Xybots

Xybots
Arcade flyer
DeveloperAtari Games
PublisherAtari Games
DesignerEd Logg
ProgrammersEd Logg
Bob Flanagan
ArtistsSam Comstock
Mark West
ComposersHal Canon
Brad Fuller
Earl Vickers
PlatformsArcade, MSX, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Atari Lynx
Release
November 1987
  • Arcade
    • NA: November 1987
    Amiga, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum
    • UK: June 1989
    CPC
    Lynx
GenreThird-person shooter
ModesSingle-player, multiplayer

Xybots is a 1987 third-person shooter video game developed and published by Atari Games for arcades. Players control "Major Rock Hardy" and "Captain Ace Gunn", who must travel through a three-dimensional maze and battle a series of robots known as the Xybots, whose mission is to destroy all mankind. The game features a split screen display showing the gameplay on the bottom half of the screen and information on player status and the current level on the top half.

Designed by Ed Logg, it was originally conceived as a sequel to his previous title, Gauntlet. The game was well received, with reviewers lauding the game's various features, particularly the cooperative multiplayer aspect. Despite this, it was met with limited financial success, which has been attributed to its unique control scheme that involves rotating the joystick to turn the player character. Xybots was ported to various personal computers and the Atari Lynx handheld. Versions for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive were announced, but never released. Emulated versions of the arcade game were later released as part of various compilations, starting with Midway Arcade Treasures 2 in 2004.