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Pac-Man mobile games

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Early advertisement for Ms. Pac-Man on flip-style phones.

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 Europe would officially form their mobile division in June of 2002, with a Namco i-Land release of Pac-Man shortly following.[2] Namco's American mobile operations were initially launched by Namco Hometek, with Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man being released in the Summer of 2002;[3] though by 2003, mobile distribution was transferred to Namco-America (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 Jun. 6, 2002 (EU, i-mode)[2]
Aug. 8, 2002 (US)[4] 		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 Aug. 8, 2002 (US)[4] 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-Match! Apr. 2003 (?) (EU)
Aug. 1, 2004 (US)[5] 		Released as Chain Shot in Europe (and Japan).
Pac-Man Puzzle May 1, 2003 (EU)[6]
2004 (US)[5]
Pac-Man Casino Card Game Pack May 2003 (?) (US)
2004 (?) (EU)
Pac-Man Casino Slots Pack May 2003 (?) (US)
2004 (?) (EU)
Pac-Man Crisis 2003 (?) Released in Europe (and Japan); an American release was planned but canceled.[7]
Pac-Man Billiards 2003 Released in Europe (and Japan), but not America; known in Japan as Family Billiards.
Pac-Man Bowling Oct. 25, 2004 (US)[5] Only released in America.
Ms. Pac-Man for Prizes Dec. 8, 2004 A variation of Ms. Pac-Man where players could compete for real-life prizes.
Pac-Man Pinball 2005[8]
Pac-Mania May 18, 2005 (?) (US) Port of the arcade game.
Super Pac-Man
(American version) 		May 10, 2006 (US)[9] 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. 13, 2008 (EU)[10] Released as Pac-Man Pinball 2 in Europe.
Pac-Man Hold'em Poker 2008 Only released in Europe.
Pac-Man Championship Edition Jul. 24, 2009 (EU)
Dec. 11, 2009 (US)[11] 		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)[]

Name Release date Information
Pactones Mar. 21, 2004 Features downloadable ringtones from both Namco games and proper musical artists.[12] The service was later replaced with Pac-Man's Arcade Corner.
Game Tones Oct. 2004 Features downloadable ringtones.
Pac-Man's Arcade Corner Jul. 2005 The follow-up service to Pactones; also includes a bonus "Game That Tone!" minigame.[13]
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 2001[14] - 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[15] - 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.[16]
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 i-mode Dec. 19, 2006 - 20?? Developed by Platinum Egg.[17]
Pac 'n Roll i-mode, EZWeb Feb. 25, 2010 - 201? Port of the Nintendo DS game; developed by Windream.[18]
Pac-Man Reborn Bandai Namco Fes! May 22, 2010 - Feb. 29, 2012
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 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.[19] 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.[20]
Custamo: Pac-Man Unknown 2006-20?? A mobile phone menu theme based on Pac-Man.[21]
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[22] 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-Chain iOS Sep. 2, 2010 - Mar. 30, 2015[22] An alternate version was released titled Pac-Chain Compact.
Pac-Attack iOS Oct. 14, 2010 - Mar. 30, 2015[22] Remake of the console game.
Letter Labyrinth: Pac-Man Edition iOS Nov. 10, 2010 - Mar. 30, 2015[23]
Pac-Mania iOS Nov. 25, 2010 - Mar. 30, 2015[22] Port of the arcade game.
Pac-Man Reborn iOS Jan. 18, 2011 - Feb. 29, 2012
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[22]
=10 Android Apr. 13, 2011 - Mar. 30, 2015[22] A Pac-Man-themed remake of the 2005 game 10 Keshi.
Pac-Chomp! iOS, Android Apr. 21, 2011 - Mar. 30, 2015
Pac-Man Kart Rally Android Jan. 2012 - 201?
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 - May 30, 2025 (Android)
Dec. 12, 2013 - May 30, 2025 (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.[24]
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)
Jul. 2016 - Mar. 21, 2017 (second version) 		The game received a large overhaul in a July 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.
Crossy Road Pac-Man Android 201? - 20?? Variant of Crossy Road that solely features its Pac-Man content; released as part of the Gameloft Orange (or "Wapshop") 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.
Pac-Man 256+ iOS Dec. 5, 2024 - present Enhanced variant of Pac-Man 256; released as part of the Apple Arcade service.

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 Photo Frame iOS Jan. 30, 2012 - 20??[25]
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 was added as a character in 2015 with the ability to run around the screen and bounce around as Elasto Pac or turn into PacZilla to record the voice message and then roll into the screen.
  • Outcast Odyssey - limited-time Pac-Man content was added 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.[26]
  • 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.[27]
    Cover for the U.K. physical release.

    Cover for the U.K. physical release.

  • A physical SKU of the mobile version of Pac-Man was published in the U.K. by Digital Bridges (under the "dbi" label) in 2003. The physical release included a single-use download code for the game in its box, alongside a demo disc of unrelated software (which was merely included as a means to prevent buyers from returning boxes with used codes). Chris Wright, a developer on the project, has conceded it as having been a "stupid idea".[28]
  • Invictus Games, the developers of the 2014 game Pac-Man Friends, formed a proposal for two additional mobile games: Pac-Man Slingshot 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.[29]
  • 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".[30] 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[]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ↑ Pac-Man 25th Anniversary interview with Toru Iwatani (https://youtu.be/krDH-MSLeDA)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20040620121503/http://www.namco.co.uk/web/newsarticle.php?id=20020606
  3. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20040620032707/http://www.namco.co.uk/web/newsarticle.php?id=20020711
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20040620032600/http://www.namco.co.uk/web/newsarticle.php?id=20021216
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 https://www.namcogames.com/pressDetails.php?id=2
  6. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20040619202754/http://www.namco.co.uk/web/newsarticle.php?id=20030501
  7. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20040609124756/http://namcogames.com/index.php
  8. ↑ https://www.namcogames.com/pressDetails.php?id=22
  9. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20061116180035/http://www.namcogames.com/pressDetails.php?id=45
  10. ↑ https://www.mobilegamesblog.com/namco-releases-pac-man-pinball-2/
  11. ↑ https://forums.legitreviews.com/viewtopic.php?t=24543
  12. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20040528073124/http://www.pactones.com/
  13. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20050722003449/http://www.arcade-corner.com/
  14. ↑ Game Watch list of i-mode games as of 2001-12-28
  15. ↑ "Nours" magazine, vol. 42 (Autumn 2003) pg. 28
  16. ↑ http://windream.co.jp/deve/pacmania.html
  17. ↑ https://www.platinum-egg.com/products/
  18. ↑ http://windream.co.jp/deve/pacnroll.html
  19. ↑ https://www.bandainamcoent.co.jp/corporate/bnours/nours/vol34/pdf/furoku.pdf (note: clicking the link will download the document)
  20. ↑ https://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20010713/game20010714.html
  21. ↑ https://www.custamo.com/pc/905/screen/chara/16/index.html
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 https://web.archive.org/web/20150315134357/http://pacman.com/en/pac-man-news/pac-man-game-news/important-notice-of-service-termination
  23. ↑ https://www.148apps.com/app/400397597/
  24. ↑ https://toucharcade.com/2014/09/15/pac-man-championship-edition-dx-soft-launched-in-new-zealand/
  25. ↑ https://www.gamer.ne.jp/news/201201300007/
  26. ↑ https://nlab.itmedia.co.jp/games/gsnews/0209/25/news04.html
  27. ↑ https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2010/01/20/news-namco-arcade-hits-facebook.aspx
  28. ↑ https://www.chriswright.life/xvi/
  29. ↑ Pac-Man Slingshot and Pac-Man Star Wars proposal artwork by Laszlo Palfi (ArtStation)
  30. ↑ https://twitter.com/officialpacman/status/1093658434325499904
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