Tempest Posted May 13, 2004 Share Posted May 13, 2004 Why did Atari bother to re-release many ancient games in 1986-1988? While some choices were ok (ROTLA, Asteroids, Space Invaders, etc.) the rest were questionable at best. Who in their right minds would by Black Jack, Hangman, Basic Programming, Home Run, or Golf in 1986? These games were outdated by 1979, much less in 1986! Did Atari actually sell any of these or was it just an attempt to empty the warehouses? Maybe it was an early attempt at nostalgia? Tempest 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted May 13, 2004 Share Posted May 13, 2004 Isn't this around the time they released the Atari 2600 Jr.? I know many games were released at this time, and they probably re-released many older titles at the same time, since many were probably out of circulation by then. I could be wrong, of course. "The Fun is Back form A-TAR-I!" ..Al 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris++ Posted May 13, 2004 Share Posted May 13, 2004 I've wondered about this as well. My only (quite uninformed) conclusion is that it must be one of two reasons: 1. Overstocked ROMs and labels that they figured they'd clear out; what could it hurt to get 'em out there and try to make back some early '80s manufacturing costs? 2. The NES had just caught on in a big way. Atari might've predicted (or already witnessed...my memory's struggling with this) a huge new boom in the home gaming industry, and wanted to have as many products on the shelves as possible, just in case the cartridge-buying mania got anywhere near what it had been in 1982. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted May 13, 2004 Author Share Posted May 13, 2004 Isn't this around the time they released the Atari 2600 Jr.? I know many games were released at this time, and they probably re-released many older titles at the same time, since many were probably out of circulation by then. I could be wrong, of course. Yes it was and that might explain the rerelases of Asteroids, Space Invaders, Yars Revenge, and other hits. However it doesn't explain things like Basic Math and Black Jack. Thankfully they did release finished games like Jr. Pac-Man, Midnight Magic, and Solaris. "The Fun is Back form A-TAR-I!" Great... Now that will be in my head for hours... Tempest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted May 13, 2004 Share Posted May 13, 2004 And why re-release games like 'Homerun' and 'Pele's Soccer', games that were replaced by the 'Realsports' series? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeybastard Posted May 13, 2004 Share Posted May 13, 2004 I think they just had piles of them in the warehouse so they were just trying dump them. Maybe the could claim more games available than Nintendo as well if they rereleased them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
povlok1 Posted May 13, 2004 Share Posted May 13, 2004 Maybe the could claim more games available than Nintendo as well if they rereleased them. BINGO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari_wizard Posted May 13, 2004 Share Posted May 13, 2004 n64 and ps2 have games that sell a certain number. then they make a new one for cheaper. players choice and all. who knows. all good ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted May 13, 2004 Share Posted May 13, 2004 They re-released BASIC Programming?! I had no idea. I thought it was just Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, and the like. That's all they ever seemed to sell in this area, anyway. JR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Why did Atari bother to re-release many ancient games in 1986-1988? ... Black Jack The paranoid conspiracy theorist in me says that the sole reason was to give me yet another picture label to obsess over! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sku_u Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 More importantly, why did they re-release ET? That makes even less sense to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjk7382 Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Wasn't the 5200 being forgotten about while all of these re-releases were coming out. My question is why they stopped supporting that sytem. It could have sold well if Atari didn't treat it like an unwanted child. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 More importantly, why did they re-release ET? That makes even less sense to me. That is very puzzling indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tempest Posted May 14, 2004 Author Share Posted May 14, 2004 More importantly, why did they re-release ET? That makes even less sense to me Could have been when the home video was released. Wasnt that around 86? Tempest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Wasn't the 5200 being forgotten about while all of these re-releases were coming out. My question is why they stopped supporting that sytem. It could have sold well if Atari didn't treat it like an unwanted child. The same thing appears to have happened with many 5200 games. I have several 5200 carts with 1986 and 1987 copyrights. These labels are very easy to tell apart from the original releases, as they don't use the fancy silver, foil labels, and instead are just gray (the same as what Atari did with silver label 2600 games). These seem to be pretty uncommon, so it doesn't appear they were produced in great quantities. ..Al 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApolloBoy Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Wasn't the 5200 being forgotten about while all of these re-releases were coming out. My question is why they stopped supporting that sytem. It could have sold well if Atari didn't treat it like an unwanted child. The same thing appears to have happened with many 5200 games. I have several 5200 carts with 1986 and 1987 copyrights. These labels are very easy to tell apart from the original releases, as they don't use the fancy silver, foil labels, and instead are just gray (the same as what Atari did with silver label 2600 games). These seem to be pretty uncommon, so it doesn't appear they were produced in great quantities. ..Al 5200 games from '87? I know there were some releases in '86, but not '87... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 5200 games from '87? I know there were some releases in '86, but not '87... I know I have at least one from 1987, Pac-Man, and I just verified it. I have a fair number of these gray-label carts that I've been hanging onto, but I haven't yet organized them to see exactly what they all are and what the copyright date is on each. ..Al Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 More importantly, why did they re-release ET? That makes even less sense to me Could have been when the home video was released. Wasnt that around 86? I am about 97% sure (for reasons somewhat too embarrassing to mention) that E.T. didn't come out on video until 1990. @Chris++ (re: warehouse full of old carts): Well they probably did have a warehouse full of the old carts (or at least old PCBs and chips) but most of these rereleases had new, poorly-done labels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joey Kay Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Sounds like a case of ROMS sitting in a warehouse... that's my best guess. I bought Air-Sea Battle in 1988! I loved it! Interesting thread!!! Cheers! Joey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ApolloBoy Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 5200 games from '87? I know there were some releases in '86, but not '87... I know I have at least one from 1987, Pac-Man, and I just verified it. I have a fair number of these gray-label carts that I've been hanging onto, but I haven't yet organized them to see exactly what they all are and what the copyright date is on each. ..Al Really? I'd really like to see a scan of this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari_wizard Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 what year was E.T. re-released? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 what year was E.T. re-released? I think I have seen both 1986 and 1988 on some of the ridiculous number of E.T. carts that have temporarily occupied space in my collection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atari_wizard Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 thanx for the reply. i have 7 copies of E.T. and all are from '82. must be hard to find em re-released. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindfield Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 I believe the re-released silver carts can be identified by the rather less shiny gray inked label (as opposed to the silver foil) -- at least, for the 1988 carts that I know of. I have a RealSports Volleyball and Pole Position cart with a copyright date of 1988 that have the "gray" silver label variation. Probably a cost cutting measure, since foil is much more expensive than glossy paper and ink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cootster Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 More importantly, why did they re-release ET? That makes even less sense to me. Considering how they supposedly destroyed millions of them, why make them again later? Mine's a copyright '82, although I bought it NIB in '90 . . . Even selling the older primitive games kinda makes more sense (well, except for the keyboard ones, since they no longer made the controller). I have to agree on that one . . . At least there wasn't a SwordQuest re-issue . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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