Robotron: 2084

Robotron: 2084
Arcade flyer showing the upright cabinet
Developer
Vid Kidz
  • Lynx
    Shadowsoft
Publisher
DesignersEugene Jarvis
Larry DeMar
Programmers
Eugene Jarvis
Larry DeMar
  • Atari 8-bit
    Judy Bogart
  • 7800
    David Brown
  • Apple II
    Steven Hays
  • C64
    Tom Griner
  • Lynx
    Dave Dies
Platform
Release
March 1982
  • Arcade
    • NA: March 1982
    Atari 8-bit
    • January 1984
    VIC-20
    • February 1984
    5200, C64
    • March 1984
    Apple II, IBM PC
    • 1984
    BBC Micro
    7800
    • May 15, 1986
    Atari ST
    • 1987
    Lynx
GenreTwin-stick shooter
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer

Robotron: 2084 (also referred to simply as Robotron) is a twin-stick shooter video game developed by Eugene Jarvis and Larry DeMar of Vid Kidz and released by Williams Electronics for arcades in 1982. The game is set in the year 2084 in a dystopian future where robots have turned against humans in a cybernetic revolt. The player's goals are to defeat endless waves of robots, rescue surviving humans, and earn as many points as possible.

Jarvis and DeMar drew inspiration from Nineteen Eighty-Four, Berzerk and Space Invaders when designing Robotron: 2084. The pair designed the game to instill panic in players by presenting them with conflicting goals and having many on-screen projectiles coming from multiple directions. A two-joystick control scheme was implemented to provide the player with more precise controls, and enemies with different behaviors were added to make the game challenging. Following its release in arcades, Atari ported the game several home platforms in the 1980s. It was later included in many retro gaming collections.

Robotron was critically and commercially successful. Praise among critics focused on the game's intense action, control scheme, and colorful visuals. While its challenging gameplay proved popular, commentators acknowledged it catered to select players. Though not the first game with twin joystick controls, Robotron: 2084 is cited as the game that popularized it in the 1980s; the design later saw a resurgence in the 2000s. Jarvis used the same control scheme later in the 1990 Smash TV. Robotron was ported to numerous home systems, most of which lacked the arcade's control hardware. It is frequently listed as one of Jarvis's best contributions to the video game industry.