Pixels and Platoons: The Untold Story of G.I. Joe on the NES

In the late 1980s, G.I. Joe was riding high as one of the most recognizable action brands in the world. With a hit animated series, a long-running Marvel comic, and a best-selling toy line from Hasbro, the Real American Hero had conquered television sets and toy aisles alike. But in 1991, G.I. Joe would launch a new offensive — this time in the living rooms of video game fans across North America. The G.I. Joe NES game, developed by the Japanese company KID (Kindle Imagine Develop) and published by Taxan, is a cult favorite. But the story behind its creation is filled with lesser-known twists, untapped ambitions, and an unsung team of pixel artists who brought Cobra and Joe to life in 8-bit glory.

From Toy Shelf to Console

Hasbro had been toying (pun intended) with the idea of breaking into the video game market since the mid-1980s. With brands like Transformers and G.I. Joe reaching a peak in popularity, it was only logical to expand into interactive entertainment. However, after the disastrous reception of other toy-licensed games (such as Transformers: Mystery of Convoy in Japan), Hasbro was cautious.

By 1989, the company started quietly exploring partners with a strong technical understanding of the Nintendo Entertainment System, which dominated the home console market. Enter KID, a relatively young but passionate development studio in Japan. KID had just come off smaller projects and were looking for a way to make a name for themselves. Through Taxan, a U.S. publishing subsidiary of Japanese firm NTVIC, Hasbro greenlit the G.I. Joe game with a hands-off approach, trusting Taxan and KID to honor the brand’s integrity.

Design with Duty

The NES G.I. Joe game was innovative for its time. Rather than focusing on a single protagonist, it allowed players to build a team of five Joes — each with unique stats, weapons, and movement abilities. Duke, Snake Eyes, Blizzard, Rock ‘n Roll, and Captain Grid-Iron led the charge in this squad-based run-and-gun title, offering a level of strategy rarely seen in action games at the time. Few fans realize that the inclusion of Blizzard and Grid-Iron was based on their then-recent figure releases in 1990 and 1991, part of a cross-promotional push by Hasbro.

The level design subtly mirrors real-world military locales — from Arctic bases to jungle outposts — loosely inspired by Cold War tensions and fictional Cobra bases brainstormed in early Marvel comic plots. The final stage, Cobra Headquarters, was designed to resemble a cross between the Terrordrome toy and Cobra Island from the comics, a rare fusion of Hasbro’s three G.I. Joe universes.

The Pixel Platoon

One of the lesser-known heroes of the game’s development was Takehiko Yoko, lead sprite artist and character designer. A fan of the American cartoon, Yoko insisted on hand-drawing the character portraits from paused VHS tapes of the Sunbow series. These detailed character select screens were praised for their fidelity and expressive emotion — an impressive feat on the limited NES palette.

The music was composed by Iku Mizutani, known for his work on Shatterhand and Ninja Gaiden II. His soundtrack for G.I. Joe remains one of the most high-energy NES scores, with Cobra Commander’s theme still beloved by chiptune fans. Interestingly, Mizutani would later reuse similar drum patterns for Power Blade.

Hidden Intel

A few tidbits even hardcore fans might not know:

• Snake Eyes is the only character whose sprite does not blink when idle, a nod to his stoic, silent personality.
• There were early plans to make Cobra playable in a sequel. An unreleased prototype document lists playable villains like Baroness, Firefly, and Destro.
• A second G.I. Joe game The Atlantis Factor was released in 1992 — also developed by KID, but with more Capcom-like gameplay and a single-player focus.

Though G.I. Joe’s NES run was brief, it was impactful. In a sea of hastily produced licensed games, the Taxan NES game stood out with tight controls, character variety, and deep respect for the source material. Today, it holds a nostalgic place in the hearts of Joe fans and retro gamers alike — proof that real heroes can wear pixels just as well as plastic.