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2001 in video games

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2001 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Madden NFL 2002, NBA Live 2002, NBA 2K2, WWF Smackdown! Just Bring It, Capcom vs. SNK 2, Crazy Taxi 2, Dead or Alive 3, Final Fantasy X, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, Grand Theft Auto III, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Myst III: Exile, Silent Hill 2, Sonic Adventure 2, SSX Tricky, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Tekken 4, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, and Virtua Fighter 4. New intellectual properties include Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Advance Wars, Animal Crossing, Burnout, Gothic, Black & White, Devil May Cry, Fatal Frame, Ghost Recon, Halo: Combat Evolved, Jak and Daxter, Max Payne, Oni, Onimusha: Warlords, Operation Flashpoint, Pikmin, Pro Evolution Soccer, Red Faction, Serious Sam, and Tropico.

Three major video game systems were released in 2001: the GameCube and the Game Boy Advance by Nintendo, and the Xbox by Microsoft. Sega, which had been a major competitor in the video game hardware market to this point, ended its involvement in the market after the failure of the Dreamcast.

The year 2001 is remembered for its influence on the video game industry with the release of many games recognized as classics. Many video games released in 2001 defined or redefined their respective genres, including hack and slash game Devil May Cry, first-person shooter game Halo: Combat Evolved, and open world action-adventure game Grand Theft Auto III, which is regarded as an industry-defining work.

The year has been retrospectively considered one of the best and most influential in video game history due to the release of numerous critically acclaimed, commercially successful and influential titles across all platforms and genres at the time. It was the peak year for the sixth generation of video game consoles, with the launch of the GameCube and Xbox, the latter focusing on online games (following SegaNet the previous year), and the Dreamcast's last year of production with Sega's exit from console manufacturing. Storytelling and mature themes also became a more mainstream trend.

The year's best-selling video game worldwide was Pokémon Gold/Silver/Crystal, the fourth year in a row for the Pokémon series (since 1998). The year's most critically acclaimed titles were Gran Turismo 3 and Final Fantasy X in Japan, and Halo and Grand Theft Auto III in the West.

Legend

Hardware releases

Nintendo released two consoles this year; the Game Boy Advance, the second & final entry in the Game Boy family (excluding revision models), and the GameCube, Nintendo's home console entry in the sixth generation of game consoles.

Microsoft entered the video game industry this year with the launch of the Xbox.

Month	Day	Console
March	21	Game Boy AdvanceJP
June	11	Game Boy AdvanceNA
22	Game Boy AdvancePAL
September	14	GameCubeJP
November	15	Xbox
16	Pokémon Mini
18	GameCubeNA

Top-rated games

Major awards

GameRankings named Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty the Game of the Year for 2001, citing its position as the highest-rated title of the year with an aggregated score of 97% based on reviews from more than 50 gaming publications.

Awards	Game of the Year	Platform(s)	Publisher(s)	Genre
Electronic Playground	Grand Theft Auto III	PS2	Rockstar Games	Open world
GameRevolution	Grand Theft Auto III	PS2	Rockstar Games	Open world
British Academy Games Awards	Gran Turismo 3 A-Spec	PS2	Polyphony Digital	Racing
British Academy Games Awards	Halo Combat Evolved	XB	Bungie	FPS
British Academy Games Awards	Max Payne	WIN	Rockstar Games	Third Person Shooter
D.I.C.E. Award for Game of the Year	Halo Combat Evolved	XB	Bungie	FPS
Game Developers Choice Awards	Grand Theft Auto III	PS2	Rockstar Games	Open world
Golden Joystick Awards	Grand Theft Auto III	PS2	Rockstar Games	Open world
Japan Game Awards	Final Fantasy X	PS2	SquareSoft	Role-Playing
EGM Magazine	Halo Combat Evolved	XB	Bungie	FPS
Eurogamer	Grand Theft Auto III	PS2	Rockstar Games	Open world
Game Informer	Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty	PS2	Konami	Stealth game
GameSpot	Grand Theft Auto III	PS2	Rockstar Games	Open world
IGN	Halo Combat Evolved	XB	Bungie	FPS

Critically acclaimed titles

''Famitsu'' Platinum Hall of Fame

In Japan, the following video game releases in 2001 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" for receiving Famitsu scores of at least 35 out of 40.

Title	Platform(s)	Publisher	Genre	Score (out of 40)
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	PS2	Sony	Racing simulation	39
Final Fantasy X	PS2	Squaresoft	Role-playing	39
Fushigi no Dungeon: Fūrai no Shiren GB2	GBC	Chunsoft	Roguelike	38
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty	PS2	Konami	Stealth	38
Culdcept Second	DC	Media Factory	Turn-based strategy	37
Dai Rantō Smash Brothers DX (Super Smash Bros. Melee)	GCN	Nintendo	Fighting	37
Dōbutsu no Mori + (Animal Crossing)	GCN	Nintendo	Social simulation	37
Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko no Daibōken 2 (The Last Hope)	GBA	Enix	Roguelike	36
Madden NFL 2001	PS2	Square EA	Sports	35
Onimusha (Onimusha: Warlords)	PS2	Capcom	Hack and slash	35
Kessen II	PS2	Koei	Real-time tactics	35
Crazy Taxi 2	DC	Sega	Driving	35
Zeonic Front: Kidō Senshi Gundam 0079 (Mobile Suit Gundam)	PS2	Bandai	Strategy	35
Capcom vs. SNK 2: Millionaire Fighting 2001	DC, PS2	Capcom	Fighting	35
Magical Vacation	GBA	Nintendo	Role-playing	35
Battle Network Rockman EXE 2 (Mega Man Battle Network 2)	GBA	Capcom	Tactical role-playing	35

Metacritic and GameRankings

In the West, Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews.

Game	Publisher	Release date	Platform(s)	MC score	GR score
Halo: Combat Evolved	Microsoft Game Studios	November 15, 2001	XB	97/100	95.54%
Grand Theft Auto III	Rockstar Games	October 22, 2001	PS2	97/100	95.19%
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty	Konami	November 13, 2001	PS2	96/100	95.09%
Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	Sony Computer Entertainment	April 28, 2001	PS2	95/100	94.54%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3	Activision	October 30, 2001	PS2	97/100	93.43%
Devil May Cry	Capcom	August 23, 2001	PS2	94/100	92.6%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2	Activision	June 11, 2001	GBA	95/100	89.88%
Madden NFL 2002	EA Sports	August 19, 2001	PS2	94/100	92.32%
NBA 2K2	Sega	October 24, 2001	DC	93/100	92.82%
Mario Kart: Super Circuit	Nintendo	July 21, 2001	GBA	93/100	91.54%
SSX Tricky	EA Sports	November 5, 2001	PS2	92/100	92.49%
Advance Wars	Nintendo	September 10, 2001	GBA	92/100	92.38%
Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2	Nintendo	December 14, 2001	GBA	title=Best Video Games for 2002	url=https://www.metacritic.com/browse/games/score/metascore/year/all/filtered?sort=desc&year_selected=2002	website=Metacritic	access-date=August 9, 2019}}	title=Highest-Ranking Games of 2002 (with at least 10 reviews)	url=https://www.gamerankings.com/browse.html?site=&cat=0&year=2002&numrev=1&sort=0&letter=&search=	website=GameRankings	access-date=August 9, 2019}}
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages	Nintendo	February 27, 2001	GBC		92.2%
Final Fantasy X	Square	July 19, 2001	PS2	92/100	91.73%
Super Smash Bros. Melee	Nintendo	November 21, 2001	GCN	92/100	90.52%
Conker's Bad Fur Day	Rare	March 5, 2001	N64	92/100	89.28%
NHL 2002	EA Sports	September 24, 2001	PS2	92/100	88.84%
Pro Evolution Soccer	Konami	March 15, 2001	PS2		91.69%
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons	Nintendo	February 27, 2001	GBC		91.37%
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3	Activision	November 18, 2001	GCN	91/100	91.12%
IL-2 Sturmovik	1C Company	November 18, 2001	WIN	91/100	90.65%
Golden Sun	Nintendo	August 1, 2001	GBA	91/100	89.1%
Twisted Metal: Black	Sony Computer Entertainment	June 18, 2001	PS2	91/100	88.52%
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon	Konami	March 21, 2001	GBA	91/100	88.11%
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil	Namco	March 22, 2001	PS2	91/100	84.76%
Madden NFL 2002	EA Sports	November 17, 2001	GCN	89/100	90.39%
Ico	Sony Computer Entertainment	September 24, 2001	PS2	90/100	90.29%
NCAA Football 2002	EA Sports	July 23, 2001	PS2	90/100	90.25%
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy	Sony Computer Entertainment	December 3, 2001	PS2	90/100	90.22%
Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader	LucasArts	November 18, 2001	GCN	90/100	90.04%
Black & White	Electronic Arts	March 30, 2001	WIN	90/100	89.79%
NFL 2K2	Sega	September 19, 2001	DC	90/100	89.35%
Civilization III	Infogrames	October 30, 2001	WIN	90/100	88.75%
Madden NFL 2002	EA Sports	October 31, 2001	XB	90/100	88.72%
Unreal Tournament	Infogrames	March 13, 2001	DC	90/100	87.8%
Virtua Tennis 2	Sega	October 24, 2001	DC	90/100	87.22%
Dance Dance Revolution	Konami	March 6, 2001	PS1	90/100	83.63%
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002	Microsoft	October 16, 2001	WIN	90/100	82.44%
Shenmue II	Sega	September 6, 2001	DC		89.63%
Max Payne	Gathering of Developers	July 23, 2001	WIN	89/100	89.26%
NASCAR Racing 4	Sierra Entertainment	February 6, 2001	WIN	89/100	88.5%
NBA Street	EA Sports	June 19, 2001	PS2	89/100	86.92%
Pikmin	Nintendo	October 26, 2001	GCN	89/100	86.71%
Final Fantasy Chronicles	Square	June 29, 2001	PS1	89/100	86.7%
NHL 2002	EA Sports	December 10, 2001	XB	89/100	86.33%
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies	Namco	September 13, 2001	PS2	89/100	86.07%
Max Payne	Rockstar Games	December 12, 2001	XB	89/100	85.95%
Silent Hill 2	Konami	September 24, 2001	PS2	89/100	85.82%
Sonic Adventure 2	Sega	June 23, 2001	DC	89/100	83.26%
Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal	Interplay Entertainment	June 22, 2001	WIN	88/100	88.73%
Super Monkey Ball	Sega	September 14, 2001	GCN	87/100	88.7%
Red Faction	THQ	May 22, 2001	PS2	88/100	88.32%
Dark Age of Camelot	Vivendi Universal Games	October 10, 2001	WIN	88/100	88.08%
Return to Castle Wolfenstein	Activision	November 19, 2001	WIN	88/100	86.75%
SSX Tricky	EA Sports	December 10, 2001	XB	88/100	86.6%
Wario Land 4	Nintendo	August 21, 2001	GBA	88/100	85.34%
Madden NFL 2002	EA Sports	August 13, 2001	PS1	88/100	85.08%
Tribes 2	Sierra Entertainment	March 28, 2001	WIN	88/100	84.85%
Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis	Nintendo	June 21, 2001	GBA	88/100	83.62%

Financial performance

Best-selling home video games

Rank	Title	Platform(s)	Publisher	Sales	Japan	United States	Combined
1	Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal	GBC	Nintendo	826,125	3,127,659	3,953,784
2	Final Fantasy X	PS2	Squaresoft	2,434,015	date=September 23, 2002	title=August sales data	url=https://boards.fool.com/august-sales-data-17882669.aspx	url-status=live	access-date=2021-11-08	website=The Motley Fool	publisher=The NPD Group	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108112839/https://boards.fool.com/august-sales-data-17882669.aspx	archive-date=November 8, 2021 }}	3,180,647
3	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	PS2	Sony	1,656,959	1,172,322	2,829,281
4	Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty	PS2	Konami	750,560	date=November 28, 2001	title=Metal Gear Solid 2 hits the 1.8 million mark	url=http://archive.thegia.com/news/0111/n28b.html	url-status=live	access-date=2021-11-08	website=Gaming Intelligence Agency	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108034317/http://archive.thegia.com/news/0111/n28b.html	archive-date=November 8, 2021 }}	2,550,560+
5	Madden NFL 2002	PS1, PS2	EA Sports		2,220,112	2,220,112
6	The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons / Oracle of Ages	GBC	Nintendo	772,858	1,248,191	2,021,049
7	Grand Theft Auto III	PS2	Rockstar		1,965,832	1,965,832
8	Super Mario Advance	GBA	Nintendo	777,899	date=February 7, 2002	title=NPD REPORTS ANNUAL 2001 U.S. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT SALES SHATTER INDUSTRY RECORD	url=http://www.npd.com/dynamic/releases/press_020207.htm	location=Port Washington, New York	publisher=NPD Group	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040814133238/http://www.npd.com/dynamic/releases/press_020207.htm	archive-date=August 14, 2004	access-date=January 27, 2015}}	1,950,222+
9	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone	PS1, WIN	EA	83,954	1,628,744	1,712,698
10	The Sims	WIN	EA		author=Bradshaw	first=Lucy	author-link=Lucy Bradshaw (game developer)	date=January 31, 2002	title=Markle Forum on Children and Media	url=https://cat.nyu.edu/current/news/media/marklesimcity.pdf#page=14	url-status=live	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040619191112/https://cat.nyu.edu/current/news/media/marklesimcity.pdf	archive-date=June 19, 2004	access-date=8 November 2021	publisher=New York University	page=14}}	1,482,182

Rank	Title	Platform(s)	Sales revenue	USA	Europe	Combined
1	Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal	GBC		€221,000,000 ()	$289,038,324	$
2	Grand Theft Auto III	PS2		€54,000,000 ()	$146,940,325	$
3	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone			€92,000,000 ()	$137,148,445	$
4	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	PS2		€64,000,000 ()	$115,264,403	$
5	Madden NFL 2002	PS1, PS2			$110,000,000+	$+
6	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3			€24,000,000 ()	$102,000,000	$
7	Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty	PS2	+		$87,000,000+	$+
8	The Sims	WIN	$60,499,079	€25,000,000 ()	$82,499,079	$
9	Super Mario Advance	GBA	+	€23,000,000 ()	$56,000,000+	$+
10	FIFA Football 2002			€52,000,000 ()	$47,000,000+	$+

Japan

Rank	Title	Platform	Sales	Sales revenue	Inflation	Ref
1	Final Fantasy X	PS2	2,434,015	¥17,600,000,000+ (+)	$+	title=2001 Top 100 Japanese Console Game Chart	url=http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-BestSell2001.shtml	url-status=live	access-date=26 October 2021	website=The Magic Box	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040124041629/http://www.the-magicbox.com:80/Chart-BestSell2001.shtml	archive-date=January 24, 2004 }}
2	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	PS2	1,656,959	colspan="2"
3	Dragon Quest Monsters 2	GBC	1,138,756	colspan="2"	title=Famitsū Gēmu Hakusho 2002	publisher=Enterbrain	year=2002	location=Tokyo	language=ja	script-title=ja:ファミ通ゲーム白書2002	trans-title=Famitsu Game Whitebook 2002	chapter=2001年ゲームソフト年間売上TOP300	trans-chapter=2001 Game Software Annual Sales Top 300	chapter-url=http://geimin.net/da/db/2001_ne_fa/index.php	url-status=dead	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627151515/http://geimin.net/da/db/2001_ne_fa/index.php	archive-date=June 27, 2015}}
4	Dragon Quest IV: Michibikareshi Monotachi	PS1	1,039,443	colspan="2"
5	Onimusha (Onimusha: Warlords)	PS2	1,000,000+	colspan="2"
6	Minna no Golf 3 (Everybody's Golf 3)	PS2	871,167	colspan="2" rowspan="2"
7	Dai Rantō Smash Brothers DX (Smash Bros. Melee)	GCN	838,237
8	Pocket Monsters: Gold / Silver / Crystal (Pokémon)	GBC	826,125	colspan="2"
9	Winning Eleven 5 (Pro Evolution Soccer)	PS2	789,515	colspan="2"
10	Super Mario Advance	GBA	777,899	colspan="2"

United States

Rank	Title	Platform(s)	Sales	Revenue	Inflation
1	Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal	GBC	3,127,659		$
2	Madden NFL 2002	PS2, PS1	2,220,112		$
3	Grand Theft Auto III	PS2	1,965,832		$
4	Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty	PS2	1,800,000+	+	$+
5	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3	PS2, PS1	1,693,037		$
6	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone	PS1, WIN	1,628,744		$
7	The Sims	WIN	1,482,182	$60,499,079	$
8	The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons / Oracle of Ages	GBC	1,248,191		$
9	Super Mario Advance	GBA	1,172,323+	+	$+
10	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	PS2	1,172,322		$

PAL regions

Rank	Title	Platform(s)	Publisher	Genre	Sales revenue	Inflation
1	Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal	GBC	Nintendo	Role-playing	€221,000,000 ()	$
2	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone		Electronic Arts	Action-adventure	€92,000,000 ()	$
3	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	PS2	Sony	Racing sim	€64,000,000 ()	$
4	Grand Theft Auto III	PS2	Rockstar Games	Action-adventure	€54,000,000 ()	$
5	FIFA Football 2002		EA Sports	Sports	€52,000,000 ()	$
6	Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?		Eidos Interactive	Quiz	€33,000,000 ()	$
7	FIFA 2001		EA Sports	Sports	€31,000,000 ()	$
8	Final Fantasy IX	PS1	Squaresoft	Role-playing	€30,000,000 ()	$
9	Black & White	WIN	Electronic Arts	God game	€28,000,000 ()	$
10	The Sims	WIN	Electronic Arts	Life simulation	€25,000,000 ()	$

Rank	Title	Platform	Developer	Publisher	Genre
1	Pokémon Crystal	GBC	Game Freak	Nintendo	Role-playing
2	Pokémon Gold
3	Pokémon Silver
4	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone	PS1	Argonaut Games	Electronic Arts	Action-adventure
5	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone	GBC	Griptonite Games	Role-playing
6	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec	PS2	Polyphony Digital	Sony	Racing simulation
7	Gran Turismo 2	PS1
8	Pokémon Stadium 2	N64	Nintendo EAD	Nintendo	Turn-based strategy
9	Super Mario Advance	GBA	Nintendo R&D2	Platformer
10	Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped	PS1	Naughty Dog	Sony

Highest-grossing arcade games in Japan

Rank	Title	Developer	Manufacturer	Type	Genre	Points
1	Canvas Shot / Flash Shot / Chaopi	Omron	Omron	Other	Purikura	8712
2	Derby Owners Club	Sega AM3	Sega	Dedicated	Simulation	3837
3	Battle Gear 2	Taito	Taito	Dedicated	Racing	2601
4	Tekken Tag Tournament	Namco	Namco	Software	Fighting	2568
5	Shakatto Tambourine (Samba de Amigo)	Sega	Sega	Dedicated	Rhythm	2523
6	Time Crisis 2	Namco	Namco	Dedicated	Light gun shooter	2400
7	The King of Fighters 2000	SNK	SNK	Software	Fighting	2382
8	Virtua Striker 2 ver. 2000	Sega AM2	Sega	Software	Sports	2345
9	Street Snap EG	Hitachi	Hitachi	Other	Purikura	2291
10	Kidō Senshi Gundam: Renpō vs. Zeon (Federation vs. Zeon)	Capcom	Banpresto	Software	Third-person shooter	2280

Major events

Date	Event
January 29	url=http://pc.ign.com/news/28701.html	title=Infogrames to Acquire Hasbro Interactive	date=December 6, 2000	website=IGN	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011119190727/http://pc.ign.com/news/28701.html	archive-date=November 19, 2001	url-status=dead	access-date=September 30, 2019}}
January 31	Sega announced it would be departing from the console market and discontinuing the Dreamcast, and develop and publish games for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.

Events

Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts the 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts John Carmack of id Software to the AIAS Hall of Fame.
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) hosts the 4th annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards for multimedia technologies; 15 of 21 awards go to video games.
March 21 – The Game Boy Advance handheld is released by Nintendo. Also to back-up the GBA's identical graphics to the SNES an enhanced remake of Super Mario Bros. 2 was launched.
May 17–19 – 7th annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3); the 4th annual Game Critics Awards For The Best Of E3
June 23 – Sonic the Hedgehog celebrates its 10th anniversary.
July – IEMA (Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association) hosts 2nd annual Executive Summit.
Gama Network hosts the 3rd annual Independent Games Festival (IGF).
Game Developers Conference hosts the 1st annual Game Developers Choice Awards.
Spring – Reuters reports that the Dreamcast console has an estimated 800,000 online users playing its various online games already by midyear.
Sony cooperates with AOL to incorporate Internet features with the PlayStation 2 console; which include a browser, email, and instant messaging capabilities.
August – 2nd annual Dreamcast Championships (featuring the Crazy Taxi 2 video game).
Nikkei News reports that the video game Phantasy Star Online (for Dreamcast) has had 300,000 worldwide users login already by midyear.
September 14 – Nintendo releases the GameCube and its launch titles Luigi's Mansion and Wave Race: Blue Storm.
November 15 – The Microsoft Xbox is introduced.
November 18 – Nintendo releases the GameCube in North America with launch titles Luigi's Mansion and Wave Race: Blue Storm.
November 23 – Game Park releases the GP32 wireless-multiplayer multimedia handheld console in South Korea.
December 5–9 – World Cyber Games 2001 are held in South Korea
December 31 – Jez San is awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours, becoming the first person awarded specifically for services to video games.
December – Panasonic releases the GameCube-based Q multimedia console.

Business

Defunct companies: Bullfrog Productions, Indrema, Dynamix, Sanctuary Woods, SNK.
After Dynamix (1984–2001) is closed as part of Sierra's restructuring under Vivendi Universal, several veterans of the studio found GarageGames.
Sega announces that it will no longer develop home consoles, to focus on game development. The Dreamcast is discontinued in May, but games including Sonic the Hedgehog will continue to be released.
Activision acquires Treyarch Invention LLC.
PCCW Japan (Pacific Century CyberWorks Japan Co., Ltd.) acquires VR1 Entertainment.
Long-time arcade developer Midway Games announces that it will no longer manufacture arcade games.
August – Loki Software declares Chapter 11 Bankruptcy over internal financial troubles, before going defunct next January. In response Michael Simms of the Tux Games retailer and former Loki game tester founds Linux Game Publishing alongside ex-Loki employee Mike Philips on October 15 to keep games coming to Linux.
October – Infogrames announces to revive Atari as a sub-brand of Infogrames. Splashdown, MX Rider and TransWorld Surf were the first 3 games to receive this treatment.

Lawsuits

Sega of America Inc. v. Kmart Corporation; Sega sues Kmart over an unpaid debt of over US$2 million
Uri Geller v. Nintendo; Geller sues Nintendo over his resemblance to a Pokémon character. The suit is dismissed.

Notable releases

Release date	Title	Computer Releases	Console Releases	Handheld Releases
January 4	RuneScape	WIN
January 10	Mega Man 64		N64
January 16	Mario Tennis			GBC
January 29	Oni	WIN	PS2
January 29	Phantasy Star Online		DC
January 30	Rayman 2: The Great Escape		PS2
January 31	Mega Man X5		PS1
February 5	Paper Mario		N64
February 6	Action Man: Search for Base X			GBC
February 6	Metal Walker			GBC
February 7	Clive Barker's Undying	WIN
February 16	Final Fantasy IX		PS1 (EU)
February 20	Scooby-Doo! Classic Creep Capers			GBC
February 23	Severance: Blade of Darkness	WIN
February 27	The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages			GBC (JP)
March 1	Lego Island 2 The Brickster's Revenge	WIN	PS1	GBC, GBA
March 5	Conker's Bad Fur Day		N64
March 6	The Bouncer		PS2
March 9	Sonic Shuffle		DC
March 12	Star Wars: Episode I: Battle for Naboo	WIN
March 13	Onimusha: Warlords		PS2
March 13	Unreal Tournament		DC
March 14	Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage		N64
March 15	SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula			GBC
March 20	Summoner	WIN
March 21	Daytona USA		DC
March 21	Tribes 2	WIN
March 21	Serious Sam: The First Encounter	WIN
March 22	Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil		PS2
March 23	Hostile Waters: Antaeus Rising	WIN
March 25	Black & White	WIN
March 26	Pokémon Stadium 2		N64
March 26	The Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror			GBC
March 26	Zone of the Enders		PS2
March 27	Rocket Power: Gettin' Air			GBC
March 27	Strikers 1945 II		PS1
March 30	Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine			GBC
March 30	Star Wars: Episode I: Battle for Naboo		N64 (EU)
April 6	Snoopy Tennis			GBC
April 8	Dr. Mario 64		N64
April 11	Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble			GBC
April 12	The Simpsons Wrestling		PS1
April 16	Illbleed		DC
April 16	Batman: Chaos in Gotham			GBC
April 19	Spider-Man		DC
April 23	Silpheed: The Lost Planet		PS2
April 30	The Adventures of Cookie & Cream		PS2
April 30	Mars Matrix: Hyper Solid Shooting		DC
May 7	Mario Party 3		N64
May 8	Myst III: Exile	WIN	PS2
May 14	Crazy Taxi		PS2
May 16	Giga Wing 2		DC
May 16	Project Justice		DC
May 18	Atlantis The Lost Empire: Trial by Fire	WIN
May 21	Cool Boarders		PS2
May 22	Red Faction		PS2
May 28	Crazy Taxi 2		DC
May 29	Shrek: Fairy Tale Freakdown			GBC
May 30	Bejeweled	WIN
May 30	Spider-Man 2: The Sinister Six			GBC
May 30	Max Steel: Covert Missions		DC
June 11	Castlevania: Circle of the Moon			GBA
June 11	ChuChu Rocket!			GBA
June 11	Earthworm Jim			GBA
June 11	F-Zero: Maximum Velocity			GBA
June 11	Konami Krazy Racers			GBA
June 11	Rayman Advance			GBA
June 11	Super Mario Advance			GBA
June 14	Atlantis: The Lost Empire		PS1
June 18	Twisted Metal: Black		PS2
June 19	Sonic Adventure 2		DC
June 19	Startopia	WIN
June 20	Time Crisis: Project Titan		PS1
June 21	Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal	WIN
June 22	Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis	WIN
June 27	Anachronox	WIN
June 27	Anarchy Online	WIN
June 29	Bomberman Tournament			GBA
June 29	Diablo II: Lord of Destruction	WIN
June 29	Final Fantasy Chronicles		PS1
July 1	Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword			GBC
July 6	Runaway: A Road Adventure	WIN
July 8	Dark Angel: Vampire Apocalypse		PS2
July 10	Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec		PS2
July 14	Mega Man Legends	WIN
July 16	Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor			GBA
July 17	City Crisis		PS2
July 19	Final Fantasy X		PS2 (JP)
July 23	Extermination		PS2
July 23	Max Payne	WIN
July 28	Rune: Viking Warlord		PS2
July 30	Pokémon Crystal (North America)			GBC
July 30	Tweety and the Magic Gems			GBA
August 1	Golden Sun			GBA
August 1	Nancy Drew: Treasure in the Royal Tower	WIN
August 7	WWF Betrayal			GBA
August 8	Shogun: Total War: Mongol Invasion	WIN
August 19	Madden NFL 2002		PS1, PS2
August 20	Armored Core 2: Another Age		PS2
August 21	Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura	WIN
August 27	Mario Kart: Super Circuit			GBA
August 27	Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2		PS2
August 28	ESPN Final Round Golf 2002			GBA
August 29	Alchemy	WIN
August 30	Klonoa: Empire of Dreams			GBA
September 6	Shenmue II		DC
September 10	Advance Wars			GBA
September 10	Jurassic Park III: Park Builder			GBA
September 10	Portal Runner		PS2
September 11	The World Is Not Enough			GBC
September 13	Heavy Metal: Geomatrix		DC
September 13	Ooga Booga		DC
September 15	Power Rangers Time Force			GBA
September 17	Arctic Thunder		PS2
September 18	Red Faction	WIN
September 21	SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge		PS1
September 24	Monster Rancher 3		PS2
September 24	Phantasy Star Online Version 2		DC
September 24	Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor	WIN
September 24	Silent Hill 2		PS2
September 24	SpyHunter		PS2
September 24	SpongeBob SquarePants: Operation Krabby Patty	WIN
September 25	X-Men: Reign of Apocalypse			GBA
September 26	Bass Strike		PS2
September 26	Dexter's Laboratory: Deesaster Strikes!			GBA
September 26	Final Fight One			GBA
September 26	Kessen II		PS2
September 30	Ico		PS2
October 1	NASCAR Thunder 2002		PS1, PS2, XB
October 1	Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase			GBA
October 1	Time Crisis II		PS2
October 1	Yanya Caballista: City Skater		PS2
October 2	Lego Island 2: The Brickster's Revenge			GBA
October 3	Lego Bionicle			GBA
October 4	Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase		PS1
October 5	The Wild Thornberrys: Chimp Chase			GBA
October 8	Castlevania Chronicles		PS1
October 10	Dark Age of Camelot	WIN
October 12	Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney			GBA
October 15	Lady Sia			GBA
October 15	Batman: Vengeance	WIN	PS2, GCN, XB	GBA
October 17	Devil May Cry		PS2
October 18	E.T.: Digital Companion			GBC
October 21	Stronghold	WIN
October 22	Grand Theft Auto III		PS2
October 24	Virtua Tennis 2		DC
October 28	Doom			GBA
October 28	Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3		PS1, PS2, GCN
October 29	Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex		PS2, XB, GCN
October 29	Spyro: Season of Ice			GBA
October 30	Aliens versus Predator 2	WIN
October 30	Boxing Fever			GBA
October 30	Civilization III	WIN
October 30	Mega Man Xtreme 2			GBC
October 30	Monsters, Inc. Scream Team	WIN	PS1, PS2
October 30	Super Street Fighter II Turbo Revival			GBA
October 31	Soul Reaver 2		PS2
October 31	Mega Man Battle Network			GBA
November 1	Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies		PS2
November 1	Burnout		PS2
November 1	Dragon Warrior VII		PS1
November 1	FIFA Football 2002		PS1, PS2
November 1	Nancy Drew: The Final Scene	WIN
November 3	Rocket Power: Dream Scheme			GBA
November 5	SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge		PS1	GBA
November 5	SSX Tricky		PS2, GCN, XB
November 7	Jackie Chan Adventures: Legend of the Dark Hand			GBA
November 9	Project Gotham Racing		XB
November 11	Golden Sun			GBA
November 12	Empire Earth	WIN
November 12	Gradius Advance			GBA
November 12	Survivor	WIN
November 13	007: Agent Under Fire		PS2
November 13	Cubix - Robots for Everyone: Race 'N Robots			GBC
November 13	Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty		PS2
November 13	Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon	WIN
November 14	Frank Herbert's Dune	WIN	PS2
November 14	Harvest Moon 3 GBC			GBC
November 14	Shrek		XB
November 15	Cel Damage		XB, PS2, GCN
November 15	Dead or Alive 3		XB
November 15	Halo: Combat Evolved		XB
November 15	Nancy Drew: Message in a Haunted Mansion			GBA
November 15	Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee		XB
November 15	Wizardry 8	WIN
November 16	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone	WIN	PS1	GBC, GBA
November 16	Headhunter		DC
November 17	NHL Hitz 2002		GCN
November 17	Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader		GCN
November 18	Crazy Taxi		GCN
November 18	Super Monkey Ball		GCN
November 18	IL-2 Sturmovik	WIN
November 18	Luigi's Mansion		GCN
November 18	WWF Road to Wrestlemania			GBA
November 19	Soul Reaver 2	WIN
November 19	Wario Land 4			GBA
November 19	WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It		PS2
November 20	Frequency		PS2
November 20	Return to Castle Wolfenstein	WIN
November 20	Frogger: The Great Quest		PS2
November 21	Ecks vs. Sever			GBA
November 21	Star Wars Episode I: Jedi Power Battles			GBA
November 21	Super Smash Bros. Melee		GCN (JP)
November 22	Mr. Driller G		PS1 (JP)
November 23	Gothic	WIN
November 24	Frogger's Adventures: Temple of the Frog			GBA
November 25	Azurik: Rise of Perathia		XB
November 26	Jurassic Park III: Island Attack			GBA
November 26	Star Wars: Starfighter		XB
November 26	Twisted Metal: Small Brawl		PS1
November 27	Extreme-G 3		GCN
November 27	Lego Racers 2			GBA
November 28	Cruis'n Velocity			GBA
November 29	Rampage Puzzle Attack			GBA
November 30	Dokapon: Monster Hunter			GBA
December 1	Breath of Fire			GBA
December 1	M&M's Blast!			GBA
December 3	Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance		PS2
December 3	Pikmin		GCN
December 3	Super Smash Bros. Melee		GCN (NA)
December 3	Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy		PS2
December 4	Mega Man X6		PS1
December 5	American Bass Challenge			GBA
December 7	Cel Damage		GCN
December 7	Magical Vacation			GBA
December 7	Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles		PS2 (PAL & EU)
December 9	The Flintstones: Big Trouble in Bedrock			GBA
December 12	Mortal Kombat Advance			GBA
December 12	Shadow Hearts		PS2
December 17	Dark Rift (North America)		N64
December 18	Universal Studios Theme Parks Adventure		GCN
December 19	Star Wars: Obi-Wan		XB
December 19	Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land		PS2
December 20	Final Fantasy X		PS2 (US)
December 20	Giants: Citizen Kabuto		PS2
December 21	Silent Hill 2: Director's Cut		XB
December 21	Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3			GBA

Trends

Video game consoles

The dominant video game console in 2001 was Sony's PlayStation 2.

Nintendo released the GameCube on September 14 in Japan (North America on November 18 and in Europe on May 3, 2002). Microsoft released the Xbox in North America on November 15 (in Europe on March 14, 2002).

File:GameCube-Set.jpg|GameCube File:Xbox-console.jpg|Xbox

Handheld game systems

The dominant handheld system in 2001 was Nintendo's Game Boy Color.

Nintendo released the Game Boy Advance in Japan on March 21 (in North America on June 11 and Europe on June 22).

File:Nintendo-Game-Boy-Advance-Purple-FL.jpg|The Game Boy Advance

Deaths

January 12 - David Pridie, 30, developer on Unreal Tournament.
March 16 – Isao Okawa, 74, chairman of Sega.
May 3 - Doug Myers, 36, Audio and Visual production on Railroad Tycoon II.
September 21 - Andrew Bradfield, 35, creator of Laser Hawk

Notes

References

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Kelly, Andy. (2021-09-30). "2001 Was The Best Year Ever For Video Games".
Fillari, Alessandro. (2021-02-06). "Remembering 2001: The Biggest Games That Turn 20 This Year".
Madsen, Hayes. (October 17, 2022). "21 years ago, Capcom changed action games forever".
Figueiredo, Erick Duarte. (2022-10-02). "Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden: The Two Extremes of the Hack-and-Slash Genre".
Carnley, Zackery Van. (2021-04-19). "How Halo Has Defined the Shooter Genre".
Plant, Mike. "In the loop: how Halo defined a new decade of first-person shooters".
Kelly, Andy. (2021-10-27). "Grand Theft Auto 3 Changed Video Games Forever".
Gordon, Jeremy. (2021-10-22). "After 'Grand Theft Auto III,' Open-World Games Were Never (and Always) the Same".
(September 30, 2021). "2001 Was The Best Year Ever For Video Games".
"Remembering 2001: The Biggest Games That Turn 20 This Year".
IGN Staff. (2001-11-14). "Pokemon Mini Hits the US".
"Game Rankings - The Game Reviews Database - Best Games of 2001!".
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(January 19, 2002). "Overall Game of the Year 2001 - Cube News at IGN".
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(2004). "WIPO Guide on the Licensing of Copyright and Related Rights". [[World Intellectual Property Organization]] (WIPO).
(September 23, 2002). "August sales data". [[The NPD Group]].
(November 28, 2001). "Metal Gear Solid 2 hits the 1.8 million mark".
(February 7, 2002). "NPD REPORTS ANNUAL 2001 U.S. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT SALES SHATTER INDUSTRY RECORD". [[NPD Group]].
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(January 2005). "The Business of Culture: Strategic Perspectives on Entertainment and Media". [[Lawrence Erlbaum Associates]].
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Nicholson, Zy. (September 2001). "Final Reality". Future Publishing.
(2002). "Famitsū Gēmu Hakusho 2002". [[Enterbrain]].
(February 2001). "First PlayStation 2 videogame to sell one million units".
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(7 February 2002). "Europäische Verkaufsawards". [[GameStar]].
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(15 January 2002). ""Tekken TT", "DOC 2000" Top Game Charts". [[:ja:アミューズメント通信社.
(December 6, 2000). "Infogrames to Acquire Hasbro Interactive".
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I. G. N. Staff. (2001-02-03). "Sega Goes Third-Party, Nintendo Ties Announced".
(June 8, 2012). "Attendance and Stats". IGN.
"Summoner Review".
(2022-07-06). "Startopia {{!}} Eurogamer.net".
"Anarchy Online: The Shadowlands Review".
"Red Faction Review".
(2024-05-20). "Frank Herbert's Dune in November - IGN".
I. G. N. Staff. (2001-12-15). "Wizardry 8".
I. G. N. Staff. (2001-07-26). "Soul Reaver 2 to PC".
Boulding, Aaron. (2002-01-03). "Star Wars: Obi-Wan".
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