April 1994

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

Nintendo bows to Blockbuster,

Commodore enters liquidation &

Acclaim-Midway divorce gets messy!

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 April 1994.

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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Links:

If you don't see all the links, find them here:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/107563816

7 Minutes in Heaven: Rocko's Modern Life

Video Version: https://www.patreon.com/posts/7-minutes-in-107343911

https://www.mobygames.com/game/37843/rockos-modern-life-spunkys-dangerous-day/

Corrections:

March 1994 Ep - https://www.patreon.com/posts/march-1994-105189897

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

https://x.com/chrisgr93091552

1994:

Ataris settle with Nintendo

https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/26/business/company-news-time-warner-increases-its-stake-in-atari.html

Nintendo and Atari Games reach settlement in long-running court case; litigation settlement ends five-year court battle and restores Atari's status as Nintendo licensee, Business Wire, March 24, 1994, Thursday

ATARI CORP. AND NINTENDO REACH SETTLEMENT IN PATENT INFRINGEMENT CASE, PR Newswire, March 24, 1994, Thursday - 19:44 Eastern Time

Atari Corp. falsely characterizes Nintendo/Atari settlement, Business Wire, March 25, 1994, Friday

https://archive.org/details/AtariCorporationAnnualReport1992/page/n12/mode/1up

https://archive.org/details/AtariCorporationAnnualReport1993/page/n33/mode/1up

https://patents.google.com/patent/US4445114A/en

Nintendo gives in to rentals

Nintendo Reverses Stand, Will Play The Rental Game, Billboard, April 30, 1994, Section: Pg. 6

Nintendo finally pays Galoob

GALOOB TO RECEIVE $16.1 MILLION PAYMENT FROM NINTENDO TODAY, PR Newswire, April 11, 1994, Monday - 09:11 Eastern Time

EA and Broderbund to merge

https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-04/page/n9/mode/1up?view=theater

Pearson buys Software Toolworks

https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/01/business/pearson-enters-multimedia-software-arena.html

https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/12/business/market-place-the-choices-are-few-for-investing-in-software-aimed-at-children.html?searchResultPosition=17

Paramount teams up with Davidson & Associates

https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/13/business/the-media-business-software-plan-for-paramount.html?searchResultPosition=18

https://www.avid.wiki/Davidson/Simon_%26_Schuster

Warner consolidates

https://archive.org/details/cashbox57unse_29/page/30/mode/1up?view=theater

TSR and SSI call it quits

https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_117/page/n11/mode/2up

WMS to buy Tradewest

BUSINESS BRIEFS: WMS INDUSTRIES INC TO ACQUIRE TRADEWEST IN HOME-VIDEO PUSH, WALL STREET JOURNAL, April 6, 1994, Wednesday, Section: Section B; Page 4, Column 5

WMS Industries to acquire Tradewest Inc., Business Wire, April 5, 1994, Tuesday

Acclaim signs deal for Batman Sequel

WARNER BROS. AND ACCLAIM ANNOUNCE 'BATMAN FOREVER' PACT; Blockbuster Motion Picture to be Released in 1995, Business Wire, April 26, 1994, Tuesday

SEGA SELECTS ACCLAIM AS FIRST U.S. PUBLISHER TO USE PROPRIETARY TITAN TECHNOLOGY FOR COIN-OP GAMES AND HIGH-END SEGA HOME HARDWARE PLATFORMS, Business Wire, April 7, 1994, Thursday

Big Movers in the Stock Market, The Associated Press, April 7, 1994, Thursday, AM cycle

MGM signs up with Sega

MGM, SEGA TO DEVELOP INTERACTIVE VIDEO GAMES, Extel Examiner, April 29, 1994, Friday - 03:15 Eastern Time

Could Disney buy a major games publisher?

Will Disney Chart More Adventurous Course in Wells' Absence?, The Associated Press, April 11, 1994, Monday, PM cycle, Section: Business News, Byline: By E. SCOTT RECKARD, Associated Press Writers

Living Books buys Dr. Seuss rights

https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/22/business/the-media-business-dr-seuss-rights-are-sold.html?searchResultPosition=34

US announces Special 301 trade action against China

NINTENDO OF AMERICA STATEMENT ON SPECIAL 301 ACTION BY USTR, PR Newswire, April 30, 1994, Saturday - 19:04 Eastern Time

Japan misses chip import target

Newsbyte, US Japan Chip Wars Heat Up - Again! 01/03/94, WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 3 (NB)

Japanese toy wholesale system under pressure

Big stores rile small retailers with bargain toy price strategy, Industry's retail pricing structure said to have been undermined, The Nikkei Weekly (Japan), April 18, 1994, Section: INDUSTRY; Pg. 9

AFTRA signs deal with EA

https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-04/page/n11/mode/1up?view=theater

Sega disses Summer CES

https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-04/page/n11/mode/1up?view=theater

Dedicated cabs rule UK ATEI show

https://archive.org/details/edge-007-april-1994/page/8/mode/1up?view=theater

American Laser goes CDRom

Play Meter, April 1994, pg. 14 & Acme 13

Midway takes page from Capcom's playbook

https://archive.org/details/cashbox57unse_28/page/30/mode/1up?view=theater

AMOA teams up with Ross Perot's EDS

Play Meter, April 1994, pg. 1, 66A

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claw_(video_game)#Development

EDS' EARNINGS RISE 13 PERCENT IN FIRST QUARTER, PR Newswire, April 27, 1994, Wednesday - 16:29 Eastern Time

Saturn to launch with Jupiter

https://archive.org/details/edge-007-april-1994/page/6/mode/1up?view=theater

Jaguar UK launch botched

https://archive.org/details/edge-007-april-1994/page/13/

https://archive.org/details/edge-007-april-1994/page/17/

3DO prospects in Japan look good

So far, 3DO multiplayer living up to hype, Matsushita Claims It Sold 40,000 Of Long-Awaited Machines In First 3 Days, The Nikkei Weekly (Japan), April 4, 1994,Section: INDUSTRY DIGEST; Pg. 9, Byline: BY MASATO ISHIZAWA Staff writer

https://vgsales.fandom.com/wiki/Fifth_generation_of_video_games

3DO licenses tech to Toshiba for GPS

3DO. TOSHIBA TIE UP ON NAVIGATION SYSTEM, Jiji Press Ticker Service, APRIL 12, 1994, TUESDAY

3DO kicks off US ad campaign

3DO Kicks Off National Advertising Campaign, Business Wire, April 25, 1994, Monday

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W67sqPQ9u0

MSU gives Konix Multisystem a second go

https://archive.org/details/edge-007-april-1994/page/14/mode/1up?view=theater

https://www.konixmultisystem.co.uk/index.php?id=archive

https://www.konixmultisystem.co.uk/index.php?id=msu

Japanese devs not waiting for Nintendo

https://archive.org/details/edge-007-april-1994/page/13/mode/1up?view=theater

Capcom to support 3DO and PSX

https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_057_April_1994/page/n159/mode/1up?view=theater

Virgin to support CDi

https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_057_April_1994/page/n159/mode/1up?view=theater

Tower Records ditches CDi and Gameboy

Tower Video Dumps CD-I; VSDA Adds Game Seminars, Billboard, April 30, 1994, Section: HOME VIDEO; Shelf Talk; Pg. 72

Lethal Enforcers comes to the SNES

https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_057_April_1994/page/n171/mode/1up?view=theater

Nintendo censorship strikes again

https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-04/page/n11/mode/1up?view=theater

Sega announces MegaJet is coming home!

https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20057%20%28April%201994%29/page/n63/mode/2up

https://consolemods.org/wiki/Master_System:Master_System_Model_Differences#Master_System_Super_Compact/Master_System_Girl_(1994)

Commodore pulls out of World of Commodore-Amiga show

https://archive.org/details/amiga-computing-magazine-072/page/n13/mode/1up

Commodore announces liquidation

Commodore Scuttles Ship, The Associated Press, April 29, 1994, Friday, AM cycle

IBM agrees to make Cyrix chips

https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/15/business/ibm-agrees-to-make-chips-designed-by-cyrix.html?searchResultPosition=19

EA sees big upswing in CDRom sales

Company Results Roundup, Newsbytes, April 29, 1994, Friday

Could CDRom usurp video games?

PC GAMES COULD CAPTURE SEGA, NINTENDO CUSTOMERS, WALL STREET JOURNAL,April 27, 1994, Wednesday, Section B; Page 1, Column 5, Byline: BY JOSEPH PEREIRA

Argonaut, Cirrus and Diamond team up for PC 3D API standard

3-D GRAPHICS ALLIANCE FOR PC GAMES ANNOUNCED BY DIAMOND COMPUTER SYSTEMS, CIRRUS LOGIC AND ARGONAUT SOFTWARE, PR Newswire, April 25, 1994, Monday - 09:02 Eastern Time

https://blazingrender.net/

3Dlabs and Creative team up for PC 3D API standard

3Dlabs announces alliance with Creative Technology; Customized GLiNT processor to bring interactive 3D graphics to multimedia desktops, Business Wire, April 18, 1994, Monday

Spectrum Holobyte bets on fractals

Fractals to put the squeeze on the game industry, Business Wire, April 13, 1994, Wednesday

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal_compression#Implementations

Microprose dumps Adventure engine

https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_117/page/n11/mode/2up

Maxis wants to turn SimCity into a sandbox

https://archive.org/details/game-developer-april-1994/page/n5/mode/1up?view=theater

Doom leaves Edge unimpressed

https://archive.org/details/edge-007-april-1994/page/60/mode/1up?view=theater

Newscorp buys Kesmai

Murdoch's News Corp. to acquire Kesmai Corp; Global media company positions Delphi to deliver the next wave of online interactive multimedia, Business Wire, April 25, 1994, Monday

AOL swamped by new signups

https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-04/page/n9/mode/1up?view=theater

https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-04/page/n15/mode/1up?view=theater

https://archive.org/details/edge-007-april-1994/page/92/mode/1up?view=theater

Game Developer magazines debuts

https://archive.org/details/game-developer-april-1994/page/n3/mode/1up

Second round of video game violence hearings lack fireworks

Play Meter, April 1994, pg. 12

Data East beats Capcom in court

Play Meter, April 1994, pg. 1

Ads in software patented

https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/08/business/company-news-patent-dispute-brewing-on-software-use-of-ads.html

https://medium.com/swlh/how-i-screwed-a-patent-troll-out-of-a-billion-dollars-2849cb3e248a

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/ed/d8/f2/387782f38818da/US5105184.pdf

https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/08/business/us-revokes-cotton-patents-after-outcry-from-industry.html

Study finds no link between video violence and juvenile delinquency

Offenders do not watch more violence, The Times, April 11, 1994, Monday, Section: Home news, Byline: Alexandra Frean, Media Correspondent

Middlesex University offers Gaming degrees

https://archive.org/details/PC-Player-German-Magazine-1994-04/page/n13/mode/2up

https://retrocdn.net/images/7/7f/CVG_UK_149.pdf pg. 14

RIP 3' disks

https://archive.org/details/amstrad-action-103/page/n7/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