G1 Jockey (called GI Jockey in Japan) is a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

franchise developed and published by Koei that simulates horse racing from a jockey's perspective. The games most dominant participant Tom Bartholomew retired after going unbeaten for 13 years. Games have been released on the PlayStation, PlayStation 2,

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...

and also on the Wii,

Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generati ...

and Nintendo Switch. The original and its two sequels contain quick training race modes as well as a longer career mode. The racing itself has an emphasis on subtle strategy, e.g. playing with the horse's individual characteristics in mind. Horses individual characteristics include Front runner horses which prefer a spot in the top of the pack during the course of the race. Drop in horses which require a constant pace to reach its maximum potential for the final spurt. Drop out horses which require precise timing to make a move to the top and sprint down to the finish. Finally hold up horses which strength is to save up potential and start the spurt earlier than any other horse. This horse favors a quick pace race to demonstrate its full abilities. The third game of the series, G1 Jockey 3, launched the Koei series into the spotlight. The Wii releases ('G1 Jockey Wii' and 'G1 Jockey Wii 2008') do not follow the same numbering structure as those released on PlayStation consoles.

Games

G1 Jockey

''G1 Jockey'' is a horse racing simulator developed & published by Koei released on March 11, 1999, for the PlayStation in Japan.

G1 Jockey 2

''G1 Jockey 2'' is a

Sports game A sports video game is a video game that simulates the practice of sports. Most sports have been recreated with a game, including team sports, track and field, extreme sports, and combat sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport ( ...

, developed by Koei/Inis and published by Koei, which was released in Japan on November 2, 2000. It is the first game in the series to be made for the PlayStation 2 console. An updated version of the game titled ''G1 Jockey 2 2001'' was released in Japan on March 22, 2001. This edition would later be localized for the European market and published by

THQ THQ Inc. was an American video game company based in Agoura Hills, California. It was founded in April 1990 by Jack Friedman, originally in Calabasas, and became a public company the following year through a reverse merger takeover. Initi ...

on March 8, 2002, released with the revised title ''G1 Jockey'' (as the previous titles were released only in Japan).

G1 Jockey 3

''G1 Jockey 3'' is a

thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

simulation video game Simulation video games are a diverse super-category of video games, generally designed to closely simulate real world activities. A simulation game attempts to copy various activities from real life in the form of a game for various purposes such ...

produced by Koei for the PlayStation 2. Although the ''G1 Jockey'' series had been gaining popularity in Japan, this was the first game in the series to be released in North America. In contrast to

Tecmo , was a Japanese video game corporation founded in 1967. It had its headquarters in Kudankita, Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its subsidiary, Tecmo Inc, was located in Torrance, California. Tecmo was formerly known as Tehkan. Tecmo is known for the ''Captain ...

's ''

Gallop Racer is a series of horse racing video games, created by Tecmo. Overview ''Gallop Racer'' is an open-ended racing game in which the player purchases horses to train, race and breed. Most games in the series involve management of horses, with the ex ...

'' series, which focuses on every aspect of horse racing (including breeding), ''G1 Jockey 3'' focuses solely on the jockey.

G1 Jockey 4

''G1 Jockey 4'' is a horse racing simulator published by Koei for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. A Wii version called G1 Jockey Wii of the game was released June 29, 2007. It received mildly favorable reviews, including a 7/10 from

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EG ...

and a 6.9 from

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

G1 Jockey 4 2007

''G1 Jockey 4 2007'' (ジーワンジョッキー4 2007) is a horse

racing simulator Simulated racing or racing simulation, commonly known as simply sim racing, are the collective terms for racing game software that attempts to accurately simulate auto racing, complete with real-world variables such as fuel usage, damage, tir ...

published by Koei for the PlayStation 2 and

in Japan on November 1, 2007. It is the sequel of ''G1 Jockey 4''. A playable demo was released on the Japanese

PlayStation Store The PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital media store available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via the PlayStation Network. The store offers a range of downloadable conten ...

in October 2007. A ''G1 Jockey 4 2007'' and '' Winning Post 7 Maximum 2007'' Premium Pack bundle for both the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 versions was released on November 1, 2007.PlayStation.com "Software Catalog"
/ref>

''Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey & Gallop Racer''

After Koei merged with

in 2009 to form the joint company

Tecmo Koei is a Japanese video game, amusement and anime holding company created in 2009 by the merger of Koei and Tecmo. Koei Tecmo Holdings owns several companies, the biggest one of those being its flagship game developer and publisher Koei Tecmo Games ...

, Koei then developed ''Champion Jockey: G1 Jockey & Gallop Racer'' for the PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360, becoming the first game in either series to be available on a Microsoft console and have a Nintendo console version localized for North America. The game is a

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

with Tecmo's ''

'' series and incorporates elements from both the ''G1 Jockey'' and ''Gallop Racer'' series, while also supporting

motion controller In video games and entertainment systems, a motion controller is a type of game controller that uses accelerometers or other sensors to track motion and provide input. History Motion controllers using accelerometers are used as controllers for ...

s. A Japan-exclusive Nintendo Switch port, titled ''Champion Jockey Special'', was released in 2017.

References

{{Koei Tecmo Video game franchises Video game franchises introduced in 1999 Horse racing video games PlayStation 2 games PlayStation 2-only games PlayStation 3 games Wii games Koei games Koei Tecmo franchises Video games developed in Japan