Derby Stallion

{{Infobox video game series

|title = Derby Stallion

|image = Derby Stallion cover.jpg

|caption =

|developer = ASCII (1991–1996)
ParityBit (1997–2014)
Land Ho! (2020)

|publisher = ASCII (1991–2000)
Nintendo (98)
Media Factory (64)
Enterbrain (2002–2008)
Kadokawa (Gold)
Game Addict (2020)

|creator = Hiroyuki Sonobe

|artist = Susumu Matsushita

|genre = Horse racing
Business simulation

|first release version = Derby Stallion: Best Race

|first release date = {{vg release|JP|December 21, 1991}}

|latest release version = Derby Stallion

|latest release date = {{vg release|JP|December 3, 2020}}

}}

{{nihongo|Derby Stallion|ダービースタリオン|Dābī Sutarion}} - also known in Japan by the portmanteau abbreviation {{nihongo|DerbyStal|ダビスタ|DabiSuta}} - is a series of genre-merging horse-racing and business simulation games originally created by ASCII. The series sold 6 million copies in Japan by 1999.{{cite web|first=Kirsten|last=Haukebo|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106592747/the-courier-journal/|title=Popular video game is based on racehorses|newspaper=The Courier-Journal|page=26|date=November 14, 1999|accessdate=July 30, 2022|archive-date=July 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730143706/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/106592747/the-courier-journal/|url-status=live}}

Gameplay

The ultimate goal of the player in the Derby Stallion games is to win the title of GI (Group I) Racer. To do this, the player must attempt to develop the greatest stock of horses that he can in order to have the greatest chance at each of the weekday and holiday races that compose the 1-year racing schedule of the fictitious "SRA" (an abbreviation of Sonobe Racing Association) group. Between races, the player engages in numerous business simulation, farm simulation, and role-playing activities.

Derby Stallion games have evolved as newer members of the series have been added, allowing players greater and greater control over every aspect of the horse-raising business. As such, the player must now race horses and place racing bets, manage the working of a stables and/or ranch, select different studs and broodmares for breeding, learn to break and train horses, and set up advantageous horse trades or sales, among other duties. Players must also make critical decisions about appropriate ages to race horses, breeds to pursue, and the timing of events to coincide with race dates. As the player improves the stock of his horses, his racing statistics, and his position in the world of the horse business, his Group Ranking increases until he reaches the goal of Group I at which point he has won the game. The games also allow the player to continue playing after the top goal has been met.

Derby Stallion games all feature a single-player mode, however much effort has been put into making the games as versatile as possible for multiplayer capabilities. Multiplayer functions allow players to trade or complete sales between themselves, to set up breeders' agreements, and to race against opponents. To accomplish this, various methods have been used to exchange data from the earliest password code exchange to online connectivity with PCs, Satellaview exchange (via 8MB memory packs and slotted application cartridge), and Randnet service.[http://ign64.ign.com/articles/067/067393p1.html GDC: Miyamoto Unveils Camera Connection] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615195907/http://ign64.ign.com/articles/067/067393p1.html |date=2011-06-15 }}. IGN. 18 March 1999. Other methods of data exchange that have been developed include telephone satellite connections for players using DoCoMo phones.

Series

class="wikitable"

!Name!!Release date!!Systems

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion: Best Race|ベスト競馬・ダービースタリオン}}

| December 21, 1991{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/best-keiba-derby-stallion/|title=Best Keiba Derby Stallion|website=GameSpot|access-date=2020-08-06|archive-date=2019-03-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190312031322/https://www.gamespot.com/best-keiba-derby-stallion/|url-status=live}}

| style="text-align: center; top" | Famicom

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion: National Edition|ダービースタリオン全国版}}

| August 29, 1992{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/derby-stallion-zengokuban/|title=Derby Stallion Zengokuban|website=GameSpot|access-date=2020-08-06|archive-date=2019-03-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190312113841/https://www.gamespot.com/derby-stallion-zengokuban/|url-status=live}}

| style="text-align: center; top" | Famicom

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion PC-9800 Series Edition|ダービースタリオンPC-9800シリーズ版}}

| May 28, 1993

| style="text-align: center; top" | PC-9800

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion DOS/V Edition|ダービースタリオンDOS/V版}}

| September 28, 1993

| style="text-align: center; top" | DOS/V

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion II|ダービースタリオンII}}

| February 18, 1994{{Cite web|url=http://www.allgame.com/splash.php|title=AllGame - Game Over|website=www.allgame.com|access-date=2019-11-23|archive-date=2010-01-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102122028/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7501|url-status=dead}}

| style="text-align: center; top" | Super Famicom

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion FM-TOWNS Edition|ダービースタリオンFM-TOWNS版}}

| February 18, 1994

| style="text-align: center; top" | FM Towns

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion EX|ダービースタリオンEX}}

| September 30, 1994

| style="text-align: center; top" | PC-9800

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion Macintosh Edition|ダービースタリオンMacintosh版}}

| November 26, 1994

| style="text-align: center; top" | Macintosh

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion III|ダービースタリオンIII}}

| January 20, 1995

| style="text-align: center; top" | Super Famicom

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion '96|ダービースタリオン96}}

| March 15, 1996

| style="text-align: center; top" | Super Famicom-Satellaview

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion|ダービースタリオン}}

| July 17, 1997{{cite web|first=Chris|last=Johnston|url=http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_07/17_derby/index.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19990202050542/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_07/17_derby/index.html|title=Derby Stallion Tops a Million|website=GameSpot|archivedate=February 2, 1999|date=July 17, 1997|accessdate=July 30, 2022}}

| style="text-align: center; top" | PlayStation

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion '98|ダービースタリオン98}}

| September 1, 1998

| style="text-align: center; top" | Super Famicom-Nintendo Power

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion|ダービースタリオン}}

| March 25, 1999{{Cite web|url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/sega-saturn/derby-stallion|title=Derby Stallion for SEGA Saturn (1999)|website=MobyGames|access-date=2019-11-23|archive-date=2021-04-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410073749/https://www.mobygames.com/game/sega-saturn/derby-stallion|url-status=live}}

| style="text-align: center; top" | Sega Saturn

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion '99|ダービースタリオン99}}

| September 30, 1999{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/games/derby-stallion-99|title=Derby Stallion 99 - IGN|via=www.ign.com|access-date=2019-11-23|archive-date=2024-01-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118045449/https://www.ign.com/games/derby-stallion-99|url-status=live}}

| style="text-align: center; top" | PlayStation

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion for Windows|ダービースタリオン for Win}}

| May 26, 2000{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/pc|title=PC Games, Wikis, Cheats, Walkthroughs, News, Reviews & Videos - IGN|via=www.ign.com|access-date=2019-11-23|archive-date=2021-01-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116171108/https://www.ign.com/pc|url-status=live}}

| style="text-align: center; top" | Microsoft Windows

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion 64|ダービースタリオン64}}

| August 10, 2001{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/games/derby-stallion-64|title=Derby Stallion 64 - IGN|via=www.ign.com|access-date=2019-11-23|archive-date=2023-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716041542/https://www.ign.com/games/derby-stallion-64|url-status=live}}{{Cite web | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/08/26/derby-stallion-lives | title=Derby Stallion Lives - IGN | author=IGN Staff | date=August 25, 2000 | access-date=August 7, 2020 | archive-date=September 15, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915155258/https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/08/26/derby-stallion-lives | url-status=live }}{{cite news | title=Connecting to the Cube | author=IGN Staff | date=September 14, 2001 | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/09/14/connecting-to-the-cube | access-date=August 7, 2020 | archive-date=November 28, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128163844/https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/09/14/connecting-to-the-cube | url-status=live }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/02/09/derby-stallion-64-screenshots|title=Derby Stallion 64 Screenshots - IGN|date=9 February 2001|via=www.ign.com|access-date=7 August 2020|archive-date=18 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118045435/https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/02/09/derby-stallion-64-screenshots|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/08/10/derby-stallion-64-ships|title=Derby Stallion 64 Ships - IGN|date=10 August 2001|via=www.ign.com|access-date=7 August 2020|archive-date=18 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118045450/https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/08/10/derby-stallion-64-ships|url-status=live}}{{cite news | title=Derby Stallion 64 (Import) | date=April 25, 2001 | author=IGN Staff | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/04/25/derby-stallion-64-import | access-date=August 7, 2020 | archive-date=November 3, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103062036/https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/04/25/derby-stallion-64-import | url-status=live }}

| style="text-align: center; top" | Nintendo 64

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion Advance|ダービースタリオンアドバンス}}

| December 6, 2002

| style="text-align: center; top" | Game Boy Advance

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion '04|ダービースタリオン04}}

| April 22, 2004{{Cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/derbystallion04 |title=Derby Stallion 04 (Ps2: 2004): Reviews |website=Metacritic |access-date=2009-09-26 |archive-date=2008-09-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080923113634/http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps2/derbystallion04 |url-status=dead}}

| style="text-align: center; top" | PlayStation 2

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion for DoCoMo|ダービースタリオン for DoCoMo}}

| Winter 2005

| style="text-align: center; top" | DoCoMo

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion P|ダービースタリオンP}}

| July 27, 2006{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/games/derby-stallion|title=Derby Stallion - IGN|via=www.ign.com|access-date=2019-11-23|archive-date=2024-01-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118045436/https://www.ign.com/games/derby-stallion|url-status=live}}

| style="text-align: center; top" | PSP

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion DS|ダービースタリオンDS}}

| June 26, 2008{{Cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/games/derby-stallion-ds|title=Derby Stallion DS - IGN|via=www.ign.com|access-date=2019-11-23|archive-date=2024-01-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118045452/https://www.ign.com/games/derby-stallion-ds|url-status=live}}

| style="text-align: center; top" | Nintendo DS

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion|ダービースタリオン}}

| Cancelled {{Cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tgs-2005-japanese-publishers-announce-next-gen-titles/1100-6133195/|title=TGS 2005: Japanese publishers announce next-gen titles|access-date=2019-11-23|archive-date=2020-06-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603213336/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tgs-2005-japanese-publishers-announce-next-gen-titles/1100-6133195/|url-status=live}}

| style="text-align: center; top" | PlayStation 3

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion Gold|ダービースタリオン Gold}}

| December 4, 2014

| style="text-align: center; top" | Nintendo 3DS

style="text-align: center; top" | {{nihongo|Derby Stallion|ダービースタリオン}}

| December 3, 2020{{cite web|url=https://www.gematsu.com/2020/10/derby-stallion-launches-december-3-in-japan|title=Derby Stallion launches December 3 in Japan|website=Gematsu|date=5 October 2020|access-date=October 5, 2020|archive-date=5 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005074807/https://www.gematsu.com/2020/10/derby-stallion-launches-december-3-in-japan|url-status=live}}

| style="text-align: center; top" | Nintendo Switch

Reception

Derby Stallion: Best Race topped the Japanese Famitsu sales chart in June 1992.{{cite magazine |title=Weekly Top 30 (6月19日) |magazine=Famicom Tsūshin |date=3 July 1992 |issue=185 |pages=14–5 |url=https://archive.org/details/weekly-famitsu-no.-185-july-3rd-1992-600dpi/Weekly%20Famitsu%20-%20No.%20185%20July%203rd%201992/page/15/mode/2up |lang=ja}}

Derby Stallion III sold 1.2 million copies and Derby Stallion '96 sold 1.1 million copies.{{cite web |url=http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-JPPlatinum.shtml |title=Japan Platinum Game Chart |publisher=The Magic Box |access-date=April 23, 2017 |archive-date=August 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801030711/http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-JPPlatinum.shtml |url-status=dead}} According to Weekly Famitsu, the 1997 Derby Stallion for the PlayStation was Japan's third-best-selling game of 1997, with sales of 1.58 million units.{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000301041540/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_02/05_japan/index.html | url=http://headline.gamespot.com/news/98_02/05_japan/index.html | title=Japan's Top Ten of '97 | author=Ohbuchi, Yutaka | date=February 5, 1998 | work=GameSpot | archive-date=March 1, 2000 | url-status=dead}} Derby Stallion '99 sold 1.1 million copies.