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2001 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Madden NFL 2002, NBA Live 2002, NBA 2K2, WWF Smackdown! Just Bring It, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Dead or Alive 3, Final Fantasy X, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, Grand Theft Auto III, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Myst III: Exile, Crazy Taxi 2, SSX Tricky, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Sonic Adventure 2, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, and Virtua Fighter 4. New intellectual properties include Ace Attorney, Advance Wars, Animal Crossing, Burnout, Gothic, Black & White, Devil May Cry, Fatal Frame, Ghost Recon, Halo, Jak and Daxter, Max Payne, Oni, Onimusha: Warlords, Operation Flashpoint, Pikmin, Pro Evolution Soccer, Red Faction, Serious Sam, and Tropico.

Three major video game systems were released in 2001: the GameCube and the Game Boy Advance by Nintendo, and the Xbox by Microsoft. Sega, which had been a major competitor in the video game hardware market to this point, ended its involvement in the market after the failure of the Dreamcast. The year 2001 is remembered for its influence on the video game industry with the release of many games recognized as classics. Many video games released in 2001 defined or redefined their respective genres, including hack and slash game Devil May Cry, first-person shooter game Halo: Combat Evolved, and open world action-adventure game Grand Theft Auto III, which is regarded as an industry-defining work.

The year has been retrospectively considered one of the best and most important in video game history due to the release of numerous critically acclaimed, commercially successful and influential titles across all platforms and genres at the time. It was the peak year for the sixth generation of video game consoles, with the launch of the GameCube and Xbox, the latter focusing on online games (following SegaNet the previous year), and the Dreamcast's last year of production with Sega's exit from console manufacturing. Storytelling and mature themes also became a more mainstream trend. The year's best-selling video game worldwide was Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal, the fourth year in a row for the Pokémon series (since 1998). The year's most critically acclaimed titles were Gran Turismo 3 and Final Fantasy X in Japan, and Halo and Grand Theft Auto III in the West.

Hardware releases

Top-rated games

Major awards

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2021)

Critically acclaimed titles

Famitsu Platinum Hall of Fame

In Japan, the following video game releases in 2001 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.

Metacritic and GameRankings

In the West, Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.

Financial performance

Best-selling home video games

Japan

United States

PAL regions

Highest-grossing arcade games in Japan

Major events

Events

• Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts the 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts John Carmack of id Software to the AIAS Hall of Fame.
• British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) hosts the 4th annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards for multimedia technologies; 15 of 21 awards go to video games.
• March 21 – The Game Boy Advance handheld is released by Nintendo. Also to back-up the GBA's identical graphics to the SNES an enhanced remake of Super Mario Bros. 2 was launched.
• May 17–19 – 7th annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3); the 4th annual Game Critics Awards For The Best Of E3
• June 23 – Sonic the Hedgehog celebrates its 10th anniversary.
• July – IEMA (Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association) hosts 2nd annual Executive Summit.
• Gama Network hosts the 3rd annual Independent Games Festival (IGF).
• Game Developers Conference hosts the 1st annual Game Developers Choice Awards.
• Spring – Reuters reports that the Dreamcast console has an estimated 800,000 online users playing its various online games already by midyear.
• Sony cooperates with AOL to incorporate Internet features with the PlayStation 2 console; which include a browser, email, and instant messaging capabilities.
• August – 2nd annual Dreamcast Championships (featuring the Crazy Taxi 2 video game).
• Nikkei News reports that the video game Phantasy Star Online (for Dreamcast) has had 300,000 worldwide users login already by midyear.
• September 14 – Nintendo releases the GameCube and its launch titles Luigi's Mansion and Wave Race: Blue Storm.
• November 15 – The Microsoft Xbox is introduced.
• November 18 – Nintendo releases the GameCube in North America with launch titles Luigi's Mansion and Wave Race: Blue Storm.
• November 23 – Game Park releases the GP32 wireless-multiplayer multimedia handheld console in South Korea.
• December 5–9 – World Cyber Games 2001 are held in South Korea
• December 31 – Jez San is awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours, becoming the first person awarded specifically for services to video games.
• December – Panasonic releases the GameCube-based Q multimedia console.

Business

• Defunct companies: Bullfrog Productions, Indrema, Dynamix, Sanctuary Woods, SNK.
• After Dynamix (1984–2001) is closed as part of Sierra's restructuring under Vivendi Universal, several veterans of the studio found GarageGames.
• Sega announces that it will no longer develop home consoles, to focus on game development. The Dreamcast is discontinued in May, but games including Sonic the Hedgehog will continue to be released.
• Activision acquires Treyarch Invention LLC.
• PCCW Japan (Pacific Century CyberWorks Japan Co., Ltd.) acquires VR1 Entertainment.
• Long-time arcade developer Midway Games announces that it will no longer manufacture arcade games.
• August – Loki Software declares Chapter 11 Bankruptcy over internal financial troubles, before going defunct next January. In response Michael Simms of the Tux Games retailer and former Loki game tester founds Linux Game Publishing alongside ex-Loki employee Mike Philips on October 15 to keep games coming to Linux.
• October – Infogrames announces to revive Atari as a sub-brand of Infogrames. Splashdown, MX Rider and TransWorld Surf were the first 3 games to receive this treatment.

Lawsuits

• Sega of America Inc. v. Kmart Corporation; Sega sues Kmart over an unpaid debt of over US$2 million
• Uri Geller v. Nintendo; Geller sues Nintendo over his resemblance to a Pokémon character. The suit is dismissed.

Notable releases

Trends

Video game consoles

The dominant video game console in 2001 was Sony's PlayStation 2.

Nintendo released the GameCube on September 14 in Japan (North America on November 18 and in Europe on May 3, 2002). Microsoft released the Xbox in North America on November 15 (in Europe on March 14, 2002).

• GameCube
• Xbox

Handheld game systems

The dominant handheld system in 2001 was Nintendo's Game Boy Color.

Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance in Japan on March 21 (in North America on June 11 and Europe on June 22).

• The Game Boy Advance

Births

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Deaths

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2024)

• March 16 – Isao Okawa, 74, chairman of Sega.

See also

• 2001 in games

Notes

1. ^ Crystal Version sold 749,863. Gold and Silver versions sold 76,262.

References

1. Hu, Jim. "Video game sales set record in 2001". CNET. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
2. Watts, Jonathan (February 1, 2001). "Sega to end production of Dreamcast console". The Guardian. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
3. Kelly, Andy (September 30, 2021). "2001 Was The Best Year Ever For Video Games". TheGamer. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
4. Fillari, Alessandro (February 6, 2021). "Remembering 2001: The Biggest Games That Turn 20 This Year". GameSpot. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
5. Madsen, Hayes (October 17, 2022). "21 years ago, Capcom changed action games forever". Inverse. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
6. Figueiredo, Erick Duarte (October 2, 2022). "Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden: The Two Extremes of the Hack-and-Slash Genre". Superjump. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
7. Carnley, Zackery Van (April 19, 2021). "How Halo Has Defined the Shooter Genre". Game Rant. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
8. Plant, Mike. "In the loop: how Halo defined a new decade of first-person shooters". The Register. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
9. Kelly, Andy (October 27, 2021). "Grand Theft Auto 3 Changed Video Games Forever". TheGamer. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
10. Gordon, Jeremy (October 22, 2021). "After 'Grand Theft Auto III,' Open-World Games Were Never (and Always) the Same". The Ringer. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
11. Kelly, Andy (September 30, 2021). "2001 Was The Best Year Ever For Video Games". TheGamer. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
12. Fillari, Alessandro. "Remembering 2001: The Biggest Games That Turn 20 This Year". GameSpot. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
13. "週刊ファミ通クロスレビュープラチナ殿堂入りソフト一覧" [Weekly Famitsu Cross Review Platinum Hall of Fame Software List]. Geimin (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 27, 2008. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
14. "Best Video Games for 2001". Metacritic. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
15. "Highest-Ranking Games of 2001 (with at least 10 reviews)". GameRankings. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
16. ^ "Best Video Games for 2002". Metacritic. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
17. ^ "Highest-Ranking Games of 2002 (with at least 10 reviews)". GameRankings. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
18. ^ "The top five selling videogame software titles sold in the United States for 2001" (PDF). WIPO Guide on the Licensing of Copyright and Related Rights. World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). 2004. p. 72.
19. ^ "2001 Top 100 Japanese Console Game Chart". The Magic Box. Archived from the original on January 24, 2004. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
20. "August sales data". The Motley Fool. The NPD Group. September 23, 2002. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
21. ^ "Metal Gear Solid 2 hits the 1.8 million mark". Gaming Intelligence Agency. November 28, 2001. Archived from the original on November 8, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
22. ^ "2001年ゲームソフト年間売上TOP300" [2001 Game Software Annual Sales Top 300]. Famitsū Gēmu Hakusho 2002 ファミ通ゲーム白書2002 [Famitsu Game Whitebook 2002] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Enterbrain. 2002. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015.
23. ^ "NPD REPORTS ANNUAL 2001 U.S. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT SALES SHATTER INDUSTRY RECORD" (Press release). Port Washington, New York: NPD Group. February 7, 2002. Archived from the original on August 14, 2004. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
24. ^ Bradshaw, Lucy (January 31, 2002). "Markle Forum on Children and Media" (PDF). New York University. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 19, 2004. Retrieved November 8, 2021.
25. ^ Schilling, Melissa (January 2005). "Game Not Over: Competitive Dynamics in the Video Game Industry". In Lampel, Joseph; Shamsie, Jamal; Lant, Theresa K. (eds.). The Business of Culture: Strategic Perspectives on Entertainment and Media. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. pp. 75–103.
26. ^ "Europäische Verkaufsawards" [European Sales Awards]. GameStar (in German). February 7, 2002. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
27. Nicholson, Zy (September 2001). "Final Reality" (PDF). Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine. No. 11. Future Publishing. pp. 49–50.
28. "First PlayStation 2 videogame to sell one million units". Guinness World Records. February 2001. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
29. Nicholson, Zy (September 2001). "Final Reality" (PDF). Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine. No. 11. Future Publishing. pp. 49–50.
30. "Top 20 Console Games Ranked by Units Sold, 1998–2013". Screen Australia. Australian Government. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
31. Akagi, Masumi, ed. (January 15, 2002). ""Tekken TT", "DOC 2000" Top Game Charts" (PDF). Game Machine. No. 650. Amusement Press, Inc. p. 18.
32. "Infogrames to Acquire Hasbro Interactive". IGN. December 6, 2000. Archived from the original on November 19, 2001. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
33. "CNN.com - Game over for Sega's Dreamcast - January 31, 2001". www.cnn.com. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
34. I. G. N. Staff (February 3, 2001). "Sega Goes Third-Party, Nintendo Ties Announced". IGN. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
35. "Attendance and Stats". IGN. June 8, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
36. "Summoner Review". GameSpot. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
37. "Startopia | Eurogamer.net". Eurogamer. July 6, 2022. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
38. "Anarchy Online: The Shadowlands Review". GameSpot. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
39. "Red Faction Review". GameSpot. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
40. "Frank Herbert's Dune in November - IGN". May 20, 2024. Archived from the original on May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
41. I. G. N. Staff (December 15, 2001). "Wizardry 8". IGN. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
42. I. G. N. Staff (July 26, 2001). "Soul Reaver 2 to PC". IGN. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
43. John Chartier (May 18, 2001). "Sega's gaming gambit". CNN. Retrieved July 5, 2020.

History of video games

v t e Chronology of video games Early history 1947–1972 1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010s 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020s 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Near future v t e Video game history by platform By platform Early mainframe games History of arcade video games Golden age Timeline History of video game consoles Crash of 1983 Console war History of mobile games By console generation First (1972–1980) Second (1976–1992) Third (1983–2003) Fourth (1987–2003) Fifth (1993–2005) Sixth (1998–2013) Seventh (2005–2017) Eighth (2012–) Ninth (2020–) v t e Video game genres List of video game genres Action Platformer Endless runner Platform fighter Shooter Arena First-person Hero Light gun Shoot 'em up Bullet hell Rail Twin-stick Tactical Third-person Survival Battle royale Survival horror Other Beat 'em up Hack and slash Fighting Platform fighter Maze Pac-Man clone Snake Stealth Action-adventure Grand Theft Auto clone Metroidvania Adventure Escape room Graphic adventure Interactive fiction Interactive film Visual novel Walking sim Digital tabletop Deck-building Roguelike deck-building Digital collectible card Puzzle Hidden object Sokoban Tile-matching Role-playing Action role-playing Looter shooter Soulslike Dungeon crawl MMORPG Monster-taming Roguelike Roguelike deck-building Tactical role-playing Simulation Life Dating Farming God Social Virtual pet CMS Business City-building Government Sports Fishing Racing Kart racing Sim racing Vehicle Flight simulation Combat Lunar Lander Space Submarine simulator Train simulator Vehicular combat Other Falling-sand Immersive sim Strategy 4X Auto battler MOBA Real-time strategy Time management Real-time tactics Tactical role-playing Tower defense Turn-based strategy Turn-based tactics Artillery Wargame Grand strategy Other genres Cozy Fitness Horror Survival horror Incremental Music Rhythm Non-game Party Photography Programming Typing Related concepts Themes Advergame Bishōjo Christian Comedy Educational Girls Licensed Otome Sexual Eroge Nonviolent Personalized Sci-fi Serious Art Climate change News Player modes Multiplayer Co-op MMO PVP Single-player Production AAA Indie Doujin soft Fan game Design Casual Hypercasual Emergent gameplay FMV Gacha Kaizo Masocore Nonlinear gameplay Open world Sandbox Side-scrolling Twitch gameplay Vertically scrolling Other Minigame Toys-to-life Video game clone Video game modding Video game remake v t e Video games by country Africa Ghana Kenya Nigeria South Africa Americas Latin America Brazil Colombia Canada United States Asia Bangladesh China India Indonesia Iran Japan South Korea Malaysia Philippines Russia Thailand Turkey Europe Belgium Czech Republic Finland France Germany Greece Ireland Italy Lithuania Netherlands Norway Poland Russia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Oceania Australia New Zealand

• 2001 in video gaming
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