The legendary System 3 label celebrates more than four decades of innovation, creativity, and independence. The Last Ninja Collection hits Steam PC on November 27, 2025 (Switch, Switch 2, PS5, and Xbox versions coming soon), with James Pond Legacy: The Pond Is Not Enough also on the horizon.

London, UK – October 31, 2025. System 3, one of the most iconic names in video game history, proudly celebrates its 43rd anniversary today. Founded on October 30, 1982, the System 3 label is recognized as the world’s longest-running independent developer and publisher-branded games label, continuously creating, publishing, and owning its titles for more than four decades.

Born at the dawn of home computing, System 3 quickly became synonymous with quality and innovation. From its earliest releases on the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, and Amiga, the label was known worldwide for pushing hardware to its limits. Over the years, System 3 delivered some of gaming’s most memorable and best-selling titles, including The Last Ninja trilogy, International Karate, IK+, Putty, Constructor, and James Pond.

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In 1986, System 3 achieved two historic milestones:

• With the Commodore 64 version of International Karate, it became the first European developer-publisher to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard charts, selling more than 1.5 million copies worldwide.

• In the same year, via its U.S. partner Epyx, System 3 became the first European publisher to receive the CES Showcase Award for Innovation at the Chicago Consumer Electronics Show.

That commitment to precision and authenticity carried into later decades: System 3 developed Ferrari Challenge and built accurate in-house racing simulation software for Ferrari and other leading manufacturers. Today, that pioneering spirit continues. The upcoming The Last Ninja Collection (Steam PC launches November 27, 2025, with Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox versions coming soon) lets players relive the magic of the 1980s and 1990s through authentic emulations of the original Commodore 64, Amiga, and Spectrum releases.

Also on the horizon is James Pond Legacy: The Pond Is Not Enough, a celebration of one of gaming’s most enduring and beloved characters. The release includes faithfully emulated versions of the original Sega, SNES, and Amiga titles, preserving the classic gameplay exactly as players remember it. Launching on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch 2, this edition marks the next step in the continuing James Pond legacy.

“System 3 was founded on creativity, quality, and independence,” said Mark Cale, founder and CEO of System 3. “Forty-three years later, those values still define us. The label has never been sold, merged, or diluted — and that’s what makes System 3 unique. Every game we create or bring back to life is truly ours, built with the same care and spirit that started this journey for me in 1982.”