1980s
Tron
1982 · Action · Arcade
Overview
Tron is a classic 1980s action game developed by Midway for Arcade.
Deep Dive
Tron is a classic 1980s action game developed by Midway for Arcade.
Developer Story
Tron was developed by Midway in 1982 to tie in with Disney's film of the same name. The game was designed by Bill Adams and comprised four sub-games: a light cycle race, a tank battle, a grid bug shooter, and an I/O Tower level. It was one of the first major licensed games and one of the first to use speech synthesis matched to a film property. Tron became one of the best-selling arcade games of 1982.
Did You Know?
- Tron was a four-in-one game — players cycled through four distinct mini-games, each tied to a scene from the film.
- The light cycle section became the most iconic, inspiring dozens of snake-style games in its wake.
- It was one of the first major film tie-in arcade games, establishing the pattern of synchronising game and film releases.
- The game used synthesised dialogue from the film, creating an immersive connection to the movie unusual for its era.
