Family Stadium,[a] also known as Pro Yakyū: Family Stadium and Famista, is a series of baseball sports video games initially developed and released by Namco in Japan, and later developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The first entry in the series, Pro Baseball: Family Stadium, was released for the Nintendo Family Computer in 1986 and later in North America as R.B.I. Baseball (subsequent games in this series would see various names used when exported to North America but none after 1992), with the series being released on numerous home consoles, the latest being Pro Yakyuu Famista 2020 in 2020 for the Nintendo Switch. The series is considered a precursor to Namco's own World Stadium series of baseball games, released for arcades, PlayStation, and GameCube. The series has been a commercial success since, with over 15 million copies being sold as of 2016.[1]

Family Stadium
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)
  • Namco
  • Bandai Namco Entertainment
Creator(s)Yoshihiro Kishimoto
Composer(s)Junko Ozawa
Hiromi Shibano
Platform(s)Family Computer, Super Famicom, MSX, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, PC, Mobile phone, Nintendo Switch
First releasePro Baseball: Family Stadium
December 10, 1986
Latest releasePro Yakyuu Famista 2020
September 17, 2020
Spin-offs

In April 1993, Famicom Tsūshin (Famitsu) magazine awarded Family Stadium a world record for being the video game franchise with the most published video game releases, with fourteen video games published for the series up until then.[2]

List of games

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Title Details

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1986 – Family Computer, Nintendo VS. System
Notes:
  • Localized and released as Atari R.B.I. Baseball and R.B.I. Baseball in the U.S.
Pro Baseball: Family Stadium '87

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1987 – Family Computer
Notes:
  • This game marks the first appearance of real players from Nippon Professional Baseball.
  • It topped the bi-weekly Japanese Famitsu sales charts in December 1987,[5] and again during late January to early February 1988.[6]
Pro Baseball: Family Stadium '88 Nendoban

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1988 – Family Computer
Pro Baseball Family Stadium: Home Run Contest

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1989 – MSX
Famista '89: Kaimaku Ban!!

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1989 – Family Computer
Notes:
  • It topped the bi-weekly Japanese Famitsu sales chart in August 1989.[8][9]
Pro Baseball Family Stadium: Pennant Race

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1989 – MSX
Notes:
Famista '90

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1989 – Family Computer
Famista

Original release dates:
  • JP: September 14, 1990[4]
  • NA: April 1991
Release years by system:
1990 – Game Boy
Notes:
  • Published in North America by Bandai as Extra Bases.
Pro Baseball: Family Stadium '90

Original release date(s):
  • JP: September 28, 1990
Release years by system:
1990 – FM Towns
Notes:
Famista '91

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1991 – Family Computer
Gear Stadium

Original release dates:
Release years by system:
1991 – Game Gear
Notes:
  • Released in North America as Batter Up.
Famista '92

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1991 – Family Computer

Original release dates:[13]
  • NA: October 1992
Release years by system:
1992 – Super Famicom
Notes:
Famista 2

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1992 – Game Boy
Famista '93

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1992 – Family Computer
Super Famista 2

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1993 – Super Famicom
Notes:
Famista 3

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1993 – Game Boy
Famista '94

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1993 – Family Computer
Super Famista 3

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1994 – Super Famicom
Super Famista 4

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1995 – Super Famicom
Notes:
  • Features in-game advertising From Kirin Beverages.
  • The last Family Stadium game published under Namco brand.
Gear Stadium Heiseiban

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1995 – Game Gear
Super Famista 5

Original release date(s):
Release years by system:
1996 – Super Famicom
Notes:
Famista 4

Original release date(s):
  • JP: November 29, 1996
Release years by system:
1996 – Game Boy
Notes:
  • Only available in Namco Gallery Vol.2.

Original release date(s):
  • JP: March 4, 1997
Release years by system:
1997 – Nintendo 64
Famista Advance

Original release date(s):
  • JP: June 28, 2002
Release years by system:
2002 – Game Boy Advance
Family Stadium 2003

Original release date(s):
  • JP: May 30, 2003
Release years by system:
2003 – GameCube
Pro Baseball: Famista DS

Original release date(s):
  • JP: November 15, 2007
Release years by system:
2007 – Nintendo DS
Pro Baseball: Family Stadium

Original release date(s):
  • JP: May 1, 2008
Release years by system:
2008 – Wii
Pro Baseball: Famista DS 2009

Original release date(s):
  • JP: April 2, 2009
Release years by system:
2009 – Nintendo DS
Famista Wireless

Original release date(s):
  • JP: October 1, 2009
(Softbank S!アプリ),
  • JP: February 2, 2010
(NTTDoCoMo FOMA)
Release years by system:
2009 – Mobile (Softbank, FOMA)
Pro Baseball: Famista DS 2010

Original release date(s):
  • JP: March 25, 2010
Release years by system:
2010 – Nintendo DS
Pro Baseball: Famista Online 2010

Original release date(s):
  • JP: April 30, 2010
Release years by system:
2010 – Microsoft Windows
Notes:
  • Developed by E-Frontier.
Pro Baseball: Famista 2011

Original release date(s):
  • JP: March 31, 2011
Release years by system:
2011 – Nintendo 3DS
Famista Dream Match

Original release date(s):
  • JP: October 1, 2014
Release years by system:
2014 – iOS, Android
Pro Baseball: Famista Returns

Original release date(s):
  • JP: October 8, 2015
Release years by system:
2015 – Nintendo 3DS
Pro Baseball: Famista Climax

Original release date(s):
  • JP: April 20, 2017
Release years by system:
2017 – Nintendo 3DS
Pro Baseball: Famista Evolution

Original release date(s):
  • JP: August 3, 2018
Release years by system:
2018 – Nintendo Switch
Pro Yakyuu Famista 2020

Original release date(s):[16]
  • JP: September 17, 2020
Release years by system:
2020 - Nintendo Switch

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Japanese: ファミスタ

References

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  1. ^ "「ファミスタ」シリーズが今年で30周年。ファミスタナイターなどのコラボ企画実施". 4gamer.net. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  2. ^ "Bravo World Record!". Famicom Tsūshin (in Japanese). No. 226. April 16, 1993. p. 81.
  3. ^ "総合ゲームカタログ". Bandai Namco Entertainment. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "総合ゲームカタログ (7)". Bandai Namco Entertainment. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  5. ^ "1987 Weekly". Game Data Library. Famitsu. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  6. ^ "ファミコン通信 TOP 30: 2月5日" [Famicom Tsūshin Top 30: February 5]. Famicom Tsūshin (in Japanese). Vol. 1988, no. 4. February 19, 1988. pp. 12–3.
  7. ^ "Family Stadium Professional Baseball Homerun Contest (1989, MSX2, NAMCO, Compile) | Generation MSX". Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  8. ^ "ファミコン通信 TOP 30" [Famicom Tsūshin Top 30]. Famicom Tsūshin. Vol. 1989, no. 19. September 15, 1989.
  9. ^ "ファミコン通信 TOP 30" [Famicom Tsūshin Top 30]. Famicom Tsūshin. Vol. 1989, no. 22. October 27, 1989.
  10. ^ "Family Stadium Professional Baseball Pennant Race (1989, MSX2, MSX2+, NAMCO, Compile) | Generation MSX". Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  11. ^ "COMPILE GAME HISTORY -MSX2-". Compile. Archived from the original on October 3, 2002. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h "総合ゲームカタログ (6)". Bandai Namco Entertainment. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  13. ^ "Super Batter up - Super NES - IGN". Archived from the original on January 25, 2013.
  14. ^ "Weekly Top 30 (3月8日〜3月14日)". Famicom Tsūshin (in Japanese). No. 225. April 9, 1993. pp. 14 to 15.
  15. ^ a b c "総合ゲームカタログ (5)". Bandai Namco Entertainment. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  16. ^ "Pro Yakyuu Famista 2020 launches September 17 in Japan". Gematsu. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
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