Universal Arcade Facts
@universalfacts.bsky.social
Shedding some light on the arcade manufacturer that time (mostly) forgot. | Account run by @clipthejester.bsky.social (owner uses he/him)
As software piracy, especially in regards to the Commodore 64, was incredibly commonplace in Italy (as can be read about here), the C64 port of Mr. Do! was bootlegged several times, usually either under the titles of "Caves" or "Gigi il Minatore".
October 24, 2025 at 10:43 PM
As software piracy, especially in regards to the Commodore 64, was incredibly commonplace in Italy (as can be read about here), the C64 port of Mr. Do! was bootlegged several times, usually either under the titles of "Caves" or "Gigi il Minatore".
The cover for a bootleg Italian release of the C64 port of Mr. Do!, in which the protagonist is inexplicably depicted as a Jawa from the Star Wars series.
October 24, 2025 at 10:33 PM
The cover for a bootleg Italian release of the C64 port of Mr. Do!, in which the protagonist is inexplicably depicted as a Jawa from the Star Wars series.
Unlicensed releases of Cosmic Avenger, Lady Bug, and Space Panic for the Splicevision, a clone of the ColecoVision sold in Brazil.
September 26, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Unlicensed releases of Cosmic Avenger, Lady Bug, and Space Panic for the Splicevision, a clone of the ColecoVision sold in Brazil.
Gameplay footage of Cosmic Guerilla, a single-screen shooter released in 1979 by Universal.
One of many games to come out in the wake of Space Invaders, Cosmic Guerilla's main defining feature is its aliens having the ability to steal bases - and your extra lives if you are not quick enough.
One of many games to come out in the wake of Space Invaders, Cosmic Guerilla's main defining feature is its aliens having the ability to steal bases - and your extra lives if you are not quick enough.
September 1, 2025 at 12:56 AM
Gameplay footage of Cosmic Guerilla, a single-screen shooter released in 1979 by Universal.
One of many games to come out in the wake of Space Invaders, Cosmic Guerilla's main defining feature is its aliens having the ability to steal bases - and your extra lives if you are not quick enough.
One of many games to come out in the wake of Space Invaders, Cosmic Guerilla's main defining feature is its aliens having the ability to steal bases - and your extra lives if you are not quick enough.
Two photos of a promotional Mr. Do! T-shirt. Very little information seems to be available regarding this shirt.
August 23, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Two photos of a promotional Mr. Do! T-shirt. Very little information seems to be available regarding this shirt.
The flyer for B-29, an early lightgun game released by Universal in 1977.
August 22, 2025 at 9:43 PM
The flyer for B-29, an early lightgun game released by Universal in 1977.
If this version seems familiar, many (but absolutely not all) of the assets made for this port would later be reused for the MSX port, which was released a year later but lacks many of the features found in this version, including the Munchers and the intermission screen.
August 17, 2025 at 11:44 PM
If this version seems familiar, many (but absolutely not all) of the assets made for this port would later be reused for the MSX port, which was released a year later but lacks many of the features found in this version, including the Munchers and the intermission screen.
Gameplay footage of a Japan-exclusive port of Mr. Do! made for the short-lived Tomy Tutor/Pyūta computer.
August 17, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Gameplay footage of a Japan-exclusive port of Mr. Do! made for the short-lived Tomy Tutor/Pyūta computer.
A promotional store display made to advertise the ColecoVision version of Lady Bug.
August 11, 2025 at 11:49 PM
A promotional store display made to advertise the ColecoVision version of Lady Bug.
The US flyer for No Man's Land/Sengoku no Jieitai, a game released by Universal in 1980.
No Man's Land, interestingly, was the only Universal arcade game not to be distributed by Universal themselves in the US, instead being the first game to be distributed by Gottlieb.
No Man's Land, interestingly, was the only Universal arcade game not to be distributed by Universal themselves in the US, instead being the first game to be distributed by Gottlieb.
August 7, 2025 at 8:02 PM
The US flyer for No Man's Land/Sengoku no Jieitai, a game released by Universal in 1980.
No Man's Land, interestingly, was the only Universal arcade game not to be distributed by Universal themselves in the US, instead being the first game to be distributed by Gottlieb.
No Man's Land, interestingly, was the only Universal arcade game not to be distributed by Universal themselves in the US, instead being the first game to be distributed by Gottlieb.
Gameplay footage of Kong Strikes Back!, a clone of Mr. Do!'s Wild Ride released for several microcomputers by Ocean in 1984.
Branded as the sequel to Ocean's earlier Donkey Kong clone, Kong Strikes Back's main distinction is its "bombs" system, which allows the player to destroy the oncoming carts.
Branded as the sequel to Ocean's earlier Donkey Kong clone, Kong Strikes Back's main distinction is its "bombs" system, which allows the player to destroy the oncoming carts.
August 3, 2025 at 11:44 PM
Gameplay footage of Kong Strikes Back!, a clone of Mr. Do!'s Wild Ride released for several microcomputers by Ocean in 1984.
Branded as the sequel to Ocean's earlier Donkey Kong clone, Kong Strikes Back's main distinction is its "bombs" system, which allows the player to destroy the oncoming carts.
Branded as the sequel to Ocean's earlier Donkey Kong clone, Kong Strikes Back's main distinction is its "bombs" system, which allows the player to destroy the oncoming carts.
The flyer and cabinet for "Hunt Down", an alternate (likely unlicensed) Spanish release of Space Panic put out by Andra S.A.
![A scan of the flyer for "Hunt Down", a rebranded Spanish release of the 1980 Universal arcade game, Space Panic; present on the flyer is a photo of the cabinet, a loose description of the game, and advertisements for other Andra machines: Desert Wars (Battlezone), Asteroids Luxe (Asteroids Deluxe), Money Mountain, and Air Bat le [sic] (Red Baron).
(scan sourced from https://www.recreativas.org/hunt-down-1989-andra-sa)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:svwjqizdhs73y5bndou4666w/bafkreifo3eglsehrkvtslsqahfgdj5myv6xjhvrzsnvt6jjg2rhccc6gli@jpeg)
August 1, 2025 at 9:02 PM
The flyer and cabinet for "Hunt Down", an alternate (likely unlicensed) Spanish release of Space Panic put out by Andra S.A.
Two flyers advertising Universal's Laser System 1 standard for LaserDisc games, both of which reference games which ultimately never came out, such as "Adventure Mr. Do!" and "Space Dracula".
July 29, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Two flyers advertising Universal's Laser System 1 standard for LaserDisc games, both of which reference games which ultimately never came out, such as "Adventure Mr. Do!" and "Space Dracula".
It should also be noted that Indoor Soccer was not the absolute last arcade game to be distributed by Universal, as they also released a handful of games for Seta's Aleck 64 arcade hardware under the Aruze name.
July 25, 2025 at 11:42 PM
It should also be noted that Indoor Soccer was not the absolute last arcade game to be distributed by Universal, as they also released a handful of games for Seta's Aleck 64 arcade hardware under the Aruze name.
Gameplay footage of Indoor Soccer, a game released by Universal in 1985.
The last known arcade game to be released under the Universal banner, Indoor Soccer's main defining feature is its quadruple-stick setup, with each player controlling the two members of each team.
The last known arcade game to be released under the Universal banner, Indoor Soccer's main defining feature is its quadruple-stick setup, with each player controlling the two members of each team.
July 25, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Gameplay footage of Indoor Soccer, a game released by Universal in 1985.
The last known arcade game to be released under the Universal banner, Indoor Soccer's main defining feature is its quadruple-stick setup, with each player controlling the two members of each team.
The last known arcade game to be released under the Universal banner, Indoor Soccer's main defining feature is its quadruple-stick setup, with each player controlling the two members of each team.
The English-language flyer for Star Rub, a version of the 1974 Ramtek game Clean Sweep, released by Universal four years later.
July 22, 2025 at 5:27 PM
The English-language flyer for Star Rub, a version of the 1974 Ramtek game Clean Sweep, released by Universal four years later.
The instruction card for "Super Pierrot", a rereleased/rebranded version of Do! Run Run made for the Japanese market in 1987.
Being one of the last arcade games to be released by Universal, Do! Run Run originally only saw a very limited release across Universal-owned arcades in Japan.
Being one of the last arcade games to be released by Universal, Do! Run Run originally only saw a very limited release across Universal-owned arcades in Japan.
July 19, 2025 at 12:43 AM
The instruction card for "Super Pierrot", a rereleased/rebranded version of Do! Run Run made for the Japanese market in 1987.
Being one of the last arcade games to be released by Universal, Do! Run Run originally only saw a very limited release across Universal-owned arcades in Japan.
Being one of the last arcade games to be released by Universal, Do! Run Run originally only saw a very limited release across Universal-owned arcades in Japan.
The artwork featured on the "Taiwan Cooper" bootleg release of Donkey Kong for the Atari 2600 is actually heavily based upon (although not directly traced from) a print ad for the home conversions of Mr. Do's Castle.
July 15, 2025 at 10:53 PM
The artwork featured on the "Taiwan Cooper" bootleg release of Donkey Kong for the Atari 2600 is actually heavily based upon (although not directly traced from) a print ad for the home conversions of Mr. Do's Castle.
Space Panic would also not be the first time Universal visited this idea, as only three years later they would release Mr. Do's Castle, a game with the same basic concept but with a more colorful aesthetic.
July 12, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Space Panic would also not be the first time Universal visited this idea, as only three years later they would release Mr. Do's Castle, a game with the same basic concept but with a more colorful aesthetic.
Whilst Space Panic received many clones on both consoles and home computers, it only had two contemporary home ports; one to the ColecoVision and one to the Casio PV-1000. Both ports feature a fair amount of differences to the original, mainly in presentation.
July 12, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Whilst Space Panic received many clones on both consoles and home computers, it only had two contemporary home ports; one to the ColecoVision and one to the Casio PV-1000. Both ports feature a fair amount of differences to the original, mainly in presentation.
One of the more immediate examples of Space Panic's influence comes in the Lode Runner games; reportedly, the original incarnation of what would eventually become Lode Runner was inspired by a second-hand description of Space Panic's gameplay.
July 12, 2025 at 11:33 PM
One of the more immediate examples of Space Panic's influence comes in the Lode Runner games; reportedly, the original incarnation of what would eventually become Lode Runner was inspired by a second-hand description of Space Panic's gameplay.
Gameplay footage of Space Panic, released in 1980 by Universal.
This side-view take on the then-recent Heiankyo Alien may not have been Universal's most commercially successful game, but it absolutely was one of the most influential, effectively spawning what would later become the platform genre.
This side-view take on the then-recent Heiankyo Alien may not have been Universal's most commercially successful game, but it absolutely was one of the most influential, effectively spawning what would later become the platform genre.
July 12, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Gameplay footage of Space Panic, released in 1980 by Universal.
This side-view take on the then-recent Heiankyo Alien may not have been Universal's most commercially successful game, but it absolutely was one of the most influential, effectively spawning what would later become the platform genre.
This side-view take on the then-recent Heiankyo Alien may not have been Universal's most commercially successful game, but it absolutely was one of the most influential, effectively spawning what would later become the platform genre.
A flyer for the tabletop version of Scratch!, the first arcade video game to be released by Universal.
July 8, 2025 at 9:36 PM
A flyer for the tabletop version of Scratch!, the first arcade video game to be released by Universal.
An article from volume 12, no. 4 of Play Meter magazine, detailing Universal U.S.A.'s withdrawal from the video game industry to focus on slot machines.
By this point, many of the employees involved in game distribution had already left for other employers, such as Nintendo and Capcom.
By this point, many of the employees involved in game distribution had already left for other employers, such as Nintendo and Capcom.
July 4, 2025 at 10:56 PM
An article from volume 12, no. 4 of Play Meter magazine, detailing Universal U.S.A.'s withdrawal from the video game industry to focus on slot machines.
By this point, many of the employees involved in game distribution had already left for other employers, such as Nintendo and Capcom.
By this point, many of the employees involved in game distribution had already left for other employers, such as Nintendo and Capcom.
Interestingly, only a few years before the cocktail cabinet in Chicago resurfaced, a member of the "Universal Arcade Fans" Facebook group decided to take it upon themselves to recreate what they thought the game could be like, based solely on the screenshots present on the flyer.
July 2, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Interestingly, only a few years before the cocktail cabinet in Chicago resurfaced, a member of the "Universal Arcade Fans" Facebook group decided to take it upon themselves to recreate what they thought the game could be like, based solely on the screenshots present on the flyer.