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2000 in video games
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The year 2000 saw the release of numerous video games as well as the launch of the PlayStation 2. Critically acclaimed games originally released in 2000 include sequels such as Madden NFL 2001, NBA Live 2001, NBA 2K1, WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role, Baldur's Gate II, Diablo II, Dragon Quest VII, Final Fantasy IX, Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, NFL 2K1, Resident Evil – Code: Veronica, Spyro: Year of the Dragon, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, along with new intellectual properties such as Deus Ex, Hitman, Jet Set Radio, Perfect Dark, Skies of Arcadia, The Sims, SSX, Vagrant Story, and Sin and Punishment. The year's best-selling home video games worldwide were Pokémon games for the third year in a row (since 1998), while the highest-grossing arcade game in Japan was Virtua Striker 2.
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Hardware releases
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The list of game-related hardware released in 2000.
More information Month, Day ...
Month | Day | System |
---|---|---|
March | 4 | PlayStation 2JP[1][2] |
July | 7 | PS One[3] |
October | 26 | PlayStation 2NA[4] |
November | 24 | PlayStation 2EU |
30 | PlayStation 2AU | |
December | 9 | WonderSwan ColorJP[5][6] |
Unknown | Sega NAOMI 2 (arcade)[7][8] |
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Top-rated games
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Game of the Year awards
The following titles won Game of the Year awards for 2000.
More information Awards, Game of the Year ...
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Critically acclaimed titles
Famitsu Platinum Hall of Fame
The following video game releases in 2000 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.[38]
More information Title, Platform ...
Title | Platform | Publisher | Genre | Score (out of 40) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Vagrant Story | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Action RPG | 40 |
Tekken Tag Tournament | PlayStation 2 | Namco | Fighting | 38 |
Final Fantasy IX | PlayStation | Squaresoft | RPG | 38 |
Dragon Quest VII: Eden no Senshi-tachi | PlayStation | Enix | RPG | 38 |
The Legend of Zelda: Mujura no Kamen (Majora's Mask) | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo | Action-adventure | 37 |
Phantasy Star Online | Dreamcast | Sega | Action RPG | 37 |
Ridge Racer V | PlayStation 2 | Namco | Racing | 36 |
Fushigi no Dungeon: Fūrai no Shiren 2 (Shiren the Wanderer 2) | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo | Roguelike | 36 |
Biohazard – Code: Veronica (Resident Evil – Code: Veronica) | Dreamcast | Capcom | Survival horror | 35 |
Trade & Battle: Card Hero | Game Boy Color | Nintendo | Card battle | 35 |
The Typing of the Dead | Dreamcast | Sega | Edutainment | 35 |
Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū 7 | PlayStation 2 | Konami | Sports | 35 |
Grandia II | Dreamcast | Game Arts | RPG | 35 |
MotoGP | PlayStation 2 | Namco | Racing | 35 |
Tsumi to Batsu: Hoshi no Keishōsha (Sin and Punishment) | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo | Rail shooter | 35 |
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Metacritic and GameRankings
Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.
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Financial performance
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Best-selling video game consoles
More information Rank, Manufacturer ...
Rank | Manufacturer | Game console | Type | Generation | Sales | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Japan | USA | Europe | Worldwide | |||||
1 | Sony | PlayStation | Home | 32-bit | 940,000[44] | 3,910,000[44] | 2,940,000[44] | 7,790,000[44] |
2 | Nintendo | Game Boy / Game Boy Color | Handheld | 8-bit | 3,370,000[45] | Unknown | Unknown | 18,860,000[45] |
3 | Sony | PlayStation 2 | Home | 128-bit | 3,940,000[46] | 1,088,000[47] | 1,000,000[46] | 6,400,000[46] |
4 | Nintendo | Nintendo 64 | Home | 64-bit | 200,000[45] | 2,481,000[47] | Unknown | 2,850,000[45] |
5 | Sega | Dreamcast | Home | 128-bit | 470,000[48] | 1,309,000[47] | 500,000+[49][50] | 2,279,000+ |
6 | Bandai | WonderSwan | Handheld | 16-bit | 1,400,000[48] | — | — | 1,400,000 |
7 | Nintendo | Super NES / Super Famicom | Home | 16-bit | 10,000[45] | 810[47] | Unknown | 90,000[45] |
8 | Sega | Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) | Home | 16-bit | — | 54,000[47] | Unknown | 54,000+ |
9 | Nintendo | Famicom (NES) | Home | 8-bit | 50,000[45] | — | — | 50,000[45] |
10 | Sega | Sega Saturn | Home | 32-bit | Unknown | 810[47] | — | 810+ |
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Best-selling home video games
The following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 2000 in Japan, the United States, United Kingdom, and Germany.
More information Rank, Title ...
Rank | Title | Platform(s) | Sales | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Japan | USA[51] | UK[52] | Germany | Combined | |||
1 | Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal | GBC | 3,448,900[53] | 4,000,000+[54] | — | — | 7,450,000+ |
2 | Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow | Game Boy | 315,443[53] | 3,700,000+[55][51] | 900,000+ | 800,000+[56] | 5,715,443+ |
3 | Dragon Quest VII: Eden no Senshi-tachi | PlayStation | 3,900,000+[57] | — | — | — | 3,900,000+ |
4 | Final Fantasy IX | PlayStation | 2,707,000[58] | 987,354 | Unknown | Unknown | 3,694,354+ |
5 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater | PS1, N64 | — | 2,307,835 | Unknown | Unknown | 2,307,835+ |
6 | Gran Turismo 2 | PlayStation | 315,173[59] | 1,155,469 | 300,000+ | 200,000+[56] | 1,970,642+ |
7 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | PS1, N64 | — | 1,839,332 | Unknown | 100,000+[56] | 1,939,332+ |
8 | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | N64 | 601,542[53] | 1,206,489 | Unknown | Unknown | 1,808,031+ |
9 | Pokémon Stadium (Pokémon Stadium 2) | Nintendo 64 | 42,166[53] | 1,701,820 | Unknown | Unknown | 1,743,986+ |
10 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4 | Game Boy Color | 1,669,308[59] | — | — | — | 1,669,308 |
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The following titles were the top ten highest-grossing home video games of 2000 in the United States and Europe.
More information Rank, Title ...
Rank | Title | Platform(s) | Sales revenue | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
USA[51][55] | Europe[60] | Combined | Inflation | |||
1 | Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow | Game Boy | $94,000,000+ | €296,000,000 ($273,000,000) | $367,000,000+ | $670,000,000+ |
2 | Pokémon Stadium | Nintendo 64 | $100,000,000 | €76,000,000 ($70,000,000) | $176,000,000 | $321,000,000 |
3 | Pokémon Gold / Silver | GBC | $110,000,000+[54][55] | — | $110,000,000+ | $200,000,000+ |
4 | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | Nintendo 64 | $72,000,000 | €27,000,000 ($25,000,000) | $97,000,000 | $180,000,000 |
5 | Gran Turismo 2 | PlayStation | $37,000,000 | €63,000,000 ($58,000,000) | $95,000,000 | $173,000,000 |
6 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | Multi-platform | $74,000,000+ | €20,000,000 ($18,000,000) | $92,000,000 | $170,000,000+ |
7 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater | PS1, N64 | $88,000,000 | Unknown | $88,000,000+ | $160,000,000+ |
8 | The Sims | PC | $50,773,114[61] | €36,000,000 ($33,000,000) | $83,773,114 | $152,960,803 |
9 | Madden NFL 2001 | PS2, PS1 | $68,000,000+ | Unknown | $68,000,000+ | $124,000,000+ |
10 | Diablo II | PC | $41,051,565[61] | €25,000,000 ($23,000,000) | $64,051,565 | $116,951,350 |
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Japan
In Japan, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 2000.
More information Rank, Title ...
Rank | Title | Platform | Developer | Publisher | Genre | Sales | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dragon Quest VII: Eden no Senshi-tachi | PlayStation | Heartbeat | Enix | RPG | 3,900,000+ | [57] |
2 | Pocket Monsters: Gold / Silver / Crystal (Pokémon) | Game Boy Color | Game Freak | Nintendo | RPG | 3,448,900 | [53] |
3 | Final Fantasy IX | PlayStation | Squaresoft | Squaresoft | RPG | 2,707,000 | [58] |
4 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters 4: Battle of Great Duelists | Game Boy Color | Konami | Konami | Card battle | 1,669,308 | [59] |
5 | Hoshi no Kirby 64 (Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards) | Nintendo 64 | HAL Laboratory | Nintendo | Platformer | 933,000 | [58] |
6 | Mario Tennis 64 (Mario Tennis) | Nintendo 64 | Camelot Software | Nintendo | Sports | 874,350 | [53] |
7 | Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters III: Tri-Holygod Advent | Game Boy Color | Konami | Konami | Card battle | 781,000 | [58] |
8 | Mario Party 3 | Nintendo 64 | Hudson Soft | Nintendo | Party | 767,000 | |
9 | Super Robot Taisen Alpha (Super Robot Wars Alpha) | PlayStation | Banpresoft | Banpresto | SRPG | 714,789 | [59] |
10 | Ridge Racer V | PlayStation 2 | Namco | Namco | Racing | 689,000 | [58] |
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United States
In the United States, the following titles were the top ten best-selling home video games of 2000.
More information Rank, Title ...
Rank | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher | Genre | Sales | Revenue | Inflation | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Pokémon Gold / Silver | GBC | Nintendo | RPG | 4,000,000+ | $110,000,000+ | $200,000,000+ | [54][55] |
2 | Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow | Game Boy | Nintendo | RPG | 3,700,000+ | $94,000,000+ | $170,000,000+ | [55][51] |
3 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater | PS1, N64 | Activision | Sports | 2,307,835 | $88,000,000 | $160,000,000 | |
4 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | PS1, DC | Activision | Sports | 1,839,332 | $74,000,000+ | $140,000,000+ | |
5 | Pokémon Stadium | N64 | Nintendo | Strategy | 1,701,820 | $100,000,000 | $183,000,000 | |
6 | Madden NFL 2001 | PS2, PS1 | EA Sports | Sports | 1,652,054 | $68,000,000+ | $124,000,000+ | |
7 | The Sims | PC | EA | Life sim | 1,207,313 | $50,773,114 | $92,706,310 | [55][61] |
8 | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | N64 | Nintendo | Action-adventure | 1,206,489 | $72,000,000 | $130,000,000 | [55][51] |
9 | Gran Turismo 2 | PS1 | Sony | Racing sim | 1,155,469 | $37,000,000 | $68,000,000 | [55][51] |
10 | Final Fantasy IX | PS1 | Square EA | RPG | 987,354 | $39,000,000 | $71,000,000 | [51][62] |
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The following titles were the year's top six highest-grossing home video game franchises in the United States, in terms of video game software sales revenue.[63]
More information Rank, Franchise ...
Rank | Franchise | Publisher(s) | Sales revenue | Inflation |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Pokémon | Nintendo, The Pokémon Company | $414,800,290 | $757,381,244 |
2 | Mario | Nintendo | $126,280,160 | $230,574,151 |
3 | The Legend of Zelda | Nintendo | $93,103,817 | $169,997,675 |
4 | Final Fantasy | Squaresoft, Sony, Eidos Interactive, Square EA | $61,899,388 | $113,021,704 |
5 | Donkey Kong | Nintendo | $41,517,999 | $75,807,454 |
6 | Tomb Raider | Eidos Interactive | $28,874,777 | $52,722,274 |
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Europe
In Europe, the following titles were the top ten highest-grossing home video games of 2000.[60]
More information Rank, Title ...
Rank | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher | Genre | Sales revenue | Inflation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow | Game Boy | Nintendo | RPG | €296,000,000 ($273,000,000) | $498,000,000 |
2 | Pokémon Stadium | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo | Strategy | €76,000,000 ($70,000,000) | $128,000,000 |
3 | Gran Turismo 2 | PlayStation | Sony | Racing sim | €63,000,000 ($58,000,000) | $106,000,000 |
4 | FIFA 2001 | Multi-platform | EA Sports | Sports | €44,000,000 ($41,000,000) | $75,000,000 |
5 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? | Multi-platform | Eidos | Quiz | €43,000,000 ($40,000,000) | $73,000,000 |
6 | Pokémon Pinball | GBC | Nintendo | Pinball | €36,000,000 ($33,000,000) | $60,000,000 |
The Sims | PC | EA | Life sim | €36,000,000 ($33,000,000) | $60,000,000 | |
8 | Driver 2 | PlayStation | Infogrames | Driving | €27,000,000 ($25,000,000) | $46,000,000 |
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo | Action-adventure | €27,000,000 ($25,000,000) | $46,000,000 | |
10 | WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role | PlayStation | THQ | Wrestling | €25,000,000 ($23,000,000) | $42,000,000 |
Diablo II | PC | Havas | Action RPG | €25,000,000 ($23,000,000) | $42,000,000 |
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In the United Kingdom and France, the following titles were the best-selling home video games of 2000.
More information Rank, France ...
Rank | United Kingdom[64][65] | France | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Title | Platform(s) | Sales[65][52] | ||
1 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? | Multi-platform | 1,000,000[66] | Pokémon Yellow[67] |
2 | Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow | Game Boy | 900,000+ | Unknown |
3 | Gran Turismo 2 | PlayStation | 300,000+ | |
4 | WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role | PlayStation | Unknown | |
5 | WWF SmackDown! |
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In Germany, the following titles were the best-selling home video games of 2000.[56]
More information Rank, Game Boy ...
Rank | Game Boy | Sales | PlayStation | Sales | PC | Sales |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Pokémon Red / Blue | 800,000+ | Gran Turismo 2 | 200,000+ | Diablo II | 200,000+ |
2 | Pokémon Yellow | Unknown | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | 100,000+ | The Sims | 100,000+ |
3 | Pokémon Pinball | Unknown | Resident Evil 3: Nemesis | 100,000+ | Sudden Strike | 100,000+ |
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Australia
In Australia, the following titles were the top ten best-selling console games of 2000.[68]
More information Rank, Title ...
Rank | Title | Platform | Developer | Publisher | Genre |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Pokémon Gold | Game Boy Color | Game Freak | Nintendo | RPG |
2 | Pokémon Silver | ||||
3 | Pokémon Stadium | Nintendo 64 | Nintendo EAD | Nintendo | Strategy |
4 | Gran Turismo 2 | PlayStation | Polyphony Digital | Sony | Racing sim |
5 | Pokémon Yellow | Game Boy Color | Game Freak | Nintendo | RPG |
6 | Star Wars Episode I: Racer | Nintendo 64 | LucasArts | LucasArts | Racing |
7 | Pokémon Blue | Game Boy | Game Freak | Nintendo | RPG |
8 | Donkey Kong 64 | Nintendo 64 | Rare | Nintendo | Platformer |
9 | Pokémon Red | Game Boy | Game Freak | Nintendo | RPG |
10 | Perfect Dark | Nintendo 64 | Rare | Nintendo | First-person shooter |
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Highest-grossing arcade games in Japan
In Japan, the following titles were the top ten highest-grossing arcade games of 2000.[69]
More information Rank, Title ...
Rank | Title | Developer | Manufacturer | Type | Genre | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Virtua Striker 2 ver. 99 / 2000 | Sega AM2 | Sega | Software | Sports | 5753 |
2 | Tekken Tag Tournament | Namco | Namco | Software | Fighting | 3734 |
3 | Samba de Amigo | Sonic Team | Sega | Dedicated | Rhythm | 3204 |
4 | Power Smash (Virtua Tennis) | Sega AM3 | Sega | Software | Sports | 3075 |
5 | Mr. Driller | Namco | Namco | Software | Puzzle | 2951 |
6 | Derby Owners Club | Sega AM3 | Sega | Dedicated | Simulation | 2766 |
7 | Time Crisis 2 | Namco | Namco | Dedicated | Light gun shooter | 2741 |
8 | The House of the Dead 2 | Sega AM1 | Sega | Dedicated | Light gun shooter | 2700 |
9 | Photo & Seal Kilala | Make Software | Make Software | Other | Purikura | 2579 |
10 | Garou: Mark of the Wolves | SNK | SNK | Software | Fighting | 2439 |
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Major events
More information Month, Day(s) ...
Month | Day(s) | Event |
---|---|---|
January | 7 | Publisher ASC Games shut down due to financial issues arising with the ongoing delay of their upcoming game, Werewolf: The Apocalypse – The Heart of Gaia.[70] |
Digital Illusions CE acquires Refraction Games and 90% of Synergenix Interactive. | ||
February | 4 | First annual Dreamcast Championships, featuring the game Sonic Adventure. |
Electronic Arts acquired DreamWorks Interactive, the games division of DreamWorks SKG, becoming EA Los Angeles.[71] | ||
March | Game Network hosts the second annual Independent Games Festival (IGF). | |
April | 14 | Reuters reports that the PlayStation 2 console would have export controls placed on it by the Trade Ministry of Japan as the PS2 is sophisticated enough for military applications.[72][73][74][75] |
Nintendo sells its 100 millionth Game Boy / Game Boy Color handheld game console. | ||
May | 11 | The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts the third Annual Interactive Achievement Awards and inducts Hironobu Sakaguchi of Square into the AIAS Hall of Fame. |
11–13 | The sixth annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is held[76] along with the third annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E3. | |
24 | Looking Glass Studios was shut down.[77] | |
June | 19 | Microsoft acquired Bungie.[78] |
26 | Computer Game Developers Association is renamed to International Game Developers Association. | |
30 | Nintendo's Satellaview system ceases to receive broadcasts. | |
Sony acquired Verant Interactive.[79] | ||
July | Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association hosts first annual Executive Summit. | |
August | 31 | THQ acquired Volition.[80] |
Ubi Soft acquired Red Storm Entertainment. | ||
September | 10 | Sega.com launches SegaNet, their online console gaming network. |
October | 7–15 | The World Cyber Games Challenge takes place in South Korea. |
November | 12 | The Sega World Sydney amusement park closes its doors for good after three years of operation. |
December | 15 | Nvidia acquires 3dfx Interactive.[81] |
Unknown | British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) hosts its third annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards for multimedia technologies; 7 of 20 awards went to video games. David Bowie was awarded, in part, for his contributions to the video game Omikron: The Nomad Soul. | |
Mattel sells The Learning Company to Gores Technology Group.[82] | ||
All of Sega's internal consumer research & development divisions become individual developer companies. | ||
21-6 Productions was formed. | ||
PopCap Games was formed. | ||
Yeti Interactive was formed. | ||
Team Liquid was formed. |
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Notable releases
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More information Video game platforms, DC ...
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Series with new installments include Age of Empires, Banjo-Kazooie, Command & Conquer, Diablo, Excite, Final Fantasy, Grandia, The Legend of Zelda, Madden NFL, Marvel vs. Capcom, Mega Man Legends, Monkey Island, Mortal Kombat, Need for Speed, Persona, Pokémon, Resident Evil, Ridge Racer, Sonic the Hedgehog, Spyro, Tekken, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, Tony Hawk's, and Wario.
In addition, 2000 saw the introduction of several new properties, including Counter-Strike, Deus Ex, Hitman, Jet Set Radio, Kessen, Mario Tennis, Midnight Club, Paper Mario, Perfect Dark, The Sims, SSX, TimeSplitters, and Total War.
More information Release, Title ...
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References
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