BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Celebrates 35 Years of PAC-MAN!

BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. has kicked off a multitude of festivities to commemorate the 35th anniversary of its flagship maze-running arcade game series and mascot, PAC-MAN, which first arrived in Japan on May 22, 1980. To celebrate, the publisher is updating the mobile releases of PAC-MAN and PAC-MAN Lite with a new, classic-inspired user interface, which players can enjoy on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

“From arcades and consoles to digital and mobile, PAC-MAN has remained a fixture in our gaming lives. The endless appeal of the series’ simple but masterful design after all this time is nothing short of remarkable,” said Jeferson Valadares, General Manager and Vice President of Product Development at BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. “But more than anything else, this is an anniversary for the fans. If you treasure any fond PAC-MAN memories of your own from the past 35 years, we hope you share them with someone special today and make some new ones together.”

“We are excited to bring a new, refreshing look to PAC-MAN for PAC-MAN’s 35th birthday celebration,” said Ben Acevedo, Producer of PAC-MAN mobile products. “This is an almost totally new PAC-MAN. Everything has been redesigned to enhance the player’s experience. We have brought a pixel-to-pixel recreation of the classic game with the same difficulty, and we have also introduced new mazes and challenges. We are planning to continue to bring new elements to PAC-MAN and evolve the franchise!”

 PAC-MAN’s official 35th birthday party will be held on May 22nd at Level 257, NAMCO USA Inc.’s chic restaurant and entertainment venue in Schaumburg, Ill., just outside of Chicago. The party will feature industry VIPs, including the lead creator of the original PAC-MAN game, Professor Toru Iwatani; food and drinks; and special PAC-MAN-themed games and events, including the presentation of the official 35th birthday cake to PAC-MAN himself!

The newly updated PAC-MAN is currently available for $6.99 on the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. A free trial version of the game – PAC-MAN Lite – is also available on the App Store.