The arcade game Pac-Man was first released in 1980. Namco began location testing the game in Japan on May 22, 1980, and released it nationwide there during July. Midway then brought the game to North American arcades later that year.
Designed by Toru Iwatani and developed by a small Namco team, Pac-Man was conceived as a maze-chase game built around eating rather than shooting. Iwatani wanted something that could appeal to a broader audience, including women and families, at a time when arcades were strongly associated with space shooters and war-themed games.
The Japanese version was originally titled Puck Man. For international release, the name was changed to Pac-Man partly because distributors feared vandals could alter the first letter of “Puck.” The game’s simple objective—eat every dot while avoiding four ghosts—made it easy to understand but difficult to master.
Pac-Man became a cultural phenomenon, spawning sequels, merchandise, animated series, and many spin-offs. Its release year is sometimes confused with 1981, the year of the North American breakthrough and the debut of Ms. Pac-Man’s predecessor project.