Basketball

Overview

Released in the arcades in early 1974, Basketball was a landmark title, notable for several firsts in video gaming. It was the first basketball video game, the first video game to use sprites, and the first to represent human characters. It was also the first Japanese video game licensed for release in North America, having been developed by Taito and then licensed to Midway for the North American market, where 1,400 units were sold in 1974, a production record for Midway at the time. Its success paved the way for more Taito hits licensed by Midway: Speed Race, Gun Fight, and the blockbuster hit Space Invaders.