Even while I play Space Invaders on my Gameboy, it never occurred to me what the true origins of these invaders were. Apparently one day, they decided Earth was ripe for the taking and "invaded".
Aside from probably being the most famous aliens next to E.T., Space Invaders have been ported to all manner of art ranging from prints to clothing. It's an 80's phenomenon that has stretched across decades to still hold a special place in our hearts. Space Invaders were the creators and originators . . . or were they?
In a recent interview in Edge Magazine, Space Invaders creator Nishikado revealed his inspiration came from sea creatures like crabs, squids and octos, but the actual look and feel of the aliens came from reading H.G. Wells War of the Worlds. Originally the aliens were to look human but Naishikado was adverse to the idea of humans killing humans.
"In the story, the aliens looked like an octopus. I drew a bitmap image based on the idea. Then I created several other aliens that looked like sea creatures such as squids or crabs."
Who would have thunk it? Even from Nishikado's sketchbook pictures above, you can see the influences of H.G. Wells' aliens. Ya learn something new everyday.