1980s
Stargate
1981 · Shooter · Arcade
Overview
Stargate is a classic 1980s shooter game developed by Eugene Jarvis & Larry DeMar for Arcade.
Deep Dive
Stargate is a classic 1980s shooter game developed by Eugene Jarvis & Larry DeMar for Arcade.
Developer Story
Stargate was designed by Eugene Jarvis and Larry DeMar at Williams Electronics in 1981 as the sequel to Defender. Jarvis added the inviso (temporary invisibility), the phaser (fires across the entire screen), and the eponymous Stargate — a warp tunnel allowing instant travel across the playfield. The game is considered by many to be a refinement of Defender rather than a true sequel, as it retained all the original mechanics while adding complexity.
Did You Know?
- Stargate added three new weapons to Defender's arsenal: the inviso (invisibility cloak), phaser (screen-wide weapon), and the warp Stargate itself.
- The game was released as "Stargate" in most markets but renamed "Defender II" in some regions to capitalise on the original's name recognition.
- Jarvis later said the phaser was so powerful that it broke the game's balance — experienced players could use it to trivialise difficult situations.
- Despite being the sequel to one of the highest-grossing games of 1981, Stargate sold only about 20,000 units.
