Catalog IP, also referred to as the Namco Creators' Program and OPEN GAME, was a Japan-only program led by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The Catalog IP initiative allowed indie and student game developers to utilize various Namco properties, including Pac-Man, for creating iOS, Android, and web-based programs.
The program was first launched in 2015, in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Namco-Bandai company merge. In 2017, the program allowed usage of IPs from Jaleco and Data East (under license from City Connection and G-MODE, respectively). The service was officially discontinued in March 2018, but leftover submissions continued being released up until June 2019. The majority of games were delisted from digital stores and websites in April of 2020.
General information[]
Artwork for Pac-Tune, a game created through the Catalog IP program
Each Catalog IP release was created independently from Bandai Namco, generally from indie or student developers; though each game still required approval from Namco prior to release. Namco would earn some level of monetization from the Catalog IP releases, either via an advertising royalty system or a paid-in-advance fee.
A developer could choose from several Namco franchises when making a game, including multiple at once. As such, games based on other properties can also be filled with references to the Pac-Man series, or already existing games could receive Pac-Man-themed DLC (often as limited-time "special events"). While the majority of Catalog IP releases were video games, the service extended to media such as programming tools, LINE sticker sets, health applications, web comics, and other digital products.
Most (if not all) titles were released exclusively in Japan, and are difficult to access overseas. There are workaround methods for playing them, however, including the following:
- Android titles can be downloaded from .APK files from third-party websites.
- iOS titles can be downloaded on a jailbroken device via third-party .IPA files; prior to the April 2020 delistings, they could also be downloaded by creating a Japanese iTunes account.
- Certain web-based games can be played via the Flashpoint PC emulator; however, some feature region-locking code that can only be bypassed with a VPN.
Pac-Man releases[]
Standard releases[]
(Note that some game titles may be derived from Japanese.)
| Name | Years of Service | Platform(s) | Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile eSports with Pac-Man | Sept. 8, 2015 - 201? | iOS, Android | A variant of the original Pac-Man where players could compete to earn real money, with a grand prize of 100,000 yen. Distributed on the Wonder League app rather than as a standalone release. |
| Pixel Superstars | Sept. 18, 2015 - present | iOS, Android | The player and CPU take turns flicking "erasers" of Namco characters at each other, in hopes of knocking their opponent off the table. Crossover with multiple Namco franchises, most prominently Pac-Man. Conceptually based on a preexisting game titled Drop Eraser. While delisted from the App Store and Google Play, the Android version can still be purchased on Amazon.[1] |
| Dodge and Dash Pac-Man | Oct. 15, 2015 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | Pac-Man automatically moves upward, and the player must maneuver him to dodge ghosts. |
| Pac-Man Run | Dec. 15, 2015 - Apr. 1, 2020 | Web-based (Yahoo! Games) | A 3D endless runner game featuring Pac-Man. |
| Mega Run meets Pac-Man | Feb. 18, 2016 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | A Pac-Man-themed version of the mobile game Mega Run; it is a 2D auto-scrolling platformer featuring Pac-Man. |
| Pac-Man Ghost & Stage Maker | Mar. 16, 2016 - Apr. 1, 2020 | Web-based (Open Game) | A game where players could create custom Pac-Man mazes and Ghost characters, and upload them online. Appears to have been developed by Bandai Namco directly rather than a third-party; it was published on the Open Game website.[2] |
| MilboxTouch VR Pac-Man | Apr. 2016 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | A VR remake of the original Pac-Man, designed for the Milbox Touch cardboard VR headset. This game was notably released in the U.S. App Store, though was left untranslated from Japanese. |
| Trace It Pac-Man | May 20, 2016 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | A puzzle game where the player must guide Pac-Man through a grid-like maze, filling nearly all of it with yellow tiles, in order to reach the end goal. |
| Pac-Tune | Jul. 12, 2016 - 2017 | iOS | A mixture between a music composer and a maze creation game, with gameplay rules similar to the original Pac-Man. |
| Mogu Mogu Pac-Man: The Grinning Ghost's Counterattack | Aug. 8, 2016 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | Pac-Man must proceed along the path while avoiding cookie-cutout ghosts; different set conditions are required to complete each level. Also referred to shorthand as Mogpac. |
| Pac-Man Infinite Tower | 2016 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | A puzzle game where the player must keep Pac-Man safe without crushing him. Conceptually based on a preexisting game titled Pico and Raco - Conquer the Infinite Stairs!. |
| Pac-Man Shanghai Mahjong | 2016 - Apr. 1, 2020 | Web-based (Yahoo! Games) | A Mahjong matching game with Namco-themed tiles. |
| EYERESH with Pac-Man | Feb. 28, 2017 - Apr. 1, 2020 | Android | A health application to help eyes by looking at a 3D video of Pac-Man eating Pac-Dots. |
| Pac-Run | Apr. 4, 2017 - Jul. 22, 2019 | Web-based (RGames) | Unrelated to Pac-Man Run; it is a 2D endless runner-platforming game with visuals based on Pac-Land. |
| The Card: Respectable Pac-Man | Apr. 6, 2017 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | A game where cards with a random outcome are flipped over to control the movements/functions of Pac-Man and the Ghosts. |
| Gachi Escape - Serious Escape Pac-Man | Jul. 27, 2017 - Apr. 1, 2020 | Android | A collection of two puzzle games featuring the Ghosts. |
| Pac-Pong | Aug. 2017 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | The player launches ping pong balls into Blinky's basket. Conceptually based on a preexisting game titled GlassPong. |
| Pac-Man Note - Escape from the Page | Oct. 2017 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | A physics-based puzzle game where the player must solve a series of puzzles and complete objectives. |
| PAC MEME - Dry Eye Alarm | 2017 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS | A health application compatible with JINS MEME eyeglasses, intended to "prevent dry eyes". |
| Pixel Runner! | Apr. 2018 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | A 2D endless runner game featuring characters from multiple Namco franchises, most prominently Pac-Man. |
| Pac-Man's Nippon Journey | Jun. 22, 2018 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | An RPG game where Pac-Man travels across Japan, visiting various real-world locations. There are several minigames as well. |
| When in Hesitation, Pac-Man Omikuji | 2018 - Apr. 1, 2020 | Android | A fortune-telling app; the player navigates the Pac-Man maze in first-person, and the game makes a suggestion of something for them to do in real life (a place to go, a type of food to eat, etc). |
"Crossover" appearances[]
The following titles are not directly Pac-Man-branded or themed, but feature extensive references to the franchise.
| Name | Years of Service | Platform(s) | Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vampire Holmes: The Savior of Stardust | Sept. 2015 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | The 10th story installment in the Vampire Holmes app; the story prominently features Pac-Man, who is shown as having a full human body. |
| Mappy Showdown! Neo-Nyamco Gang | Nov. 23, 2015 - present | iOS, Android | Features similar gameplay to the original Mappy arcade game, with various enhancements and alterations. Pac-Man and the Ghosts extensively appear in the game and its promotional artwork. The game was delisted from the Google Play store, but is still available on the App Store. |
| Pixel Dash | Nov. 23, 2015 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | A 2D auto-scrolling platformer where the player draws lines out of chalk as platforms. Features characters from multiple Namco franchises, most prominently Wagyan Land, though also includes Pac-Man. Conceptually based on a preexisting game titled Chalk Dash. |
| Hippari Mappy Daisakusen | Dec. 15, 2015 - Apr. 1, 2020 | Web-based (Yahoo! Games) | The player launches Mappy via a slingshot to rescue and form an arsenal of mice. Many assets are reused from Mappy Showdown!, including the Pac-Man characters. |
| NamNam | Dec. 15, 2015 - Apr. 1, 2020 | Web-based (Yahoo! Games), iOS, Android | A puzzle-shooting game (?) where the player defeats characters from multiple Namco franchises, including Pac-Man. |
| Project Fardraut: Secondary Work of Xevious | Dec. 2015 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | A 3D shooting game based on Xevious; Pac-Man is a playable character (alongside Wonder Momo), replacing the Solvalou ship. |
| Ta-ta-ta-ta-touch Legendary Characters | Feb. 2016 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | A Whac-A-Mole-like game where the player defeats characters from multiple Namco franchises, including Pac-Man. |
| Touch the Mappy | Jun. 13, 2016 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | The player places platforms to strategically maneuver Mappy to collect the items. The original release features minor references to Pac-Man, such as cutscenes parodying the original Pac-Man intermissions. A later 2018 version of the game, titled Touch the Mappy with 80's Dot Stars, features graphical skins based on other games, including Pac-Man. |
| Pico Chat | Jul. 4, 2016 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | An online messaging service with 10-second minigames and LINE-like message stickers based on various Namco franchises, including Pac-Man. |
| Game Sound Alarm | 2016 (?) - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS | A digital alarm clock featuring animations and sounds based on various Namco franchises, including Pac-Man. |
| Treasure Excavation! Diggers | Oct. 19, 2018 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | The player digs up treasures from a pixelated landscape. While most prominently based on Dig Dug, every single IP from the program is featured in-game, including Pac-Man. |
| Dig Dru Pac - Janken King | Oct. 24, 2019 - Apr. 1, 2020 | iOS, Android | A variant of rock-paper-scissors where the respective gameplay rules are replaced with "Dig", "Dru", and "Pac" - shorthand for Dig Dug, The Tower of Druaga, and Pac-Man. |
RPG Maker games[]
Bandai Namco also provided resources to produce RPG Maker games as part of the Catalog IP program; the games could be hosted online on the Open Game website. A set of RPG Maker-tailored sprites was available for use in the games, which included graphics of Pac-Man and the Ghosts.
Due to literal hundreds of RPG Maker-based titles existing on the website, they are difficult to document in full. One known example is One Way Pac-Man (片道PAC-MAN), a title which loosely recreates the traditional Pac-Man maze gameplay. Additionally, the aforementioned Pac-Man's Nippon Journey utilizes the RPG Maker assets, though was published as a separate mobile app.
Unreleased games[]
As part of a "preview" for the Catalog IP service, two Pac-Man PC games were exclusively featured at Niconico Chōkaigi 2015 (an in-person event). These titles are:
- Action Pac-Man - appears to be a Pac-Man-themed version of the PC game Action Mogura.
- Pac Smell - a Pac-Man-themed version of the horror PC game The Smell of Death - A Tsugunohi Tale.
Several other Pac-Man-themed Catalog IP games were announced in a news article by Inside-Games, which ended up never being released.[3] These include:
- Gaming Diet Body Fat Pac-Man (ゲーミングダイエット 体脂肪パックマン)
- Ghost Revenge
- Pac-Man is your teacher?! Learn with Imakiku (パックマンが先生に？！イマキクで楽しく学ぼう)
- Pac-Man vs. Friends - Explosive Racing (パックマン vs 仲間たちの爆裂レーシング) - was briefly reworked into a crossover game with the Bokosuka Girls franchise, before being fully canceled.[4]
An unnamed Pac-Man game also appears (listed as "HTML5 cross-platform casual game"), but this appears to just be an early version of Pac-Man Run.
Catalog IP "game jam"[]
In November of 2015, Bandai Namco held a game jam based around the Catalog IP project, which also served as a "contest".[5] Around 60 developers participated in the game jam, producing 14 unique games; seven of these games were directly themed after Pac-Man, including:
- Attack Pac-Man
- Namco Pac Pac
- Pac-Man Sky - selected as award-winner
- Pac-Rogue - selected as award-winner
- Save the Pac-Man
- Stealth Pac-Man - selected as award-winner
- Wakuwaku Akabei Land ("Akabei" referring to Blinky)
Other games from the game jam included Adventures of Valkyrie: The Movie, Amazing4, Battle City Type4, Galaga Vs., Great Nyamco War, Mitai! Aitai! Hagashitai!, and Wonder Momo's Counterattack. Great Nyamco War was selected as an award-winner.
It does not appear that any of these games were ever released publicly. Namco implied that the game jam entries were eligible for release, but they had to be re-sent through as normal Catalog IP submissions; some games were seemingly considered for publishing by their developers, but ultimately were not.
Trivia[]
- In a 2017 interview, the lead director of the Catalog IP project, Daisuke Masui, was asked what the motive was behind freely licensing the Namco IPs. Masui replied that the main goal was simply to keep the franchises in circulation; specifically with new, derivative works. He claimed that in the "internet age", he felt that any franchise - no matter its popularity - could fall to irrelevancy if it sits unused.[6]
- Masui also states that Namco did not actually earn much revenue from the Catalog IP project. While monetization systems were in place, the cost of running the project effectively "broke even" with any earnings; as the main purpose of the project was moreso for brand exposure, earned revenue was not considered a priority to Namco.[6]
- While a number of Catalog IP submissions were presumably rejected, Masui claims that the majority of Catalog IP pitches were actually accepted into the program.[6]
- There were plans to bring the Catalog IP program outside of Japan, but research had to be put into certain laws and regulations of other countries, in addition to "crushing the problems" with the Japanese service. Despite Namco's efforts, the program was never launched overseas.[5]
- Some of the apps incorrectly spell Pac-Man as "Packman" below their app icon, even if the correct spelling is used elsewhere.
References[]
- ↑ https://www.amazon.co.jp/SAT-BOX-%E3%83%94%E3%82%AF%E3%82%BB%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B9%E3%83%BC%E3%83%91%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA/dp/B015SKGRX0
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20170518193018/http://open.channel.or.jp/maker/servlet/pacmanTop
- ↑ https://www.inside-games.jp/article/2015/07/03/89085.html
- ↑ https://www.famitsu.com/news/201509/28088780.html
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2015/12/07/11696.html
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 https://www.4gamer.net/games/374/G037428/20170314024/
External links[]
- Catalog IP Website (archived by Wayback Machine)
- Open Game Website (archived by Wayback Machine)
- Mega Run meets Pac-Man Website
- Pac-Man's Nippon Journey Website