Which company distributed Pac-Man in the United States?

Midway distributed Pac-Man in the United States.

The game was created and published by Namco in Japan, but Namco worked with Midway Manufacturing to bring the arcade hit to North America in 1980. Midway handled the American manufacturing and distribution, helping place Pac-Man cabinets in arcades across the country.

The arrangement mattered because Pac-Man became a North American cultural phenomenon rather than remaining only a Japanese arcade success. Midway had already built experience introducing Japanese games to American players, including Taito’s Space Invaders. Namco initially approached Atari about distributing Pac-Man, but Atari declined; Midway subsequently accepted the opportunity.

A common mix-up is confusing the creator, publisher, and distributor. Namco developed Pac-Man and published the original Japanese release, while Midway distributed the U.S. arcade version. Midway also changed the Japanese title Puck Man to Pac-Man for the North American market, partly because of concerns that the original lettering could be vandalized.