2001 in video gaming

Events

Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts the 4th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts John Carmack of id Software to the AIAS Hall of Fame
BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) hosts the 4th annual BAFTA Interactive Awards for multimedia technologies; 15 of 21 awards go to video games
May 17-19 - 7th annual E (Electronic Entertainment Expo); the 4th annual Game Critics Awards For The Best Of E
Gama Network hosts the 3rd annual Independent Games Festival (IGF)
Game Developers Conference hosts the 1st annual Game Developers Choice Awards
Reuters reports that the Sega Dreamcast console has an estimated 800,000 online users playing its various online games already by midyear

reports that Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) and SEGA are cooperating to allow online users for the PlayStation 2 and Dreamcast consoles to play each other via the 1st ever cross-console network

Sony cooperates with AOL to incorporate Internet features with the PlayStation 2 console; which include a browser, email, and instant messaging capabilities
2nd annual Sega Dreamcast Championships (featuring the Crazy Taxi 2 video game)

Nikkei News reports that the video game Phantasy Star Online (for Sega Dreamcast) has had 300,000 worldwide users login already by midyear
December 31 - Jez San is awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours, becoming the first person awarded specifically for services to computer and video games.

Microsoft publishes by Bungie Studios. It becomes the Xbox's "killer app" and is the most popular console first-person shooter since GoldenEye 007 (1997).
Squaresoft releases Final Fantasy X, which is the first game in the series for the PlayStation 2, to exclusively use 3D graphics, and to have a direct sequel (Final Fantasy X-2, 2003).

March 21 - Nintendo's Game Boy Advance (GBA) handheld console in Japan (in the US on June 11 and Europe on June 22)
April - Indrema closes and its L600 Entertainment System multimedia home console is never released.
September 14 - Nintendo releases the GameCube home console in Japan (released in the United States on November 11 and in Europe on May 3, 2002)
November 15 - Microsoft's Xbox home console in the US (in Europe on March 14, 2002)
November 23 - GamePark releases the GP32 (GamePark 32) wireless-multiplayer multimedia handheld console in South Korea
December - Panasonic's Q multimedia console

Activision acquires Treyarch Invention LLC
PCCW (Pacific Century CyberWorks Japan Co., Ltd.) acquires VR1 Entertainment
Midway Games announces that it will no longer manufacture arcade games
SEGA announces that it will no longer develop home consoles, in order to focus on game development
Sega of America Inc. v. Kmart Corporation; Sega sues Kmart over an unpaid debt of over USD$2 million dollars
Uri Geller v. Nintendo; Geller sues Nintendo over his resemblance to a Pokmon character. The suit is dismissed.

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