Frogger
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Developer: Konami
Platforms: Arcade, PC, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, TI-99, and Intellivision
Release Date: June 5, 1981
Why this game mattered: Apart from being remarkably addictive and endlessly challenging, Frogger was one of the first games to be seen as wildly popular for every kind of audience. It wasn't marketed to a particular gender or age group. It was just something every single person who laid eyes on it could enjoy, and they did. All you had to do was get the frog to the other side of the screen alive, but each new set of obstacles raised the stakes, and the overall difficulty quickly became clear. This was a fun game for everyone, but also not one to be taken lightly as you progressed.
Fun fact: Sega paid Konami $3,500 a day in licensing for 60 days while determining whether the game was worth publishing under its brand, ultimately deciding it was worth it due to the popularity of the title in field tests.
Future games influenced by this title: While the Frogger franchise lives on today as a popular mobile game, it clearly inspired titles like Crossy Road, Caveman, and Croak. That rapid action, high anxiety gameplay style was made popular by this seemingly unimportant game, and its influences live on today.
Where you can play it today: You can find Frogger and many other classic Atari titles on the Atari Flashback.
