Zaxxon
| Zaxxon | |
|---|---|
North American arcade flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Sega Ikegami Tsushinki |
| Publisher(s) |
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| Series | Zaxxon |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, ColecoVision, Coleco Adam, Commodore 64, MSX, Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit, SG-1000, Apple II, Intellivision, IBM PC, TRS-80, TRS-80 Color Computer, ZX Spectrum |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter |
| Mode(s) | 1–2 players alternating turns |
| Arcade system | Sega Zaxxon |
Zaxxon is a scrolling shooter game developed and released by Sega as an arcade video game. It had a limited release in December 1981, followed by a wide release in January 1982. In the game, the player pilots a ship through heavily defended space fortresses. Japanese electronics company Ikegami Tsushinki was also involved in the game's development.
Zaxxon was one of the first game to employ axonometric projection, which lent its name to the game. The type of axonometric projection is isometric projection: this effect simulates three dimensions from a third-person viewpoint. It was also the first arcade game to be advertised on television, with a commercial produced by Paramount Pictures for $150,000. The game was a critical and commercial success upon release, becoming one of the top five highest-grossing arcade games of 1982 in the United States.
Sega released a modified version as Super Zaxxon the same year and the Zaxxon-like shooter Future Spy in 1984.