List of video game mascots

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A video game mascot is a mascot that is used by video game companies to promote both the company and their specific video game series and franchises. [1] Video game mascots are sometimes considered to be similar to those at sporting events, with larger-than-life animals, such as Pikachu or Crash Bandicoot. [1] However, some video game mascots, especially modern ones, are more human, such as Nathan Drake or Lara Croft becoming a series mascot.

Contents

There are few rules surrounding which characters are considered to be mascots for a series, but they are generally those that are featured highly in the promotional media for the game, and are often those that are known outside of the game platform. [2] Many video game mascots have transcended their original video game series and have been promoted across multiple games and platforms. [2]

Company/System mascots

● Koei-Tecmo — Nyabraham Lynnyahn

Specific series mascots

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Platformer</span> Video game genre

A platformer is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels with uneven terrain and suspended platforms of varying height that require jumping and climbing to traverse. Other acrobatic maneuvers may factor into the gameplay, such as swinging from vines or grappling hooks, jumping off walls, gliding through the air, or bouncing from springboards or trampolines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pikachu</span> Pokémon species

Pikachu is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon media franchise, and the franchise's mascot. First introduced in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue, it was created by Atsuko Nishida at the request of lead designer Ken Sugimori, with the design finalized by Sugimori. Since Pikachu's debut, it has appeared in multiple games including Pokémon Go and the Pokémon Trading Card Game, as well as various merchandise. While Pikachu has been primarily voiced in media by Ikue Ōtani, other actors have also voiced the character including Kate Bristol, Ryan Reynolds, Kaiji Tang, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tōru Ōkawa, and Koichi Yamadera.

<i>Spyro</i> Series of platform video games

Spyro is a platform game series originally created by Insomniac Games as an exclusive for Sony's PlayStation console. The series features the adventures of the main protagonist of the title character, a dragon. Since the series' introduction in 1998, there have been numerous sequels and a reboot trilogy. The series was originally produced by Universal Interactive, later became known as Vivendi Games; the rights to the intellectual property were acquired by Activision after its merge with Vivendi in 2008.

<i>Klonoa</i> Video game series

Klonoa is a series of platform video games primarily developed and published by Namco. It stars Klonoa, an anthropomorphic creature who explores dream worlds. The series includes two main games: Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (1997) for the PlayStation and Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (2001) for the PlayStation 2. A remake of Door to Phantomile was released for the Wii in 2008, and remasters of both games were released in 2022. The series also includes a set of handheld games released between 1999 and 2002 for the WonderSwan and Game Boy Advance.

<i>Spyro the Dragon</i> 1998 video game

Spyro the Dragon is a 1998 platform game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. The first game in the Spyro series, it stars the title character, a young purple dragon named Spyro, and his dragonfly friend, Sparx, who must journey across the Dragon Kingdom to defeat Gnasty Gnorc, who has overtaken the five dragon Homeworlds by trapping the other dragons in crystal and turning their hoard of gems into an army of minions. Spyro the Dragon is an open-ended 3D platformer, featuring large, sprawling levels in which the player must locate collectable items, among which are gemstones, crystallized dragons, and stolen dragon eggs. Spyro's abilities as a dragon include fire breath, a head-on charging attack, and a mid-air glide which he can use to scale large distances, all of which must be used strategically to find items and defeat enemies.

Toys for Bob, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Novato, California. It was founded in 1989 by Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford and is best known for creating Star Control and the Skylanders franchise, as well as for working on the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro franchises.

WayForward Technologies, Inc. is an American independent video game developer and publisher based in Valencia, California. Founded in March 1990 by technology entrepreneur Voldi Way, WayForward started by developing games for consoles such as the Super NES and Sega Genesis, as well as TV games and PC educational software. In 1997, they relaunched their video games arm, placing the company as a contractor for publishers and working on a variety of licensed assets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crash Bandicoot (character)</span> Fictional video game character

Crash Bandicoot is the title character and main protagonist of the Crash Bandicoot series. Introduced in the 1996 video game Crash Bandicoot, Crash is a mutant eastern barred bandicoot who was genetically enhanced by the series' main antagonist Doctor Neo Cortex and soon escaped from Cortex's castle after a failed experiment in the "Cortex Vortex". Throughout the series, Crash acts as the opposition against Cortex and his schemes for world domination. While Crash has a number of offensive maneuvers at his disposal, his most distinctive technique is one in which he spins like a tornado at high speeds and knocks away almost anything that he strikes.

<i>Crash Bandicoot</i> Video game franchise

Crash Bandicoot is a video game franchise originally developed by Naughty Dog as an exclusive for Sony's PlayStation console. It has seen numerous installments created by various developers and published on multiple platforms. The series consists predominantly of platform games, but also includes spin-offs in the kart racing and party game genres. The series was originally produced by Universal Interactive, which later became known as Vivendi Games; in 2008, Vivendi merged with Activision, which currently owns and publishes the franchise.

<i>Bubsy 3D</i> 1996 video game

Bubsy 3D is a 1996 platform game developed by Eidetic and published by Accolade for the PlayStation. It is the first and only 3D game in the Bubsy series, and the fourth game in the series overall. The game was released for the PlayStation on November 25, 1996, in North America, with a later European release in August 1997. Bubsy 3D follows the series' titular character, an orange bobcat named Bubsy, who travels to the planet Rayon to stop the alien Woolies, and return safely to Earth.

Inti Creates Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game development company. Formed by ex-Capcom staff in May 1996, they are best known for developing games in the Mega Man series, namely the Mega Man Zero and Mega Man ZX series, and their flagship Azure Striker Gunvolt and Gal Gun franchises.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sackboy</span> Fictional video game character

Sackboy is a fictional character and main protagonist of the LittleBigPlanet video game series published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Introduced in the 2008 video game LittleBigPlanet, Sackboy is a small, anthropomorphic, humanoid doll-like character made of burlap sack with a brown knit pattern by default, with a zip fastener and button eyes. Sackboy was originally designed to be a "blank canvas" for LittleBigPlanet players, and is fully customisable using costumes which are either in-game unlockable content, or purchased as downloadable content (DLC) from the PlayStation Store. Sackboy was jointly created by the founding members of British game studio Media Molecule. Scottish composer Kenneth Young provided the vocal effects for the character from 2008 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spyro (character)</span> Video game character

Spyro is a fictional character and the titular protagonist of the same name video game series, including The Legend of Spyro, and a guest character in the Skylanders series, first appearing in Spyro the Dragon in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Interactive</span> Defunct American video game publisher

Universal Interactive was an American video game publisher. The company was established on January 4, 1994, and led by Skip Paul and Robert Biniaz of MCA. It was best known for producing the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro platform game franchises.

<i>Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind</i> 1993 video game

Bubsy in: Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind, often shortened to Bubsy, is a platform game developed by Accolade and released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis in 1993. It is the first entry in the Bubsy series of video games. The game's title is a play on words in reference to the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, with the game revolving around Bubsy defending the planet's supply of yarn balls from alien invaders.

<i>Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back</i> 2017 video game

Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back is a platform game developed by Black Forest Games and published by UFO Interactive Games under the Accolade label. It was released for PlayStation 4 and Windows on 31 October 2017. The game is the fifth installment in the Bubsy series, and the first new entry in 21 years since Bubsy 3D.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evan Wells</span> American video game designer

Evan Wells is an American video game designer and programmer and former president of Naughty Dog. Wells's first video game was at Sega, where he worked on ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron, before moving to Crystal Dynamics in 1995 to work on Gex and Gex: Enter the Gecko. He was employed at Naughty Dog in 1998, working on several Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter titles before becoming co-president of the company alongside Stephen White in 2005; White was replaced the following year by Christophe Balestra, who retired in 2017. The two oversaw the release of the Uncharted series, and The Last of Us. Wells remained the sole president, overseeing the release of The Last of Us Part II, until Neil Druckmann's promotion to co-president in 2020. Wells announced his retirement in 2023.

<i>Spyro Reignited Trilogy</i> 2018 video game

Spyro Reignited Trilogy is a 2018 platform game compilation developed by Toys for Bob and published by Activision. It includes remakes of the first three games in the Spyro series: Spyro the Dragon (1998), Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! (1999), and Spyro: Year of the Dragon (2000). Reignited was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2018, while Nintendo Switch and Windows versions were released in September 2019. The collection received positive reviews from critics and has sold over 10 million units as of September 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shantae (character)</span> Video game character

Shantae is the title character and main protagonist of the Shantae video game series developed and published by WayForward Technologies. She was created by Erin Bozon, wife of Matt Bozon, WayForward's creative director. She has been voiced by Cristina Vee since 2014's Shantae and the Pirate's Curse.

References

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