November 1993

Author: Karl Kuras January 28, 2024 Duration: 3:25:56

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

Leisure Games History Video Games

Next gen trash talk heats up,
Nintendo and Sega trapped by strong yen &
CDROM can't pay the rent

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 November 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:

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Links:

7 Minutes in Heaven: Aladdin - Genesis

Video Version: https://www.patreon.com/posts/7-minutes-in-97263025

https://www.mobygames.com/game/2069/disneys-aladdin/

Corrections:

October 1993 Ep - https://www.patreon.com/posts/october-1993-95287239

Ethan's fine site The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/402330/Press_X_to_Not_Die/

https://tokyo-joypolis.com/

1993:

AMOA shows little promise for street ops

Play Meter, Nov. 1993, pg. 3

EA beefs up coinop efforts

Play Meter, Nov. 1993, pg. 5

https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File%3ACVG_UK_144.pdf&page=7

Nintendo returns to coinop

Play Meter, Nov. 1993, pg. 18

FunExpo attracts burgeoning family fun center biz

Play Meter, Nov. 1993, pg. 38

Operators and Manufacturers agree on violence in games

RePlay Nov. 1993, pg. 78, 88

Operators and Manufacturers don't agree on revenue sharing

RePlay Nov. 1993, pg. 78

The Moloney's are back!

Replay Nov. 1993, pg. 32 , 33, 35

https://www.arcade-history.com/?n=tap-a-tune&page=detail&id=4249

Virtuality goes public

Replay Nov. 1993, pg. 34

James Clark disses 3DO

Paula Parisi. (November 4, 1993, Thursday). SGI's Clark: 3DO doesn't add up. The Hollywood Reporter. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SJF-CDB0-006P-R3MS-00000-00&context=1516831.

https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1993-11/page/n121/mode/1up?view=theater

Trip Hawkins gets defensive

Edge, November 1993, pg. 6, 12, 19 https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_112/page/n9/mode/2up

Where's the money in interactivity?

BY CYNTHIA LITTLETON. (November 4, 1993, Thursday, BC cycle). Panel: Interactive tech ready, but viewers aren't. United Press International. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SJ4-J0R0-001S-60JY-00000-00&context=1516831.

Paula Parisi. (November 5, 1993, Friday). Goodson: Lose interactive game shows. The Hollywood Reporter. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SJF-CD90-006P-R3K8-00000-00&context=1516831.

Paula Parisi. (November 8, 1993, Monday). CD-ROM players: next VCRs?; Multimedia format is poised for major growth in '90s, study finds. The Hollywood Reporter. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SJF-CD90-006P-R3HS-00000-00&context=1516831.

King World invests in Crystal Dynamics

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_World_Productions

https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1993-11/page/n13/mode/1up?view=theater

VideoCD logo coming

Edge November 1993, pg. 8

First look at CDi Zelda

https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20052%20%28November%201993%29/page/n97/mode/1up?view=theater

Sony decides to go it alone

BY STEVE McCLURE. (November 20, 1993). Sony Ventures Into Video Game Biz; With A New Integrated Hardware/Software System. Billboard. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SJF-0NJ0-002S-H3KS-00000-00&context=1516831.

BY SONOKO WATANABE Staff writer. (November 1, 1993). Sony to set up video-game unit Shelves plan to hook up with Nintendo, zooms in on low end of market. The Nikkei Weekly (Japan). https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3S8H-4N60-000H-H552-00000-00&context=1516831.

(November 1, 1993). NEW SONY VIDEOGAME FACES UNCERTAIN PROSPECTS. Consumer Electronics. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SKP-XDT0-006B-64X1-00000-00&context=1516831.

Commodore preps US CD32 launch

https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_112/page/n11/mode/2up

https://archive.org/details/CommodoreUserIssue1221993Nov/page/n17/mode/2up

Wall street bullish on Atari

(November 4, 1993, Thursday, BC cycle). Wall Street impressed with Atari's propsects. United Press International. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SJ4-J0P0-001S-60HN-00000-00&context=1516831.

Generation transition concerns an issue for Sega

https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20052%20%28November%201993%29/page/n65/mode/1up?view=theater

https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20052%20%28November%201993%29/page/n67/mode/1up?view=theater

Nintendo Extends Super Mario All Stars giveaway

(November 1, 1993). Advertising Age. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SJ4-GYS0-000S-845B-00000-00&context=1516831.

Nintendo sales and profits down

By MICHIYO NAKAMOTO. (November 19, 1993, Friday). Tough new players in video games - Michiyo Nakamoto watches Matsushita and Sony enter the field. Financial Times (London,England). https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SKR-MTT0-006F-W3FM-00000-00&context=1516831.

Yomiuri Shimbun. (November 19, 1993, Friday). Nintendo sales, profits down. The Daily Yomiuri. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SC6-V290-001X-J39V-00000-00&context=1516831.

(NOVEMBER 18, 1993, THURSDAY). Nintendo posts 23.9% pretax drop for fiscal half. Japan Economic Newswire. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SP7-GS90-000F-P13B-00000-00&context=1516831.

Sega begins mnaufacturing in Wales

MARY FAGAN, Industrial Correspondent. (November 1, 1993, Monday). Welsh factory to produce Sega video-game catridges; First contract outside Far East goes to AB Electronic. The Independent (London). https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3T47-89T0-0021-R536-00000-00&context=1516831.

Sega downgrades forecast

GAIL COUNSELL. (November 10, 1993, Wednesday). Sega slashes profit forecast; Video game group says strength of yen will hit earnings. Gail Counsell reports. The Independent (London). https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3T47-88T0-0021-R2N1-00000-00&context=1516831.

EA suspends SNES lineup

https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File:CVG_UK_144.pdf&page=8

https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File%3ACVG_UK_144.pdf&page=33

EA resumes SNES lineup

Sega decides to crash Mario's big bash

(November 4, 1993). Lancaster: Sega's big self-projection racket. Marketing. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:419K-5BV0-00X8-J51R-00000-00&context=1516831.

Ad games on the rise

By Kate Fitzgerald. (November 1, 1993). Videogames attract advertisers; McDonald's signs on as number of games tied to products grows. Advertising Age. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SJ4-GYR0-000S-844B-00000-00&context=1516831.

By David Kilburn. (November 1, 1993). Dentsu already deep into interactive; Japanese agency links with 3DO, creates videogames for clients. Advertising Age. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SJ4-GYR0-000S-8446-00000-00&context=1516831.

Nitendo wins big in South African court

(November 8, 1993, Monday). SOUTH AFRICAN SUPREME COURT RULES FOR NINTENDO IN MAJOR VICTORY AGAINST VIDEO GAME PIRATES. PR Newswire. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SJJ-3CT0-007J-72FH-00000-00&context=1516831.

Console game pirates start to train

https://amr.abime.net/amr_popup_picture.php?src=amiga_joker/magscans/aj_1993_11/040.jpg&c=92625

Pad computing more of an Uh? than an Aahhh!

https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/09/science/personal-computers-zoomers-newtons-real-life-so-far-promise-exceeds-usefulness.html

Big Blues chronicles fall of IBM

https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1993-11_OCR/page/n86/mode/1up?view=theater

AI puts help desks on disk

https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1993-11_OCR/page/n47/mode/1up?view=theater

Smartec bets on dual scan

https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1993-11_OCR/page/n54/mode/1up?view=theater

Broderbund announces Living Books

https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1993-11/page/n9/mode/1up?view=theater

Shakespeare does Karaoke

https://www.youtube.com/watch?a&v=CpHnp9JKgcY&feature=youtu.be Minute 1:30

https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1993-11_OCR/page/n69/mode/1up?view=theater

Komisar becomes CEO of Lucasarts

https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/02/business/company-news-chief-executive-named-at-lucas-s-software-unit.html

(November 1, 1993, Monday). LUCASARTS ENTERTAINMENT NAMES RANDY KOMISAR PRESIDENT; LUCASARTS TOPS BEST YEAR IN ITS HISTORY WITH NEW LEADER. PR Newswire. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SJJ-3G30-007J-7008-00000-00&context=1516831.

Logitech goes 3D with the Cyberman

https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1993-11/page/n13/mode/1up?view=theater

Larry Probst sees software download future

STUART VARNEY. (November 2, 1993). Exec Explains Interactive Lane of Electronic Highway. CNN. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3TD9-1JJ0-0029-50P8-00000-00&context=1516831.

Wireless Email taking off

https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1993-11_OCR/page/n31/mode/2up

Free lunches on the internet may be coming to an end

https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/03/business/business-technology-jams-already-on-data-highway.html

By KATE MADDOX, Staff reporter. (November 8, 1993). The big picture; Visions of a new TV begin to emerge. Electronic Media. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=news&id=urn:contentItem:3SJD-X370-002S-52YW-00000-00&context=1516831.

Renegade ports to Interactive TV

Edge November 1993, pg. 75

Sex sells

Edge November 1993, pg. 63

Cable News fuels tech stock rollercoaster

https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/07/business/market-watch-watch-what-they-pay-not-what-they-say.html

Video Games move into museum

https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/07/style/token-art.html

Tom Quinn, RIP

https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1993-11/page/n15/mode/1up?view=theater

Man!ac launches

http://www.kultmags.com/mags.php?folder=TUFOIUFDLzE5OTM=

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

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: Karl Kuras Language: English Episodes: 100

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