birds and Pac-Man Star Wars proposal artwork by Laszlo Palfi (ArtStation)
*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".https://twitter.com/officialpacman/status/1093658434325499904 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.
*A large majority of 2010s Pac-Man mobile games were specifically delisted in late March (during multiple years). This is likely due to the fiscal year in Japan ending on March 31st, and beginning on April 1st. While the exact reasoning behing this is unclear, it may suggest that the games were removed from sale as some sort of financial write-off (or something similar).
==Gallery==
Pacture1.png|Various flip phone releases.
Pacture2.png|Various early iOS and Android releases.
pacture3.jpg|Pac-Man Hats
== See also ==
*Namco Catalog IP games
== References ==
Category:Games
Category:Mobile Games
Category:Pac-Man Games
Category:Namco Games