is a shoot'em up video game franchise developed and published by

Bandai Namco Entertainment is a Japanese multinational video game video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Entertainment America and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, are respectively headquartered in ...

, formerly

Namco was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...

. Some entries were outsourced to other developers, such as

Hasbro Interactive Hasbro Interactive was an American video game production and publishing subsidiary of Hasbro, the large game and toy company. Several of its studios were closed in early 2001 and most of its properties were sold to Infogrames (now Atari SA) whi ...

Bandai is a Japanese multinational toy manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Taitō, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Toys & Collectables America and Bandai UK, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and Richmond ...

and Paladin Studios. The series first began in 1979 with the arcade game ''

Galaxian is a 1979 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, who ...

'', which was Namco's first major hit in the video game industry, seeing ports for multiple home consoles, handheld systems and mobile phones. Most games in the series have been

fixed shooters Fixed may refer to: * ''Fixed'' (EP), EP by Nine Inch Nails * ''Fixed'', an upcoming 2D adult animated film directed by Genndy Tartakovsky * Fixed (typeface), a collection of monospace bitmap fonts that is distributed with the X Window System * ...

, although some have delved into other genres such as rail shooters and twin-stick shooters. Entries in the franchise have been ported to several home consoles and included in many Namco video game compilations for multiple platforms. ''Galaxian'' is one of the most successful arcade games of its time, selling over 50,000 arcade cabinets in North America alone. ''Galaxian'' and its sequel ''Galaga'' are cited as some of the most influential games of the genre, the latter being called one of the greatest video games ever made by several publications. Later entries in the series have been met with a more mixed reception — some, such as ''

Galaga Legions is a 2008 Shoot'em up, twin-stick shooter video game developed and released by Namco Bandai Games for the Xbox 360. It is the twelfth game in the ''Galaxian'' series, and the third developed for home platforms. The player controls a starship, the ...

'' and its '' DX'' update, have been praised for expanding upon the gameplay in earlier titles, while others, such as '' Galaga: Destination Earth'', were criticized for being poor updates of the original. The success of the series has lend itself to other forms of media, including soundtrack CDs, apparel, garage kits and literature. Including re-releases, the ''Galaxian'' franchise has sold over 12 million copies, making it one of Bandai Namco's best-selling franchises of all time.

Arcade games

Home console and handheld games

Mobile games

Other titles

Notes

References

External links