1998 in video gaming

Notable events of 1998 in video gaming. See also history of computer and video games.

Events

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, one of the most popular and highly-rated video games in history.

• Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo to the AIAS Hall of Fame
• BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) hosts the 1st annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards
• 4th annual E³ (Electronic Entertainment Expo); the 1st annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E³
• Game One channel (subsidiary of Canalplus); Infogrames Entertainment SA and Canal+ launch the Game One television channel

Notable releases

Starcraft, the 3rd-best selling computer game in history.

• March 29 — Parasite Eve (Japan) (PS)
• April 1 — StarCraft (PC)
• May 6 — Warhammer: Dark Omen (PC)
• May 22 — Unreal (PC)
• September 3 — Metal Gear Solid (Japan) (PS)
• September 8 — Parasite Eve (United States) (PS)
• September 30 — Fallout 2 (PC)
• September 30 — Pokémon Red and Blue (GB)
• September 30 — Grim Fandango (PC)
• October 21 — Metal Gear Solid (North America) (PS)
• October 31 — Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome Expansion (PC)
• November 20 — Half-Life (PC)
• November 21 — The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Japan) (N64)
• November 23 — The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (North America)

(N64)

• November 30 — StarCraft: Brood War (PC)
• November 30 — Thief: The Dark Project (PC)

Half-Life, a revolutionary FPS that created or first popularized many game mechanics of modern shooters.

Hardware

• Bandai's WonderSwan handheld in Japan
• Majesco Sales Inc.'s Genesis 3 home console
• Nintendo:
  • Game Boy Color (GBC) handheld console
  • Camera & Printer accessories for the Game Boy handheld console
• Sega's NAOMI arcade system board and Dreamcast home console
• SNK's Neo Geo Pocket (NGP) handheld

Business

• Activision acquires CD Contact Data and Head Game Publishing
• Eidos Interactive acquires Crystal Dynamics
• Electronic Arts Inc. acquires Virgin Studio and Westwood Studios, Inc.
• Hasbro, Inc. acquires Atari Corporation (from JTS Corp.), Microprose, and Tiger Electronics
• JTS Corp. (Atari Corporation) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
• BreakAway Games, Ltd. founded
• Elixir Studios Ltd. formed
• Lego Media established by LEGO Group
• Metro3D, Inc. founded
• Rockstar Games founded
• Square Co., Ltd. and Electronic Arts form Square Electronic Arts LLC to publish a wealth of Square Co., Ltd. titles in the U.S.
• Troika Games founded
• WildTangent, Inc. founded

Awards

• Spiel des Jahres: Elfenland - Alan R. Moon, Amigo Spiele

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