1953 — Tokyo, Japan — Still Making Games
The Arcade Giants Who Started Everything
In 1978, a small Japanese company called Taito released Space Invaders and changed the world. The game became a cultural phenomenon, caused a temporary coin shortage across Japan, and single-handedly established the global video game industry. Over the following decades, Taito went on to create Bubble Bobble, Arkanoid, Operation Wolf, Darius, and dozens more classics - each one a landmark of arcade design that still resonates today.
Landmark Titles
From the alien invasion of 1978 to the candy-coloured worlds of 1986 and beyond - these are the Taito games that shaped what video games became.
Designed by Tomohiro Nishikado over one year - including building custom hardware from scratch - Space Invaders created the shoot 'em up genre, caused a Japanese coin shortage, and became the world's first video game cultural phenomenon. The Atari 2600 port quadrupled console sales and established the concept of the killer app.
Fukio Mitsuji's masterpiece - 100 single-screen levels of bubble-trapping precision gameplay, starring Bub and Bob. One of the finest co-operative arcade games ever made, with a deceptively deep difficulty curve, hidden secrets across every level, and a joyful visual identity that launched one of gaming's most enduring franchises.
Taito's sophisticated reinvention of Atari's Breakout introduced power-ups, multiple brick types, enemy ships, and boss encounters - elevating block-breaking from a simple diversion to a compelling arcade game. Massively ported to every home platform, with a celebrated Martin Galway SID soundtrack on the Commodore 64.
Fukio Mitsuji's sequel to Bubble Bobble transformed Bub back into human form and armed him with rainbows - used both as platforms and weapons. Visually stunning for its era, packed with hidden secrets, and endlessly replayable. The Amiga conversion is one of the finest home computer ports of any arcade game.
A milestone light gun arcade game featuring a mounted Uzi-style gun peripheral bolted to the cabinet. One of the best-selling arcade titles of 1987–1988, Operation Wolf's visceral rail-shooting gameplay was widely ported to home computers, where the mouse or joystick approximations proved surprisingly compelling.
Also known as Bust-A-Move in Western markets, Puzzle Bobble took Bub and Bob's bubble-trapping mechanic and refined it into one of the purest puzzle games ever designed. The franchise it launched continues to this day - Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! (2023) proves the concept remains as compelling as ever.
The Moment Everything Changed
When Tomohiro Nishikado released Space Invaders in July 1978, he didn't just create a game - he triggered a global cultural transformation that reshaped entertainment, technology, and commerce.
The game earned Taito approximately $500 million in its first year in Japan alone. Arcades struggled to keep enough 100-yen coins in stock. The Japanese government temporarily minted additional coins to meet demand. When Atari licensed Space Invaders for the Atari 2600 in 1980, it became the platform's first killer app - quadrupling console sales and establishing the home video game market.
By 2007, Space Invaders had generated an estimated $13 billion in revenue across all formats - making it one of the highest-grossing entertainment properties in history. Not bad for a game designed by one engineer, building custom hardware in his spare time, inspired by H.G. Wells and the limitations of 1970s silicon.
Explore This Site
From jukebox importer (1953) to Space Invaders (1978) through the arcade golden age, home computer era, and Square Enix acquisition (2005). The full story of one of gaming's most important companies.
Tomohiro Nishikado built the hardware and wrote the code for Space Invaders almost single-handedly. Fukio Mitsuji ("MTJ") gave the world Bubble Bobble and Rainbow Islands. Meet the designers who made Taito great.
MTJ's design philosophy, the mechanical elegance of the 100-level progression, the co-operative design that rewards communication, and a cultural legacy that extends from NES to Nintendo Switch.
Documentaries, longplays, and retrospective coverage - including the Gaming Historian, World of Longplays, and developer interview material covering Space Invaders, Bubble Bobble, Darius, and more.