Who created the arcade game Pac-Man?

Toru Iwatani created the arcade game Pac-Man.

Iwatani was a Namco game designer who developed Pac-Man with a team including programmer Shigeo Funaki and composer Toshio Kai. Namco released the game in Japan in 1980 under the title Puck Man; Midway distributed it in North America as Pac-Man.

Iwatani said the character’s rounded shape was inspired partly by a pizza with a slice removed. The game’s design focused on navigating a maze, eating pellets, avoiding ghosts, and using power pellets to reverse the danger. This helped Pac-Man reach audiences beyond the shooter-heavy arcade market.

A common mix-up is crediting Shigeru Miyamoto, who created Mario and Donkey Kong. Another is calling the character simply “Pac-Man” while asking about the designer: Pac-Man is the game’s protagonist, whereas Toru Iwatani is its creator.