In 1981, Frogger succeeded in putting not one, but two companies on the map. Japanese developer Konami created Frogger, after which Sega distributed the game throughout the world. Both companies had been in the video game industry for several years by the time Frogger was released, and Sega had even had some minor success distributing games for other companies like Data East and Nichibutsu. Frogger, however, was bigger than anything either company had done before, and this became clear immediately after the game's release. Despite stiff competition from contemporaries like Pac-Man, Centipede and Donkey Kong, Frogger earned plenty of accolades, and more importantly, plenty of cash for arcade owners.
The following year, Frogger helped another company find its footing in the video game industry. After deciding to enter the home market, Parker Brothers made Frogger their flagship release, porting the game to a wide variety of game consoles and computers, most notably the Atari 2600. The game was a hit at home just like it was at the arcade, and even prompted Parker to create their own sequel to the game, Frogger II: Threeedeep!
Fifteen years later, Frogger added another chapter to its story, and became a hit for yet another company. After acquiring what was left of Atari Corporation, Hasbro formed Hasbro Interactive, a company dedicated to putting new spins on old favorites. Their first effort was a 3D facelift for Frogger. 3D remakes were still a novel idea at the time, but Frogger's update proved so successful that it wasn't long before Hasbro and other companies were scrambling to see what other games they could dust off.
During all that time, and well afterward, the original Frogger endured, and the game remains a highlight of the early 1980s arcade. That hapless frog may still be trying to find his way home, but the game has already found its place in the history books.