Today is Pac-Man’s 35th birthday.
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Developed by video game company Namco and designer Toru Iwatani, Pac-Man was officially released for Japanese arcades on May 22, 1980–though the game eventually made it stateside in October of that year. It didn’t take long for Pac-Man to establish itself as one of the most successful video games of all time, spawning an entire franchise that’s grown with every generation of video game system and platform. It has also spawned several spinoffs, like Ms. Pac-Man. Even the Pac-Man character has reached an iconic status in popular culture, rivaled by few other classic arcade characters in popularity.
In honor of the milestone, Bandai Namco is celebrating their greatest creation with a classic-themed user interface on their Pac-Man mobile gaming apps, and a massive birthday party at their Level 257 Pac-Man restaurant in Chicago. We just the cake looks a little more appetizing than grey dots.
Later this summer, viewers can catch Pac-Man (albeit in a villainous role) on the big screen when Pixels hits theaters on July 24. Happy Birthday, Pac-Man!
