In marketing terminology, a killer application (commonly shortened to killer app) is any computer program that is so necessary or desirable that it proves the core value of some larger technology, such as computer hardware, gaming console, software, a programming language, software platform, or an operating system. A killer app can substantially increase sales of the platform on which it runs.^[1][2]

Computing[link]

VisiCalc, the earliest generally agreed example of a killer application.

One of the first examples of a killer application is generally agreed to be the VisiCalc spreadsheet on the Apple II platform.^[3] The machine was purchased in the thousands by finance workers on the strength of this program.^[4] Another is WordStar, the most popular word processor during much of the 1980s.^[5] The next example is another spreadsheet, Lotus 1-2-3. Sales of IBM's PC had been slow until 1-2-3 was made public, and then increased rapidly a few months after Lotus 1-2-3's release. The definition of "killer app" came up during Bill Gates's questioning in the United States v. Microsoft antitrust suit. Bill Gates had written an email in which he described Internet Explorer as a killer app. In the questioning, he said that the term meant "a very popular application", and did not connote an application that would fuel sales of a larger product or one that would supplant its competition, as the Microsoft Computer Dictionary defined it.^[6]

Selected applications for computer systems[link]

• AmigaOS: Deluxe Paint
• RISC OS: Sibelius.^[7] (before 1998)

Video games[link]

The term has also been applied to computer and video games that cause consumers to buy a particular video game console or gaming hardware over a competing one. Examples of a video game killer applications are:

• The first generally agreed example of a "killer app" in gaming is Space Invaders, released for arcades in 1978 and ported to the Atari VCS (Atari 2600) console in 1980, quadrupling sales of the then three year old Atari 2600 platform.^[8]
• Star Raiders, released in 1979 on cartridge for the Atari 8-bit computer, is considered to be an early gaming "killer app" for a computer platform.
• Sonic the Hedgehog, released in 1991, was hailed as a killer app as it revived sales of the (by then) three year old Sega Genesis.
• Pokémon Red and Blue would be classified a "killer app" for the 7 year old Game Boy as a craze evolved around the series in the late 90s, and it was only available on that platform.
• Pokemon Gold and Silver were released at the height of the Pokemon craze alongside the Game Boy Color, and fueled the sales for the console all the way to the release of the Game Boy Advance two years later.
• GoldenEye 007 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time were revolutionary at the time of their release and are still considered some of the best in their genre (with the latter often acclaimed as one of the greatest games ever made). Both were unique to the N64.
• Final Fantasy VII is considered a "killer app" that the original PlayStation had along with Metal Gear Solid. These were immensely popular exclusives that helped the console pull ahead of the Nintendo 64 for good. Early killer apps include Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, Gran Turismo and Crash Bandicoot.
• The Halo series is considered the killer app of the Xbox and Xbox 360.^[9]
• The video gaming website GameTrailers considered Grand Theft Auto III to be a killer app for the PlayStation 2, Super Smash Bros. Melee for the GameCube, Tetris for the Game Boy, Wii Sports for the Nintendo Wii and Super Mario Bros. for all Nintendo consoles.^[10]
• Quake is considered the killer app for hardware 3D accelerators in home computing.

See also[link]

• Launch title
• List of best-selling video games
• Disruptive technology

References[link]