2001 in video games
2001 saw many sequels and prequels in video games. New intellectual properties include Animal Crossing, Burnout, Gothic, Black & White, Devil May Cry, Oni, ', ', Max Payne, , Pikmin, Red Faction, Serious Sam, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon and Tropico.
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 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 ; the 4th annual Game Critics Awards For The Best Of E3
- June 23 – Sonic the Hedgehog celebrates its 10th anniversary.
- July – IEMA hosts 2nd annual Executive Summit.
- Gama Network hosts the 3rd annual Independent Games Festival.
- 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.
- Nikkei News reports that the video game Phantasy Star Online has had 300,000 worldwide users login already by midyear.
- September 14 – Nintendo releases the GameCube and its launch title Luigi's Mansion.
- November 15 – The Microsoft Xbox is introduced.
- November 18 – Nintendo releases the GameCube in North America.
- November 23 – Game Park releases the GP32 wireless-multiplayer multimedia handheld console 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 Game Cube-based Q multimedia console.
Business
- Defunct companies: Indrema, Dynamix, Sanctuary Woods, SNK.
- After Dynamix 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 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. Infogrames, 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
| Release | Title | Windows | 5th Gen | 6th Gen | Handheld |
| January 4 | RuneScape | Win | |||
| January 10 | Mega Man 64 | N64 | |||
| January 16 | Mario Tennis | GBC | |||
| January 29 | Oni | Win | PS2 | ||
| January 29 | Phantasy Star Online | DC | |||
| January 30 | ' | PS2 | |||
| January 31 | Mega Man X5 | Win | PS1 | ||
| February 5 | Paper Mario | N64 | |||
| February 6 | ' | GBC | |||
| February 6 | Metal Walker | GBC | |||
| February 7 | Clive Barker's Undying | Win | |||
| February 16 | Final Fantasy IX | PS1 | |||
| February 20 | Scooby-Doo! Classic Creep Capers | GBC | |||
| February 27 | ' | GBC | |||
| March 1 | Lego Island 2 The Brickster's Revenge | Win'98 | PS1 | GBC, GBA | |
| March 5 | Conker's Bad Fur Day | N64 | |||
| March 6 | The Bouncer | PS2 | |||
| March 9 | Sonic Shuffle | DC | |||
| March 12 | ' | Win | |||
| March 13 | ' | PS2 | |||
| March 13 | Unreal Tournament | DC | |||
| March 14 | ' | N64 | |||
| March 15 | ' | GBC | |||
| March 21 | Daytona USA | DC | |||
| March 21 | Tribes 2 | Win | |||
| March 21 | Serious Sam: The First Encounter | Win | |||
| March 22 | ' | PS2 | |||
| March 23 | ' | Win | |||
| March 25 | Black & White | Win | |||
| March 26 | ' | GBC | |||
| March 26 | Zone of the Enders | PS2 | |||
| March 27 | ' | GBC | |||
| March 28 | Pokémon Stadium 2 | N64 | |||
| March 27 | Strikers 1945 II | PS1 | |||
| March 30 | Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine | GBC | |||
| March 30 | ' | N64 | |||
| April 6 | Snoopy Tennis | GBC | |||
| April 8 | Dr. Mario 64 | N64 | |||
| April 11 | Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble | GBC | |||
| April 12 | The Simpsons Wrestling | PS1 | |||
| April 16 | ' | GBC | |||
| April 23 | ' | PS2 | |||
| April 30 | The Adventures of Cookie & Cream | PS2 | |||
| April 30 | ' | DC | |||
| May 7 | Mario Party 3 | N64 | |||
| May 8 | ' | Win | PS2 | ||
| May 14 | Crazy Taxi | PS2 | |||
| May 16 | Giga Wing 2 | DC | |||
| May 16 | Project Justice | DC | |||
| May 18 | ' | Win | |||
| May 21 | Cool Boarders | PS2 | |||
| May 22 | Red Faction | PS2 | |||
| May 28 | Crazy Taxi 2 | DC | |||
| May 29 | ' | GBC | |||
| May 30 | Bejeweled | Win | |||
| May 30 | ' | GBC | |||
| June 8 | ' | GBA | |||
| June 10 | Super Mario Advance | GBA | |||
| June 11 | ChuChu Rocket! | GBA | |||
| June 11 | Earthworm Jim | GBA | |||
| June 11 | ' | GBA | |||
| June 11 | Konami Krazy Racers | GBA | |||
| June 11 | Rayman Advance | GBA | |||
| June 11 | Super Mario Advance | GBA | |||
| June 14 | ' | PS1 | |||
| June 18 | ' | PS2 | |||
| June 20 | ' | PS1 | |||
| June 21 | ' | Win | |||
| June 22 | ' | Win | |||
| June 23 | Sonic Adventure 2 | DC | |||
| June 27 | Anachronox | Win | |||
| June 29 | Bomberman Tournament | GBA | |||
| June 29 | Final Fantasy Chronicles | PS1 | |||
| July 1 | ' | GBC | |||
| July 8 | ' | PS2 | |||
| July 10 | ' | PS2 | |||
| July 14 | Mega Man Legends | Win | |||
| July 16 | ' | GBA | |||
| July 17 | City Crisis | PS2 | |||
| July 19 | Final Fantasy X | PS2 | |||
| July 23 | Extermination | PS2 | |||
| July 23 | Max Payne | Win | |||
| July 28 | Rune: Viking Warlord | PS2 | |||
| July 29 | Pokémon Crystal | GBC | |||
| July 30 | Tweety and the Magic Gems | GBA | |||
| August 1 | Golden Sun | GBA | |||
| August 7 | WWF Betrayal | GBA | |||
| August 8 | : Mongol Invasion | Win | |||
| August 19 | Madden NFL 2002 | PS1 | PS2 | ||
| August 20 | ' | PS2 | |||
| August 21 | ' | Win | |||
| August 27 | ' | GBA | |||
| August 27 | Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 | PS2 | |||
| August 28 | ESPN Final Round Golf 2002 | GBA | |||
| August 29 | Alchemy | Win | |||
| September 10 | Advance Wars | GBA | |||
| September 10 | ' | GBA | |||
| September 10 | Portal Runner | PS2 | |||
| September 11 | The World Is Not Enough | GBC | |||
| September 13 | ' | DC | |||
| September 13 | Ooga Booga | DC | |||
| September 15 | Power Rangers Time Force | GBA | |||
| September 15 | ' | GBA | |||
| September 17 | Arctic Thunder | PS2 | |||
| September 21 | ' | PS1 | |||
| September 24 | Monster Rancher 3 | PS2 | |||
| September 24 | Phantasy Star Online Version 2 | DC | |||
| September 24 | Silent Hill 2 | PS2 | |||
| September 24 | SpyHunter | PS2 | |||
| September 24 | ' | Win | |||
| September 25 | ' | GBA | |||
| September 26 | Bass Strike | PS2 | |||
| September 26 | ' | GBA | |||
| September 26 | Final Fight One | GBA | |||
| September 26 | Kessen II | PS2 | |||
| September 30 | Ico | PS2 | |||
| October 1 | NASCAR Thunder 2002 | PS1 | PS2, Xbox | ||
| October 1 | Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase | GBA | |||
| October 1 | Time Crisis II | PS2 | |||
| October 1 | ' | PS2 | |||
| October 2 | ' | GBA | |||
| October 3 | Lego Bionicle | GBA | |||
| October 4 | Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase | PS1 | |||
| October 5 | ' | GBA | |||
| October 8 | Castlevania Chronicles | PS1 | |||
| October 10 | Dark Age of Camelot | Win | |||
| October 12 | Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney | GBA | |||
| October 15 | Lady Sia | GBA | |||
| October 17 | Devil May Cry | PS2 | |||
| October 18 | ' | GBC | |||
| October 21 | Stronghold | Win | |||
| October 22 | Grand Theft Auto III | PS2 | |||
| October 28 | Doom | GBA | |||
| October 28 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 | PS1 | PS2, GCN | ||
| October 29 | ' | PS2, Xbox, GCN | |||
| October 29 | ' | GBA | |||
| October 30 | Aliens versus Predator 2 | Win | |||
| October 30 | Boxing Fever | GBA | |||
| October 30 | Civilization III | Win | |||
| October 30 | Mega Man Xtreme 2 | GBC | |||
| October 30 | Monsters, Inc. Scream Team | Win | PS1 | PS2 | |
| October 30 | Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival | GBA | |||
| October 31 | Soul Reaver 2 | PS2 | |||
| October 31 | Mega Man Battle Network | GBA | |||
| November 1 | ' | PS2 | |||
| November 1 | Burnout | PS2 | |||
| November 1 | Dragon Warrior VII | PS1 | |||
| November 1 | FIFA Football 2002 | PS1 | PS2 | ||
| November 3 | ' | GBA | |||
| November 5 | ' | PS1 | GBA | ||
| November 5 | SSX Tricky | PS2, GCN, Xbox | |||
| November 7 | Jackie Chan Adventures: Legend of the Dark Hand | GBA | |||
| November 9 | Project Gotham Racing | Xbox | |||
| November 11 | Golden Sun | GBA | |||
| November 12 | Empire Earth | Win | |||
| November 12 | Gradius Advance | GBA | |||
| November 12 | Survivor | Win | |||
| November 13 | ' | PS2 | |||
| November 13 | ' | GBC | |||
| November 13 | ' | PS2 | |||
| November 14 | Harvest Moon 3 GBC | GBC | |||
| November 14 | Shrek | Xbox | |||
| November 15 | Dead or Alive 3 | Xbox | |||
| November 15 | ' | Xbox | |||
| November 15 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Win | PS1 | NA | GBC, GBA |
| November 15 | Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee | Xbox | |||
| November 15 | Cel Damage | Xbox, PS2, GCN | |||
| November 17 | NHL Hitz 2002 | GCN | |||
| November 17 | ' | GCN | |||
| November 18 | Crazy Taxi | GCN | |||
| November 18 | Super Monkey Ball | GCN | |||
| November 18 | IL-2 Sturmovik | Win | |||
| November 18 | WWF Road to Wrestlemania | GBA | |||
| November 19 | Wario Land 4 | GBA | |||
| November 19 | WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It | PS2 | |||
| November 20 | FreQuency | PS2 | |||
| November 20 | Return to Castle Wolfenstein | Win | |||
| November 20 | ' | PS2 | |||
| November 21 | Ecks vs. Sever | GBA | |||
| November 21 | ' | GBA | |||
| November 21 | Super Smash Bros. Melee | GCN | |||
| November 22 | Mr. Driller G | PS1 | |||
| November 23 | Gothic | Win | |||
| November 24 | ' | GBA | |||
| November 25 | ' | Xbox | |||
| November 26 | ' | GBA | |||
| November 26 | ' | Xbox | |||
| November 26 | ' | PS1 | |||
| November 27 | Extreme-G 3 | GCN | |||
| November 27 | Lego Racers 2 | GBA | |||
| November 28 | Cruis'n Velocity | GBA | |||
| November 29 | Rampage Puzzle Attack | GBA | |||
| November 30 | ' | GBA | |||
| December 1 | Breath of Fire | GBA | |||
| December 1 | M&M's Blast! | GBA | |||
| December 3 | ' | PS2 | |||
| December 3 | Pikmin | GCN | |||
| December 3 | Super Smash Bros. Melee | GCN | |||
| December 3 | PS2 | ||||
| December 4 | Mega Man X6 | PS1 | |||
| December 5 | American Bass Challenge | GBA | |||
| December 7 | Cel Damage | GCN | |||
| December 7 | PS2 | ||||
| December 9 | ' | GBA | |||
| December 12 | Mortal Kombat Advance | GBA | |||
| December 12 | Shadow Hearts | PS2 | |||
| December 17 | Luigi's Mansion | GCN | |||
| December 17 | Dark Rift | N64 | |||
| December 18 | Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure | GCN | |||
| December 19 | ' | PS2 | |||
| December 20 | Final Fantasy X | PS2 | |||
| December 20 | ' | PS2 | |||
| December 21 | Silent Hill 2: Director's Cut | Xbox | |||
| December 21 | Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 | GBA |
Trends
Video game consoles
The dominant video game consoles in 2001 were:- Sony's PlayStation 2
Handheld game systems
The dominant handheld systems in 2001 were:- Nintendo's Game Boy Color
Video game sales
According to the NPD Group, Grand Theft Auto III was the top selling console video game in 2001 in the United States with just under two million sold; the top 10 selling console video games in 2001 in the United States ranked by units sold were:| Rank | Title | Platform | Publisher |
| 1 | Grand Theft Auto III | PS2 | Rockstar Games |
| 2 | Madden NFL 2002 | PS1-PS2 | Electronic Arts |
| 3 | Pokémon Crystal | GBC | Nintendo |
| 4 | ' | GBA | Nintendo |
| 5 | Super Mario Advance | GBA | Nintendo |
| 6 | ' | PS2 | Sony |
| 7 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | PS1 | Electronic Arts |
| 8 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | PS1 | Activision |
| 9 | Pokémon Silver | GBC | Nintendo |
| 10 | Wario Land 4 | GBA | Nintendo |
Personal computer game sales
According to the NPD Group, the top 10 selling personal computer games in 2001 in the United States ranked by units sold were:| Rank | Title | Publisher |
| 1 | The Sims | Electronic Arts |
| 2 | RollerCoaster Tycoon | Infogrames |
| 3 | Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone | Electronic Arts |
| 4 | ' | Vivendi Universal |
| 5 | ' | Electronic Arts |
| 6 | ' | Electronic Arts |
| 7 | ' | Electronic Arts |
| 8 | Diablo II | Vivendi Universal |
| 9 | Sim Theme Park | Electronic Arts |
| 10 | Microsoft |
Critically acclaimed titles
and GameRankings are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.| Game | Publisher | Release Date | Platform | MC score | GR score |
| ' | Microsoft Game Studios | November 15, 2001 | Xbox | 97/100 | 95.54% |
| Grand Theft Auto III | Rockstar Games | October 22, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 97/100 | 95.19% |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 | Activision | October 30, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 97/100 | 93.43% |
| ' | Konami | November 13, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 96/100 | 95.09% |
| ' | Sony Computer Entertainment | April 28, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 95/100 | 94.54% |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | Activision | June 11, 2001 | Game Boy Advance | 95/100 | 89.88% |
| Devil May Cry | Capcom | August 23, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 94/100 | 92.6% |
| Madden NFL 2002 | EA Sports | August 19, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 94/100 | 92.32% |
| NBA 2K2 | Sega | October 24, 2001 | Dreamcast | 93/100 | 92.82% |
| ' | Nintendo | July 21, 2001 | Game Boy Advance | 93/100 | 91.54% |
| SSX Tricky | EA Sports | November 5, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 92/100 | 92.49% |
| Advance Wars | Nintendo | September 10, 2001 | Game Boy Advance | 92/100 | 92.38% |
| Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 | Nintendo | December 14, 2001 | Game Boy Advance | 92/100 | 92.36% |
| ' | Nintendo | February 27, 2001 | Game Boy Color | N/A | 92.2% |
| Final Fantasy X | Square | July 19, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 92/100 | 91.73% |
| Super Smash Bros. Melee | Nintendo | November 21, 2001 | GameCube | 92/100 | 90.52% |
| Conker's Bad Fur Day | Rare | March 5, 2001 | Nintendo 64 | 92/100 | 89.28% |
| NHL 2002 | EA Sports | September 24, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 92/100 | 88.84% |
| Pro Evolution Soccer | Konami | March 15, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | N/A | 91.69% |
| ' | Nintendo | February 27, 2001 | Game Boy Color | N/A | 91.37% |
| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 | Activision | November 18, 2001 | GameCube | 91/100 | 91.12% |
| IL-2 Sturmovik | 1C Company | November 18, 2001 | Microsoft Windows | 91/100 | 90.65% |
| Golden Sun | Nintendo | August 1, 2001 | Game Boy Advance | 91/100 | 89.1% |
| ' | Sony Computer Entertainment | June 18, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 91/100 | 88.52% |
| ' | Konami | March 21, 2001 | Game Boy Advance | 91/100 | 88.11% |
| ' | Namco | March 22, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 91/100 | 84.76% |
| Madden NFL 2002 | EA Sports | November 17, 2001 | GameCube | 89/100 | 90.39% |
| Ico | Sony Computer Entertainment | September 24, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 90/100 | 90.29% |
| NCAA Football 2002 | EA Sports | July 23, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 90/100 | 90.25% |
| ' | Sony Computer Entertainment | December 3, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 90/100 | 90.22% |
| ' | LucasArts | November 18, 2001 | GameCube | 90/100 | 90.04% |
| Black & White | Electronic Arts | March 30, 2001 | Microsoft Windows | 90/100 | 89.79% |
| NFL 2K2 | Sega | September 19, 2001 | Dreamcast | 90/100 | 89.35% |
| Civilization III | Infogrames | October 30, 2001 | Microsoft Windows | 90/100 | 88.75% |
| Madden NFL 2002 | EA Sports | October 31, 2001 | Xbox | 90/100 | 88.72% |
| Unreal Tournament | Infogrames | March 13, 2001 | Dreamcast | 90/100 | 87.8% |
| Virtua Tennis 2 | Sega | October 24, 2001 | Dreamcast | 90/100 | 87.22% |
| Dancing Stage | Konami | March 6, 2001 | PlayStation | 90/100 | 83.63% |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 | Microsoft | October 16, 2001 | Microsoft Windows | 90/100 | 82.44% |
| Shenmue II | Sega | September 6, 2001 | Dreamcast | 88/100 | 89.63% |
| Max Payne | Gathering of Developers | July 23, 2001 | Microsoft Windows | 89/100 | 89.26% |
| NASCAR Racing 4 | Sierra Entertainment | February 6, 2001 | Microsoft Windows | 89/100 | 88.5% |
| NBA Street | EA Sports | June 19, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 89/100 | 86.92% |
| Pikmin | Nintendo | October 26, 2001 | GameCube | 89/100 | 86.71% |
| Final Fantasy Chronicles | Square | June 29, 2001 | PlayStation | 89/100 | 86.7% |
| NHL 2002 | EA Sports | December 10, 2001 | Xbox | 89/100 | 86.33% |
| ' | Namco | September 13, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 89/100 | 86.07% |
| Max Payne | Rockstar Games | December 12, 2001 | Xbox | 89/100 | 85.95% |
| Silent Hill 2 | Konami | September 24, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 89/100 | 85.82% |
| Sonic Adventure 2 | Sega | June 23, 2001 | Dreamcast | 89/100 | 83.26% |
| ' | Interplay Entertainment | June 22, 2001 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100 | 88.73% |
| Super Monkey Ball | Sega | September 14, 2001 | GameCube | 87/100 | 88.7% |
| Red Faction | THQ | May 22, 2001 | PlayStation 2 | 88/100 | 88.32% |
| Dark Age of Camelot | Vivendi Universal Games | October 10, 2001 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100 | 88.08% |
| Return to Castle Wolfenstein | Activision | November 19, 2001 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100 | 86.75% |
| SSX Tricky | EA Sports | December 10, 2001 | Xbox | 88/100 | 86.6% |
| Wario Land 4 | Nintendo | August 21, 2001 | Game Boy Advance | 88/100 | 85.34% |
| Madden NFL 2002 | EA Sports | August 13, 2001 | PlayStation | 88/100 | 85.08% |
| Tribes 2 | Sierra Entertainment | March 28, 2001 | Microsoft Windows | 88/100 | 84.85% |
| ' | Nintendo | June 21, 2001 | Game Boy Advance | 88/100 | 83.62% |
Births
Deaths
- March 16 – Isao Okawa, 74, chairman of Sega.