Sega turned it down. Nintendo put it on the Disk System, and players rewrote their disks with it 970,000 times.
Pax Softnica was a small company in Tokyo. In 1986 it had a volleyball game that was still being built, and it showed the game to Sega first. The head of the company later told Famitsu that Sega did not give them a very good answer. Then Nintendo made an offer: would they release it as a game for the Famicom Disk System? After that, he said, everything was decided before they knew it. In shops, a Disk Writer machine could write a new game onto a player's own disk. Volleyball was written this way 970,000 times, the second most of any Disk System game.
In the Disk System years, playing volleyball and ice hockey as video games was something new in Japan.
While making this page, I noticed that the same company was involved in both. Volleyball, released in 1986, was made by Pax Softnica, a small company in Tokyo, and it grew out of Attack Four, the company's own volleyball game for the MSX. Two years later, in 1988, Pax Softnica also worked on Nintendo's Ice Hockey for the Disk System. The characters and sound in that game were made by the same employee who had created Attack Four.
The skills you build on one job carry over to the next.
About this game
On July 21, 1986, five months after the Famicom Disk System went on sale, Nintendo released Volleyball for it. You pick one of six national teams, including Japan, the United States, Cuba, and the Soviet Union, and play through a tournament. One or two people can play, and two players can face each other. In 1987 the game crossed to North America and Europe as an NES cartridge.
Gallery
The Story Behind
The Famicom Disk System went on sale in February 1986, and Nintendo needed games for it quickly. It brought in outside developers such as Pax Softnica. Before Volleyball, Pax Softnica had ported Penguin-kun Wars, and the fee for that job never arrived. The head of the company told Famitsu that he could not pay his rent and was put out of his home. He slept at the office. He got by on something like food that he made from flour. There was no bath, so he wiped himself down with a wet towel.
Tricks & Tales
Volleyball started as Attack Four, an MSX game that Pax Softnica released around spring 1986. Its creator was a Pax Softnica employee. He has written that the MSX could not show six characters on each side, so Attack Four was played four-a-side. While he finished the MSX version, he also supervised the Famicom version. A colleague with Famicom experience did the actual programming, and on the Famicom the teams were six-a-side. The Disk System version lets you choose from six national teams, each with its own strengths. The rights to Attack Four still belong to its creator personally, not to a company.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Originally released for the Famicom Disk System in Japan (FMC-VBW, July 1986). Ported to NES cartridge for North America and Europe in 1987. The FDS disk version features the original Japanese team roster and presentation; the NES version is largely equivalent in gameplay.
Maintenance Tips
The drive belt is the most critical maintenance item. The original rubber belt stretches over the decades and eventually fails, and then the drive can no longer read disks. Fitting a new belt takes small tools: precision screwdrivers, a small hex key and tweezers. A new belt is not the last step. Afterwards, test the drive with a disk you know is good. If it does not read cleanly, the disk speed and the position of the read head have to be adjusted. The head is set against a test signal on an oscilloscope, which is specialist work. The RAM adapter board contains electrolytic capacitors that should be recapped if the unit is used regularly -- leaking capacitors can damage the PCB and corrupt disk reads. Clean the battery compartment with vinegar and a cotton swab if corrosion is present. FDS disks should be stored in their cases away from magnetic sources.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Volleyball copies regularly.
What hardware do I need to play a Famicom Disk System game?
An FDS game requires three components: a Famicom console, the RAM Adapter (which plugs into the cartridge slot), and the Disk Drive unit (connected to the RAM Adapter). The drive requires its own power supply (six C-cell batteries or an AC adapter). Without both the RAM Adapter and disk drive, FDS disks cannot be played. The Famicom Disk System was sold exclusively in Japan and was never released elsewhere.
Are Famicom Disk System disks and drives still reliable after 35+ years?
Disk reliability varies — the magnetic media can degrade over time. More commonly, the rubber drive belt inside the FDS disk unit degrades with age, causing read errors even on undamaged disks. Belt replacement is the most common and important FDS maintenance repair. If you plan to use FDS games, have the drive belt inspected before use. A working drive with a fresh belt can read original disks reliably.
How does saving work on Famicom Disk System games?
FDS games save directly back to the floppy disk itself — there is no internal battery backup. Data is written to the disk after the save command is given, so the disk can be overwritten. To protect original game data, cover the write-enable notch with tape to make the disk read-only. Many collectors keep one play copy and one archival copy for important titles. Never power off the Famicom during a disk write operation.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Volleyball
A short checklist for buying a used Famicom Disk System disk wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Inspect the disk and its shell
Disk System media is fragile — the magnetic disk can wear, and saves are written back onto the disk itself.
Ask whether it was tested and reads reliably; look for cracks or a warped shell in photos.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is Japanese Famicom Disk System media and requires a Famicom with a working Disk System drive.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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Mind the drive belt on the console side
Disk System drives commonly need a replacement belt to read reliably — this is a console matter, not the disk.
If reading is unreliable, the console's belt is the usual culprit, not the game.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
See what we have in stock →Unexpected Discoveries
Games you weren't looking for — but might be glad you found.
Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Volleyball sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
Share your memory ↑From the Museum's Screening Room
Volleyball Fds — Max Explains