February 1993

February 1993

Author: Karl Kuras March 20, 2023 Duration: 1:57:14

Video game violence begins to make operators uneasy
3DO plans to shake up console biz
Federal investigation into Nintendo dropped

These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM

This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in February 1993. 
As always,  we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.

Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost.  Check out his podcast here:
https://www.theycreateworlds.com/
and order his book here:
https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book

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Links:
7 Minutes in Heaven: Ecco The Dolphin
    Video Version:  https://www.patreon.com/posts/7-minutes-in-80192007
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecco_the_Dolphin
    https://www.mobygames.com/game/6677/ecco-the-dolphin/
    https://www.mobygames.com/group/741/ecco-the-dolphin-series/

Corrections:
    January 1993 Ep - https://www.patreon.com/posts/january-1993-78923081
    https://youtu.be/Sr0BVKb9Am0
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WMS_Industries
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Turbo
    https://twitter.com/itsjohnnyturbo?lang=en
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craftsman_(tools)
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black%2BDecker
    

1993.02
WMS sues to stop Aladdin sale    
    RePlay Feb. 1993, pg. 16
    Kevin Hayes - Atari - Namco  https://www.patreon.com/posts/50612798

Capcom's Revenue Sharing scheme shakes up AMOA    
    RePlay Feb. 1993, pg. 29

Move over Battletech... Star Wars is here!
    https://archive.org/details/vgce_93-02/page/n21/mode/1up?view=theater    
    https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Vernost    
    https://books.google.de/books?id=vBaRlzJ2LKkC&lpg=PP1&hl=de&pg=PA39#v=onepage&q=vernost&f=false   
    https://youtu.be/oLmFwsZsS7U
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rescue_on_Fractalus!
    
Video game violence issue returns
    RePlay Feb. 1993 pg. 101
    Gary Brose - Seattle Funplex  https://www.patreon.com/posts/gary-brose-79660873
    
3DO business model revealed
    https://archive.org/details/vgce_93-02/page/n21/mode/1up?view=theater
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3DO_Interactive_Multiplayer
    https://youtu.be/yxF1_wg2d_Q

Sega announces Genesis 2
    https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20043%20%28February%201993%29/page/n49/mode/1up
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Genesis#Variations

NEC wants to kick your butt with the Virtual Cushion
    https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20043%20%28February%201993%29/page/n67/mode/1up   
    https://consolevariations.com/variation/accessory/nec-pc-engine-virtual-cushion

And on the SNES CD front
    https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20043%20%28February%201993%29/page/n43/mode/1up
    
Namco brings bar code battling to Gameboy
    https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20043%20%28February%201993%29/page/n65/mode/1up   
    https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Barcode_Boy

CD burners become affordable
    https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1993-02_OCR/page/n17/mode/1up
    https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1993-02_OCR/page/n37/mode/1up

Court squashes AMD 486 roll out
    https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1993-02_OCR/page/n41/mode/1up    
    https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-12-fi-19170-story.html   
    https://archive.org/details/pc-review-16/page/20/mode/1up?view=theater
    https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1993-02_OCR/page/n39/mode/1up
    
Notebooks come of age at COMDEX
    https://archive.org/details/1993-02-compute-magazine/page/n185/mode/1up?view=theater
    
FTC drops case against Nintendo
    https://archive.org/details/vgce_93-02/page/n21/mode/1up?view=theater

Sega settles Magnavox suit
    Play Meter Feb. 1993 pg. 3

German software leasing may be coming to an end
    https://archive.org/details/AmigaJoker199302/page/n7/mode/1up

European law to fill software protection gaps
    https://archive.org/details/AmigaJoker199302/page/n39/mode/1up
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Programs_Directive

Sonic is coming to TV
    https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20043%20%28February%201993%29/page/n216/mode/1up    
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_of_Sonic_the_Hedgehog
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_(TV_series)
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_(Archie_Comics)

Virtuality adds flight sim
    https://archive.org/details/theone-magazine-53/page/n13/mode/1up?view=theater
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtuality_(product)

Recommended Links:
The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/
Gaming Alexandria: https://www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/
They Create Worlds: https://tcwpodcast.podbean.com/
Digital Antiquarian: https://www.filfre.net/
The Arcade Blogger: https://arcadeblogger.com/
Retro Asylum: http://retroasylum.com/category/all-posts/
Retro Game Squad: http://retrogamesquad.libsyn.com/
Playthrough Podcast: https://playthroughpod.com/
Retromags.com: https://www.retromags.com/
Games That Weren't - https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/

Sound Effects by Ethan Johnson of History of How We Play.

Copyright Karl Kuras

 


Ever wonder what gamers were actually talking about decades ago, before online forums and endless hot takes? Each month, Video Game Newsroom Time Machine hosted by Karl Kuras does exactly that, dusting off the headlines and magazine pages from the past. This isn't just a nostalgia trip; it's a grounded look at the industry's turning points as they happened. You'll hear about the surprising announcements, the forgotten controversies, and the hardware launches that had everyone buzzing-from arcade trends in Japan to home computer wars in Europe and North America. The podcast specifically revisits news from exactly 30, 40, and 50 years prior, creating a unique layered perspective on how video game culture evolved. It’s like sitting in a newsroom from a different era, piecing together the stories that shaped the games we remember today. Tune in for a monthly dose of context, where the past conversations about pixels and processors feel surprisingly fresh and directly connected to the present.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine
Podcast Episodes
Gary Bracey - Part 1 - Ocean [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:52
For computer gamers in the 1980s and 90s, few companies were more ever-present than Ocean, a powerhouse in publishing, through their massive ad campaigns and amazing film licenses and coin-op conversions. Our guest today…
Phil Adam - Spectrum Holobyte, SPA, Interplay, Amico [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:54:06
Phil Adam's career has spanned more than 40 years, from pioneering work marketing titles for Spectrum Holobyte, playing a pivotal role in bringing Tetris to the West, working at Interplay during the RPG renaisance and hi…
October 1994 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:16:04
Japan goes after arcades, Nintendo's Famicon gets its first licensee & Gamers come together online These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and a…
Tom Kalinske - Mattel, Sega, Leap Frog [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:22:28
Few events in video game history are more legendary than the Console War between Sega and Nintendo. Our guest today was one of the generals of that war, the head of Sega of America, Tom Kalinske. Tom's story is not just…
October 1984 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:01:46
Japan goes after arcades, Nintendo's Famicon gets its first licensee & Gamers come together online These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and a…
Richard Bartle - Part 2 - Designing Virtual Worlds [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:30:55
After spending almost 2 decades trying to make MUD a viable commercial project, Richard returns to academia after publishing his seminal book, Designing Virtual Worlds, and begins teaching and researching game worlds and…
Richard Bartle - Part 1 - MUD (Multi User Dungeon) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:12:51
While there are many founders of the video game industry writ large, the dawn of multiplayer gaming is a much more select group of luminaries and our guest today, Richard Bartle is most definitely one of them. He cocreat…
John Wood - Sally Dark Ride [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:26
Mechanical amusements have long been a mainstay of theme parks and travelling fairs. In the 1980s, this technology entered the realm of the arcade, most notably through Chuck E. Cheese and since then, has merged with the…
September 1994 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:08:22
Nintendo owns CES, The future belongs to the internet & EA disses Sega These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM! This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industr…
Jeff Johannigman - Part 2 - Origin, Dynamix, Microprose [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:36:40
From a bedroom coder to Game Developer's Conference OG to the creator of one of the greatest one-on-one action strategy games of the 8 bit era, Jeff Johannigman worked for some of the most legendary companies of the 80s,…