Designed by Shin-ichiro Tomie and programmed by Michihito Ishizuka, with background graphics by his wife Rie Ishizuka (Rie Yatomi), the same team went on to develop the association football game (soccer game) Tehkan World Cup later the same year.
A single push-button labeled "Kick" causes the virtual player in possession to release the ball with the same force and direction in which he is currently running.
The Player 1 (red trackball) side contained two additional push-buttons for choosing between Single or Two-Player games.
Although the graphics are two-dimensional, the height of the ball can be determined by its growing larger while its shadow appears on the ground.
[7] In Japan, Game Machine listed Gridiron Fight on their April 15, 1987 issue as being the second most-successful table arcade unit of the month.
[9] Jay Carter of Cash Box magazine compared the game favorably to the classic Atari Football (1978), stating that Gridiron Fight updates its essential elements.
It employed the same twin trackballs with an action button duplicated on either side and a similar cocktail cabinet design with horizontal screen.