1999 in video gaming

Notable events of 1999 in video gaming. See also history of computer and video games.

[edit] Events

• BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) hosts the 2nd annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards
• March – Game Over republished as “Game Over: Press Start to Continue”
• March 15-19 — Game Developers Conference (formerly Computer Game Developers Conference); moves to San Jose, California where it stays for six consecutive years; hosts the 1st annual Independent Games Festival
• March 15 — Gama Network hosts the 1st annual Independent Games Festival (IGF) at GDC
• May 13-15 — 5th annual E³ (Electronic Entertainment Expo); the 2nd annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E³
• May 13 — Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards (at E3); inducts Sid Meier of Firaxis to the AIAS Hall of Fame
• July 3 — Gamer Billy Mitchell scores a perfect 3,333,360 points on the Pac-Man arcade game
• Team Fortress 2 is announced for release during the year, but gets delayed until 2007.
• July 21 during the Macworld Conference & Expo, Steve Jobs announced that Halo: Combat Evolved would be released for Mac OS and Windows simultaneously. Before this public announcement, game industry journalists under a non-disclosure agreement had previewed the game in a private showing during E3 1999.

[edit] Notable releases

• January 31 - Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri (PC)
• January 31 - Silent Hill (PS)
• February 8 - Mario Party (N64)
• February 28 - Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance (PC)
• March 16 - EverQuest (PC)
• March 31 - RollerCoaster Tycoon (PC)
• April 27 - Super Smash Bros. (N64)
• April 30 - Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast (PC)
• April 30 - Star Wars: Episode I Racer (N64, PC)
• April 30 - Pokemon Stadium (N64)
• May 11 - Homeworld (PC)
• June 1 - Heroes of Might and Magic III (PC)
• June 14 - Descent³ (PC)
• June 18 - Counter-Strike (original PC MOD)
• June 30 - Kingpin: Life of Crime (PC)
• July 31 - Outcast (PC)
• August 11 - System Shock 2 (PC)
• August 31 - Final Fantasy VIII - (PS)
• August 31 - Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (PS)
• September 7 - Sonic Adventure (DC)
• September 8 - Soul Calibur (DC)
• September 30 - Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings (PC)
• October 11 - Jet Force Gemini (N64)
• October 31 - Half-Life: Opposing Force (PC)
• October 31 - Ultima IX: Ascension (PC)
• October 31 - Donkey Kong 64 (N64)
• November 9 - RollerCoaster Tycoon: Corkscrew Follies (PC)
• November 11 - Medal of Honor (PS)
• November 26 - Unreal Tournament (DC, PC, PS2)
• December 2 - Quake III Arena (PC)
• December 12 - Planescape: Torment (PC)
• December 31 - Battlezone II: Combat Commander (PC)

[edit] Hardware

• Nintendo's Game Boy Light (GBL) handheld console in Japan only
• SEGA Dreamcast, an Internet-ready 128-bit home console
• SNK's Neo Geo Pocket Color handheld
• Tiger Electronics Game.com Pocket Pro handheld

[edit] Business

• Activision acquires Elsinore Multimedia, Expert Software, and Neversoft Entertainment
• Infogrames Entertainment SA acquires Accolade, Gremlin Interactive (renamed Infogrames Sheffield House), GT Interactive Software (GTIS), and Ozisoft
• Take Two Interactive acquires TalonSoft
• Zenimax Media acquires Bethesda Softworks
• 3d6 Games, Inc. founded (closes November 1, 2002)
• 7 Studios founded
• BAM! Entertainment, Inc. founded
• Bohemia Interactive Studio founded
• February 22 — "Black Monday" (or "Chainsaw Monday"): Sierra reorganizes to cut costs, closing several studios.
• April — Liquid Entertainment founded
• October — 7FX founded as subsidiary of a Czech company

[edit] Lawsuits

• Nintendo v. Bung Enterprises Ltd.; Nintendo sues Bung over patent infringement
• Sony Corporation v. Bleem LLC

[edit] Awards

• Spiel des Jahres: Tikal - Michael Kiesling and Wolfgang Kramer, Ravensburger