E.T. Video Game Landfill apparently found

[Caesar]

The dumping of thousands of E.T. The Extraterrestrial game cartridges for the Atari VCS/2600 in New Mexico was rumored for a long time.  The game's programmer, Howard Scott Warshaw (also known for the games Yar's Revenge and Raiders of the Lost Ark), knew about the rumors, but even he wasn't entirely certain that they were real given Atari's financial situation at the time (would the executives really blow all that money to contract out the trucks, then cover the games in concrete in the New Mexico desert when the company was bleeding millions of dollars a day?)  As it turns out, they apparently did:

 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/04/26/307178240/e-t-s-home-is-found-trove-of-atari-games-unearthed-at-landfill

 

As both a classic gamer and a historian, this is an interesting find.  I can't say I'm surprised given the hi-jinks that would happen at Atari in the 1970's-80's (in the documentary "Once Upon Atari," former employees and programmers were quite open about the shenanigans that went on at the company at the time, from bocce lemons in the halls to whips to Marijuana Review Boards during corporate meetings), but what is most interesting to me is that this is one of those rare instances where an historic rumor or legend is apparently true.  Although only a few decades old, rather than centuries or millennia, it is always exciting to me when an excavation like this happens, and an event that at one point could at best be described as legend and at worst pure fiction is proven to have happened.

 

That being said, I don't plan to celebrate by buying a copy of E.T. for my Atari.

[UK_Widowmaker]

Well, having never heard of this story, I was quite gobsmacked Caesar!.... wonder what possible reason they could of had for doing that?..unless it was decided at a dope smoking CEO meeting!

 

madness

[Gunrunner]

It costs money to store things you have no chance of getting rid of, or move them to the distribution channel when there's little chance of selling, plus there might have been contractual gotchas due to licensing and destroying units was the way to avoid paying higher licence costs for an unsalable product, so it might make sense in a twisted way.

[Caesar]

UK,

 

If I had to guess, I'd agree with Gunrunner's assessment - rather than store massive quantities of the product which had no chance of selling after the resounding flop, it may have been decided that it would be easier/cheaper to make a single large haul and put them underground, rather than hold them for years.  

[MigBuster]

That is hilarious - I suppose the games are worth a bit more now - although I wouldntgive them more than a dollar for the entire bag.

 

Wonder what other crap games have been dumped - if only they could dig up something useful!

[Caesar]

Just taking a look at some of the preliminary pictures, there appears to be more than just E.T. carts there; the distinctive double-wide boxes of Star Raiders which fit the keypad controller can be spotted, as well as Centipede boxes.  Some destroyed joysticks and other controllers are littered about; catalogs, and advertisements as well.  Wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of Pac-Man carts were in there, too!  E.T. may have made up the majority of the dump, but based on the other stuff found so far, it looks like Atari might have done a general warehouse clearing to ditch not only excess E.T. carts, but also other stuff that wasn't selling during the crash in 1983.

[B52STRATO]

We bet on how many each of these "gems" will bring in gamers auction ?

[FalconC45]

Just taking a look at some of the preliminary pictures, there appears to be more than just E.T. carts there; the distinctive double-wide boxes of Star Raiders which fit the keypad controller can be spotted, as well as Centipede boxes.  Some destroyed joysticks and other controllers are littered about; catalogs, and advertisements as well.  Wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of Pac-Man carts were in there, too!  E.T. may have made up the majority of the dump, but based on the other stuff found so far, it looks like Atari might have done a general warehouse clearing to ditch not only excess E.T. carts, but also other stuff that wasn't selling during the crash in 1983.

 

I loved Star raiders 1 & 2. In SR2 You could orbit bomb enemy planets :).

 

Falcon

[JediMaster]

Yeah, I vaguely remember that!