Released on April 28, 1995, in Japan and November 1, 1995, in the United States, Jumping Flash wasn’t a launch title for the PlayStation, which debuted on December 3, 1994, but the game’s producer, Perry Rodgers still believes it was a title that helped stress that the console was different.
While first and third-party games such as Rayman, Twisted Metal, Wipeout, Battle Arena Toshinden, Ridge Racer, Tekken, NBA Shootout and NHL FaceOff all played roles in the diverse library the original PlayStation was known for, Jumping Flash was something else entirely.
Over 25 years since the game’s initial release, its place cemented in PlayStation history by its inclusion on the PlayStation Classic in December of 2018, as well as digital rereleases on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable, Perry sees it as a wacky game that found an audience and set the groundwork for tons of similar titles in the future.
“It was one of those ‘quirky’ Japanese games,” Rodgers said. “They always had appeal in the office and with gamers. It definitely paved the way for games in that vein, like Katamari Damacy and plenty of others.”
Going on to serve as a Senior Producer on games such as MediEvil, Spyro the Dragon, Gran Turismo, Final Fantasy VII, Bushido Blade, Wild Arms and Hot Shots Golf 2 after his work on Jumping Flash, Rodgers’ career in gaming has been pivotal to the childhood of millions of gamers entranced by the original Sony PlayStation.
And while Jumping Flash isn’t nearly as revered as many of the other titles he’s been associated with, he still understands the impact it’s had on the shooter genre and the history of the PS1.
“It was a really amazing time to be a part of Sony and to have a credit on this title, one considered to be a classic by some, is exciting,” Rodgers said. “It was a game that showed what consumers and players could look forward to in terms of the PlayStation’s creativity within 3D worlds and was just the beginning of many of our beloved games from Japan.”
