May 1984

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

Sinclair ships QLs,

Atari looks hopeful &

Jack is BACK!

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 May 1984.

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/108363601

7 Minutes in Heaven: Rescue on Fractalus

Video Version: https://www.patreon.com/posts/108357926

https://www.mobygames.com/game/11726/rescue-on-fractalus/

Corrections:

April 1984 Ep - https://www.patreon.com/posts/april-1984-106448718

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

https://archive.org/details/cashbox35unse_42/page/50/mode/1up?view=theater

https://www.quora.com/What-was-Alan-Kays-experience-like-working-at-Apple

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

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

1974:

New York Court rules pinball is a game of skill

https://archive.org/details/cashbox35unse_45/page/51/mode/1up?view=theater

Atari opens another Game Center

https://archive.org/details/cashbox35unse_45/page/50/mode/1up?view=theater

https://web.archive.org/web/20191123025509/https://www.ataricompendium.com/archives/documents/press_kits/atari_leisure_time_game_center.pdf

Bally buys Alladin's Castle

https://archive.org/details/cashbox36unse/page/43/mode/1up

1984:

Morgan predicts profitability by July 1

Atari expects to return to surplus this year. Financial Times (London,England), May 22, 1984, Tuesday, Section: SECTION II; International Companies; Pg. 21, Byline: BY LOUISE KEHOE IN SAN FRANCISCO

National News in Brief, United Press International, May 22, 1984, Tuesday, PM cycle, Section: Domestic News, Dateline: SANTA CLARA, Calif.

Ross predicts Warner profitability

No Headline In Original, The Associated Press, May 24, 1984, Thursday, BC cycle, Section: Business News

Atari confirms negotiations with Philips

Discussions with Philips; ATARITEL TO DELAY ENTRY INTO HIGH-TECH PHONE MARKET, Communications Daily, May 29, 1984, Tuesday, Section: Vol. 4, No. 104; Pg. 2

Atari announces more layoffs and plant closing

"Computer Giant Furloughs Middle Managers, The Associated Press, May 31, 1984, Thursday, AM cycle, Section: Domestic News, Dateline: SUNNYVALE, Calif.

Atari to end Hong Kong venture, Financial Times (London,England), ,May 31, 1984, Thursday, Section: SECTION II; International Companies; Pg. 19, Byline: BY LOUISE KEHOE IN SAN FRANCISCO"

Alan Kay goes to Apple

https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/03/business/key-atari-scientist-switches-to-apple.html?searchResultPosition=1

Jack is back

https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-05-17/mode/1up?view=theater

Tramel Technology founded

https://mcurrent.name/atarihistory/tramel_technology.html

Commodore exec exodus continues

https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-05-24/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater

Gulf and Western sells Sega

"COMPUTER SERVICES OBTAINS 70 PCT STAKE IN SEGA ENTERPRISES, Jiji Press Ticker Service, MAY 21, 1984, MONDAY, Dateline: TOKYO, MAY 21

No Headline In Original, PR Newswire, May 21, 1984, Monday"

Bally profits plummet

https://archive.org/details/cashbox46unse_15/page/29/mode/1up?view=theater

Mattel secures new financing

Mattel Agrees To Give Up 45 Percent of Its Voting Stock, The Associated Press, May 4, 1984, Friday, AM cycle, Section: Business News

https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/04/business/mattel-sets-restructuring.html?searchResultPosition=1

Coleco issues new debt

Troubled Game Manufacturer Rasing $50 Million With Debentures, The Associated Press,May 9, 1984, Wednesday, AM cycle, Section: Business News

Coleco backlog is enormous

Toy and Hobby World, May 1984, pg. 8

Coleco gets new ad agency

Ketchum Scores Coleco; Demands Cash Up Front From Shaky ClientADWEEKMay 21, 1984, Eastern Edition, Byline: By Debbie Seaman

Hasbro buys Milton Bradley

https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/05/business/rival-gets-milton-bradley.html?searchResultPosition=1

Toys R Us sales grow, but not thanks to games

No Headline In Original, PR Newswire, May 2, 1984, Wednesday, Dateline: ROCHELLE PARK, N.J., May 2

Japanese Coinop makers go after North American Pirates

https://archive.org/details/cashbox46unse_16/page/30/mode/1up?view=theater

https://archive.org/details/cashbox46unse_17/page/n29/mode/1up

Century's CVS gets new lease on life

Play Meter May 1, 1984, pg. 21

https://www.arcade-museum.com/company/crown-vending

Bankers learn not to finance games

Selling Repossessed Items Is a Banker's Nightmare; Want to Buy a Trawler, Bordello, or Video Game?, The American Banker, May 30, 1984, Wednesday, Section: BACK PAGE; Pg. 24, Byline: Special to the American Banker, Dateline: ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.

Activision sales collapse

No Headline In Original, United Press International, May 3, 1984, Thursday, BC cycle, Section: Financial, Dateline: MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.

Video Games aren't DEAD!

https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-3-2/page/30/mode/1up

Atari announces 7800

Atari Unveils Video Game Expandable into Computer, The Associated Press,May 21, 1984, Monday, BC cycle,Section: Business News

ATARI; Unveils advanced video game that is expandable to introductory computer, Business Wire, May 21, 1984, Monday

Adam owner frustration grows

https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-3-2/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater

MSX adopts 3.5 inch disks

https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-05-31/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater

Activision signs deal with Pony

ACTIVISION; Signs licensing agreement with Pony Inc. for Japanese markets, Business Wire, May 30, 1984, Wednesday, Dateline: MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.

MSX coming to UK

https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-05-24/mode/1up?view=theater

Dragon to announce MSX machine

https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-05-31/mode/1up?view=theater

https://tromax.webnode.es/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_MSX

Philips and Thompson want to set new standard

https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-05-03/mode/1up?view=theater

Amstrad development fracas revealed

https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-05-03/page/n11/mode/1up?view=theater

Acorn announces ABM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acorn_Business_Computer https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-05-03/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater

First QL's go out to customers

https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-05-03/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater

Popular Computing Weekly gets their QL!

https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-05-10/page/n4/mode/1up

https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-05-17/page/n15/mode/1up

https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-05-31/page/n22/mode/1up?view=theater

Sir Clive passes on Delorean plant

https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-05-24/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater

Computer games take CES by storm

https://archive.org/details/Creative_Computing_1984-05/page/n135/mode/1up?view=theater

Mac software arrives

https://archive.org/details/Creative_Computing_1984-05/page/n207/mode/2up?view=theater

First Origin games get tested

https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-3-2/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater

Lucasfilm Games Premieres

https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-3-2 Lucasfilm ''force'' enters video game market, United Press International, May 9, 1984, Wednesday, AM cycle, Section: Domestic News, Byline: By JOHN M. LEIGHTY

British devs embrace C64

https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-05-31/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater

USGold launches with Aztec Challenge and Forbidden Forest

https://archive.org/details/computer-and-videogames-031/page/n15/mode/2up https://archive.org/details/computer-and-videogames-031/page/n32/mode/1up?view=theater

https://archive.org/details/computer-and-videogames-031/page/n41/mode/1up?view=theater

https://archive.org/details/computer-and-videogames-031/page/n59/mode/1up?view=theater

https://archive.org/details/CommodoreHorizonsIssue051984May300dpi/page/n23/mode/2up?view=theater

Evil Dead coming to the C64

https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-05-17/mode/1up?view=theater

Leisure Games wants you to go to Jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200

https://archive.org/details/popular-computing-weekly-1984-05-03/page/n4/mode/1up?view=theater

https://www.mobygames.com/company/2715/leisure-genius/

Games Network warns that Bankruptcy is looming

Computer Taken by Creditor; GAMES NETWORK INSOLVENT, SAYS BANKRUPTCY IS NEAR, Communications Daily, May 17, 1984, Thursday,Section: Vol. 4, No. 97; Pg. 2

Adam Magazine to arrive

https://archive.org/details/computer-entertainer-3-2/page/25/mode/1up

Australia recognizes Copyright

ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC NEWS IN BRIEF, Copyright 1984 Jiji Press Ltd.Jiji Press Ticker Service, MAY 30, 1984, WEDNESDAY

Sanders income booms while royalty revenue dips SANDERS-ASSOCIATES; Financial resultsBusiness WireMay 21, 1984, Monday, Dateline: NASHUA, N.H.

Battlefield Earth gets a soundtrack

https://archive.org/details/cashbox46unse_15/page/n31/mode/1up?view=theater

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