<P> In 1987, Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi partnered with Nomura Securities on the development of the Family Computer Network System for the Famicom (NES) in Japan . Led by Masayuki Uemura, Nintendo Research & Development 2 developed the modem hardware, and Nomura Securities developed the client and server software and the information database . Five network - enabled games were developed for the system, including a graphical, competitive online multiplayer version of Yamauchi's favorite classic, Go . </P> <P> In 1987, Kesmai (the company which developed Islands of Kesmai) released Air Warrior on GEnie . It was a graphical flight simulator / air combat game, initially using wire frame graphics, and could run on Apple Macintosh, Atari ST, or Commodore Amiga computers . Over time, Air Warrior was added to other online services, including Delphi, CRIS, CompuServe, America Online, Earthlink, GameStorm and CompuLink . Over time, Kesmai produced many improved versions of the game . In 1997, a backport from Windows to the Macintosh was made available as an open beta on the Internet . In 1999, Kesmai was purchased by Electronic Arts, which started running the game servers itself . The last Air Warrior servers were shut down on December 7, 2001 . </P> <P> In 1988, Federation debuted on Compunet . It was a text - based online game, focused around the interstellar economy of our galaxy in the distant future . Players work their way up a series of ranks, each of which has a slightly more rewarding and interesting but difficult job attached, which culminates in the ownership of one's own "duchy", a small solar system . After some time on GEnie, in 1995 Federation moved to AOL . AOL made online games free, dropping surcharges to play, in 1996, and the resulting load caused it to drop online game offerings entirely . IBGames, creators of Federation, started offering access to the game through its own website, making it perhaps the first game to transition off of an online service provider . IBGames kept the game operational until 2005, after most of the player base transitioned to the sequel, 2003's Federation II . </P> <P> In 1990, Sega launched the online multiplayer gaming service Sega Meganet for the Mega Drive (Genesis) video game console . Sega continued to provide online gaming services for its later consoles, including the Sega NetLink service for the Sega Saturn and the SegaNet service for the Dreamcast . In 1995, Nintendo released the Satellaview, a satellite modem for the Super Famicom in Japan only after partnering up with St. GIGA, that gave the console online multiplayer gaming . In 1999, Nintendo released an add - on for the Nintendo 64 called the 64DD in Japan only, which offered Internet through a now - defunct dedicated online service for e-commerce, online gaming, and media sharing . The late 1990s saw an explosion of MMORPGs, including Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds (1996), Ultima Online (1997), Lineage (1998), and EverQuest (1999). </P>

When did the first online computer game appear