| Derby Stallion | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre(s) | Horse racing Business simulation |
| Developer(s) | ASCII (1991–1996) ParityBit (1997–2014) Land Ho! (2020) |
| Publisher(s) | ASCII (1991–2000) Nintendo (98) Media Factory (64) Enterbrain (2002–2008) Kadokawa (Gold) Game Addict (2020) |
| Creator(s) | Hiroyuki Sonobe |
| Artist(s) | Susumu Matsushita |
| First release | Derby Stallion: Best Race
|
| Latest release | Derby Stallion
|
Derby Stallion (ダービースタリオン, Dābī Sutarion) - also known in Japan by the portmanteau abbreviation 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.[1]
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.[2] Other methods of data exchange that have been developed include telephone satellite connections for players using DoCoMo phones.
| Name | Release date | Systems |
|---|---|---|
| Derby Stallion: Best Race (ベスト競馬・ダービースタリオン) | December 21, 1991[3] | Famicom |
| Derby Stallion: National Edition (ダービースタリオン 全国版) | August 29, 1992[4] | Famicom |
| 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 | PC-9800 |
| Derby Stallion DOS/V Edition (ダービースタリオンDOS/V版) | September 28, 1993 | DOS/V |
| Derby Stallion II (ダービースタリオンII) | February 18, 1994[5] | Super Famicom |
| Derby Stallion FM-TOWNS Edition (ダービースタリオンFM-TOWNS版) | February 18, 1994 | FM Towns |
| Derby Stallion EX (ダービースタリオンEX) | September 30, 1994 | PC-9800 |
| Derby Stallion Macintosh Edition (ダービースタリオンMacintosh版) | November 26, 1994 | Macintosh |
| Derby Stallion III (ダービースタリオンIII) | January 20, 1995[5] | Super Famicom |
| Derby Stallion '96 (ダービースタリオン96) | March 15, 1996[5] | Super Famicom-Satellaview |
| Derby Stallion (ダービースタリオン) | July 17, 1997[6] | PlayStation |
| Derby Stallion '98 (ダービースタリオン98) | September 1, 1998[5] | Super Famicom-Nintendo Power |
| Derby Stallion (ダービースタリオン) | March 25, 1999[7] | Sega Saturn |
| Derby Stallion '99 (ダービースタリオン99) | September 30, 1999[8] | PlayStation |
| Derby Stallion for Windows (ダービースタリオン for Win) | May 26, 2000[9] | Microsoft Windows |
| Derby Stallion 64 (ダービースタリオン64) | August 10, 2001[10][11][12][13][14][15] | Nintendo 64 |
| Derby Stallion Advance (ダービースタリオンアドバンス) | December 6, 2002 | Game Boy Advance |
| Derby Stallion '04 (ダービースタリオン04) | April 22, 2004[16] | PlayStation 2 |
| Derby Stallion for DoCoMo (ダービースタリオン for DoCoMo) | Winter 2005 | DoCoMo |
| Derby Stallion P (ダービースタリオンP) | July 27, 2006[17] | PSP |
| Derby Stallion DS (ダービースタリオンDS) | June 26, 2008[18] | Nintendo DS |
| Derby Stallion (ダービースタリオン) | Cancelled [19] | PlayStation 3 |
| Derby Stallion Gold (ダービースタリオン Gold) | December 4, 2014 | Nintendo 3DS |
| Derby Stallion (ダービースタリオン) | December 3, 2020[20] | Nintendo Switch |
Derby Stallion: Best Race topped the Japanese Famitsu sales chart in June 1992.[21]
Derby Stallion III sold 1.2 million copies and Derby Stallion '96 sold 1.1 million copies.[22] 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.[23] Derby Stallion '99 sold 1.1 million copies.[22]
