1997
Sierra announced that the release of the much awaited first-person shooter Half-Life would be delayed until 1998, rather than being released during the holiday seasons.
2003
The Walt Disney Company launches its massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Toontown Online for Windows. The game is the first MMORPG designed and policed specifically for children as young as seven years. Among its safety features is SpeedChat, a texting system that allows only certain white-listed phrases to be used in-game, a name generator that prevents inappropriate character names, and a complete lack of either fighting or commerce within the game. Even despite it's sometimes limiting safety measures, the game will rise to rate among the most popular MMORPG's of its times, peaking at ten thousand simultaneous players in-game in 2005. The game would be virtually showered with family-friendly awards, including a Webby Award and Computer Gaming World's MMORPG of the Year. (ESRB: E)
Webzen released the fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) MU Online for Windows. The game was widely perceived as an Everquest close, though the consensus was that the game's poor graphical quality left it inferior to other MMORPGs of its time. (ESRB: T)
2004
The 2004 World Cyber Games championship was held over five days in San Francisco, California. Nearly seven hundred gamers participate in the competition from fifty-nine countries, and they were joined by some thirty thousand spectators. The team representing the Netherlands team won the most points, while the Korean team wons the most medals.
2005
Australian courts ruled that installing modification chips in the PlayStation 2 video game console was a legal practive, even cases where the modification allows the console to play imported and pirated games.
Nintendo released the Rumble Pak accessory for the Nintendo DS, bundled with Metroid Prime Pinball.
2006
Codemasters Online Gaming released the ArchLord fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) for Windows in Europe. The game was unique among MMORPGs in that the object of the game is to become the ArchLord of the game but there can be only one ArchLord per server at any given time. In that way, the game resembles a complex version of King of the Hill.
GSC World Publishing released the fantasy-themed Heroes of Annihilated Empires for Windows in Europe, Russia, and the Ukraine. The game could be played individually as a roleplaying game or cooperatively as a real-time strategy game.
Ignition Entertainment released the Mercury Meltdown puzzle game for the PlayStation Portable in Europe. (PEGI: 3+)
Myelin Media released the Stacked with Daniel Negreanu poker game, based on the World Series of Poker, for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in North America. (ESRB: T)
Nintendo released the Nintendo DS Browser, featuring the Opera web browser for the Nintendo DS in Europe. The software allowed users to access the internet over their DS, but the system came to be widely criticized for its slow loading times and lack of Flash support. Price: £30
THQ released the expansion pack Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade for the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War real-time strategy game for personal computers in North America. The expansion featured new campaigns, new races, and new units. (ESRB: M)
Ubisoft released the Open Season game for the Nintendo DS in Europe. (OFLC: G)
Ubisoft released the racing game Import Tuner Challenge for the Xbox 360 in Europe. (PEGI: 3+)