Atari dumps product in the desert
Commodore and Sinclair revenues sore
The Vic20 is no more
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 September 1983.
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/
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https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book
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Links:
7 Minutes in Heaven: Battlezone
Video Version: https://www.patreon.com/posts/7-minutes-92412140
https://www.mobygames.com/game/360/battlezone/
Corrections:
August 1983 Ep - https://www.patreon.com/posts/august-1983-89829848
Ethan's fine site The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/
https://youtu.be/A-6AKe2pvsQ?si=Y86cYPldukmG2V-H
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TMS9918
1973
Rally big in Europe
https://archive.org/details/cashbox35unse_9/page/45/mode/1up
Atari launches Gotcha and Pong Doubles
https://archive.org/details/cashbox35unse_13/page/n53/mode/1up?view=theater
https://edfries.wordpress.com/2016/05/25/fixing-color-gotcha/
1983:
Warner posts MASSIVE loss
Play Meter Sept. 1, 1983 pg. 130
Atari dumps carts in desert
Atari Buries Videogame Gear In New Mexico Dump, The Associated Press, September 27, 1983, Tuesday, AM cycle
Atari Parts Are Dumped, The New York Times, September 28, 1983, Wednesday, Late City Final Edition
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_video_game_burial
Kevin Hayes - Atari - Namco https://www.patreon.com/posts/50612798
https://eu.alamogordonews.com/story/news/2022/08/25/et-atari-tomb-alamogordo-nm-games-auctioned/65418680007/
Deck chairs on the SS Atari get shuffled
Toy and Hobby World September 1983, S6
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/08/business/business-people-atari-replaces-head-of-unit-after-9-months.html
Milton Bradley v Atari suit details revealed
Toy and Hobby World September 1983, S4
http://www.mainbyte.com/ti99/hardware/mbx/mbx.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmD2lT5oeOE
SEC files charges against former Atari execs
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/27/business/2-charged-in-atari-stock-sale.html
Mattel reports higher than expected second quarter loss
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/09/business/mattel-reports-losing-156.1-million-in-quarter.html
https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-2-6/mode/1up?view=theater
Don Daglow Part 1 - PDP - Mattel - Intellivision - EA https://www.patreon.com/posts/38445119
Activision expects massive losses
Maker of Video-Game, Computer Software Sees Loss, The Associated Press, September 16, 1983, Friday, PM cycle
Layoffs hit Imagic
Imagic lay-offs in wake of U.S. video game glut, Financial Times (London,England), September 20, 1983, Tuesday
Interton files for bankruptcy
https://archive.org/details/TeleMatch.N05.1983.08-KCz.pdf/page/n76/mode/1up?view=theater
http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg70-1292_vc4000.htm#page=reviews
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interton_Video_Computer_4000
https://www.interton.com/de-de/
https://blog.hnf.de/vom-hoergeraet-zum-computerspiel/
Marshfield bans coinop games
Replay September 1983, pg. 10
https://eu.wickedlocal.com/story/marshfield-mariner/2021/09/23/marshfield-ma-coin-machine-industries-association-supreme-court-ban-pacman-donkeykong-look-back/8241109002/
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/12/08/us/massachusetts-town-exiles-pac-man-and-all-that.html
Williams reports lower earnings
Play Meter Sept. 1, 1983 pg. 130
Sega sells US operations to Gulf and Western
September 29, 1983, Thursday PR Newswire
September 27, 1983, Tuesday
Sente gets ready to open for business
PIZZA-TIME; Game division to open Oct. 1, Business Wire, September 29, 1983, Thursday
Roger Hector - Atari, Disney, Sega, Namco, Sente https://www.patreon.com/posts/72058794
Owen Rowley - Chuck E Cheese, Autodesk - https://www.patreon.com/posts/owen-rowley-88533133
Wells Gardner feels arcade tumble pinch
Bull market bums, Forbes, September 26, 1983
Funai joins forces with Electronic Specialty Products
ELECTRONIC-SPECIALTY; Forms joint venture with Funai Electric Co. to market coin-operated video games, Business Wire, September 21, 1983, Wednesday
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB0Wkel_R5Q
https://www.arcade-museum.com/manuf_detail.php?manuf_id=1392
Replay September 1983, pg. 9
4 killed at Malibu Grand Prix massacre
Play Meter Sept. 1, 1983, pg. 24
https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2023/06/01/evidence-room-extra-family-member-of-man-executed-after-malibu-grand-prix-murders-shares-memories-with-kprc-2/
Play Meter Sept. 1, 1983, pg. 14
https://citizennewspapergroup.com/news/2009/sep/02/cases-gone-cold/
Intellivision drops below a hundo
Toy and Hobby World September 1983, S8
VCS Cartridge prices drop even in the UK
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Video_Games_Issue_023_1983-09_EMAP_Publishing_GB/page/n27/mode/1up?view=theater
European 5200 launch canned
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Video_Games_Issue_023_1983-09_EMAP_Publishing_GB/page/n28/mode/1up?view=theater
https://archive.org/details/TeleMatch.N05.1983.08-KCz.pdf/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater
Atari cancels Graduate
https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-2-6/page/n2/mode/1up?view=theater
Sharp announces Famicom TV
https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Sharp_C1
Sharp develops TV with microcomputer, The Japan Economic Journal, September 27, 1983
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/07/how_sharp_accidentally_copyright_trolled_nintendo_almost_40_years_ago
Unions fail at Atari
High Tech's Challenge, Newsweek, September 5, 1983, UNITED STATES EDITION
Unions in Trouble; PART III: Looking For New Members The Associated Press, September 1, 1983, Thursday, PM cycle
Broderbund goes console
Toy and Hobby World September 1983, S26
Fischbach promoted
PR Newswire, September 9, 1983, Friday
Gregory Fischbach Part 2 - Acclaim https://www.patreon.com/posts/47720122
Gregory Fischbach Part 1 - Activision - Acclaim https://www.patreon.com/posts/46578120
International variants proliferate
https://archive.org/details/TeleMatch.N05.1983.08-KCz.pdf/page/n75/mode/1up?view=theater
http://atariboxed.com/index.php?go=output&sort=T1.Modul_Complete_Title,%20T1.Modul_Complete_Model,%20T1.Modul_Complete_TV,%20T1.Modul_Complete_Label&dir=DESC&rows_per_page=50&select_system=1&select_company=42
Move over pay-per-view porn, video games are the new hotness in hotel room entertainment
PR Newswire, September 20, 1983, Tuesday
https://patents.justia.com/assignee/international-anasazi-inc
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/travel/1983/09/11/computer-shortcuts-nuclear-tour/0cafa363-b334-482f-a5b9-3a9453de3ec6/
Sooo many controllers!
https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-2-6/page/n5/mode/1up?view=theater
Coleco shocks analysts
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/07/business/coleco-s-new-memory-device.html
Adam, meet FCC, FCC stop Adam
https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews028-21Sep1983/page/n5/mode/2up
TI cuts prices even further
Toy and Hobby World September 1983, S6
TI hires coffee man to run computer division
Toy and Hobby World September 1983, S4
TI opens up to 3rd parties
https://archive.org/details/TeleMatch.N05.1983.08-KCz.pdf/page/n75/mode/1up?view=theater
Commodore reports record earnings and new ad strategy
Toy and Hobby World September 1983, S4
Sinclair profits soar
https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews028-21Sep1983/page/n7/mode/2up
Sinclair looks to China
https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews028-21Sep1983/page/n5/mode/2up
Acorn second processors delayed... again
https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews029-28Sep1983/page/n3/mode/2up
Tandy licenses software to CBS
Toy and Hobby World September 1983, S10
HES teams up with Microsoft
Toy and Hobby World September 1983, S8
Osborne files for bankruptcy
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/15/business/pacesetting-computer-maker-files-for-bankruptcy.html
Toshiba gets into PC clone market.
https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews028-21Sep1983/page/n3/mode/2up
Digital Research bets on productivity
https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews026-07Sep1983/page/n4/mode/1up
https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews027-14Sep1983/page/n3/mode/2up
Computing goes mobile
https://archive.org/details/eu_BYTE-1983-09_OCR
https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=891&st=1
https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=891&st=1
https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=891&st=1
https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Poptronics/80s/1984/CE-1984-06.pdf
Wizardry goes Windows
Toy and Hobby World September 1983, S26
Infocom names Dornbrook product manager
Toy and Hobby World September 1983, S40
Draw like Bilbo
https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews027-14Sep1983/page/n5/mode/2up
Computer magazines for the whole family flourish
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/10/style/children-s-magazines-for-a-computer-age.html
AT&T and Coleco join forces to bring games online
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/08/business/at-t-and-coleco-in-video-game-venture.html
College goes online
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/13/us/correspondence-school-via-computer-is-planned.html
https://news.elearninginside.com/what-happened-to-the-electronic-university-network/
German gaming news goes Teletext
https://archive.org/details/TeleMatch.N05.1983.08-KCz.pdf/page/n10/mode/1up?view=theater
Apple secures silicon copyright
https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews028-21Sep1983/page/n3/mode/2up
Will computers take your job?
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/04/weekinreview/computers-worker-menace.html
Your computer is keeping you from making babies!
Mass contraception, Nuclear News, September, 1983
https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Bill-Minkler/dp/0894485679
Pop music goes games
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Video_Games_Issue_023_1983-09_EMAP_Publishing_GB/page/n19/mode/1up?view=theater
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eIzNE356-Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGSoOgcWnLE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4X2FG9Jbqw
He-Man cartoon debuts
GI Joe miniseries debuts
Toy and Hobby WorldL8/18
Playthings September 1983
D&D cartoon debuts
Vic20 RIP
https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-2-6/page/n8/mode/1up?view=theater
New Brain RIP
https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews026-07Sep1983/page/n5/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grundy_NewBrain
https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews028-21Sep1983/page/n3/mode/2up
Dragon saved!
https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerNews/PersonalComputerNews027-14Sep1983/page/n3/mode/2up
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
