Millipede
1982 · Shooter · Arcade
Overview
Millipede is a 1982 fixed shooter video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. for arcades. It was released by Namco in Japan.
Deep Dive
Millipede is a 1982 fixed shooter video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. for arcades. It was released by Namco in Japan. It is the sequel to 1981's Centipede, with more gameplay variety and a wider array of insect enemies. The objective is to score as many points as possible by destroying all segments of a millipede that moves toward the bottom of the screen, as well as eliminating or avoiding other enemies. As with its predecessor, the game is played with a trackball and a single fire button which can be held down for rapid-fire.
Developer Story
Millipede was developed by Atari in 1982 as a sequel to Centipede. Designer Dave Theurer — creator of Missile Command and Tempest — returned to add new enemy types including DDT bombs, earwigs that changed mushroom values, and inchworms that slowed the action. The game was technically superior to Centipede but never achieved the same cultural footprint.
Did You Know?
- Millipede added DDT bombs — shooting one created a cloud that destroyed any enemy entering it, rewarding strategic planning.
- Earwigs turned mushrooms into flowers worth more points, changing the incentive structure of the mushroom garden.
- Bees moved faster than any enemy in Centipede and required quick reflexes to handle.
- Despite being a more sophisticated game than Centipede, Millipede sold fewer units — the Centipede name had too much equity to transfer.
