History of The Oilman Game

The game was developed in the 1980s and the first version was released in 1985 as International Oilman and had a retail price of $34.95.

Approximately 8000 games were produced as International Oilman. In 1994, ownership changed hands and the game was renamed, The Oilman Game (which is what people commonly called it). The artwork was updated to a night drilling rig scene on the cover. Later on, it was changed to a daytime scene. An estimated 25,000 units were sold between 1994 to 2006.

The game was out of production until new ownership started up in 2019. While the game was not being produced, demand increased as people searched for the game and prices went as high as $500 for a game on eBay.

At this time, the artwork was updated again with a new, high-resolution cover and logo saluting the original black and orange look of the 1985 version.

The housing was changed to black from the previous blue, and rivets were added around the perimeter giving a more industrial look. A website was created to offer direct-to-customer sales across North America and the world. Custom orders were introduced so oilfield companies could order games with their logo on them.