May 2020

May 17, 2020

Apple introduces its next gen system
Acclaim powers up its team
and
Nintendo wants a piece of the Harry Potter pie

These stories and many more on this month's episode of the Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

This month we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in May of 1980, 1990, 2000.
As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events..

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1980:
Coleco reports record first quarter profits
Toy & Hobby World, May 1980

Mattel reports a 22% increase in net sales
Playthings, May 1980

French planning to launch terminals
https://www.nytimes.com/1980/05/26/archives/french-back-phone-computers-new-terminals-scheduled-for-popular-use.html?searchResultPosition=11
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minitel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOhK9bgQo8g
My apologies, I said it was the Nostalgia Nerd who did this history of the Minitel but it was RetroManCave.

Pizza Time Theatre sues Topeka Inn Management Inc
Replay May 1980, pg. 10
https://books.google.de/books?id=7-WcKK01H1cC&pg=PA134&lpg=PA134&dq=pizza+time+theatre+sues+topeka+inn&source=bl&ots=4IS3fHWgGj&sig=ACfU3U3PK974svmkbhZnXY8q-IHsxPu5uA&hl=de&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwihg4zV-MfoAhXQ5KQKHfvxDNQQ6AEwAHoECAwQLw#v=onepage&q=pizza%20time%20theatre%20sues%20topeka%20inn&f=false

Midway warns against copying Galaxian
Replay May 1980, pg. 35
http://patentarcade.com/2015/12/1982-case-midway-mfg-co-v-bandai.html
https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4669&context=penn_law_review

Mego's Time Out series to be shown at CES
Toy & Hobby World, May 1980
http://www.intheattic.co.uk/time-out.htm
https://patents.google.com/patent/US4687200

Apple debuts Apple III
https://www.nytimes.com/1980/05/08/archives/new-breed-emerges-in-home-computers-who-makes-them-a-new-breed-of.html?searchResultPosition=4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_III

Avalon Hill enters the computer game market
Toy & Hobby World, May 1980
https://www.mobygames.com/company/microcomputer-games-inc

Katie goes into the computer
https://archive.org/details/Katie_and_the_Computer_1979_Creative_Computing_Press/page/n43/mode/2up
https://archive.org/details/CreativeComputingbetterScan198005/page/n46/mode/1up

1990:
Core Design becomes its own publisher
https://archive.org/details/theone-magazine-20/page/n9/mode/1up
https://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/core-design-ltd/offset,50/so,1d/list-games/
https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,19669/

Don Bluth to produce its own games
https://archive.org/details/theone-magazine-20/page/n7/mode/1up
https://www.mobygames.com/company/sullivan-bluth-interactive-media-inc
https://www.facebook.com/donbluthfilms/photos/a.538790976189206/1160072624061035/?type=3&theater
http://www.dragons-lair-project.com/games/related/prototype/cinematronics.asp

Data East makes Joe Keenan their new president
Play Meter May 1990, pg. 3

Acclaim triples previous years revenue
Plaything May 1990, pg. 13

Acclaim cuts deal with Williams
Play Meter May 1990, pg. 3
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/08/business/company-news-acclaim-entertainment-deal-for-comics-publisher-near.html

Acclaim builds a power team
https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Computer_Entertainment_Issue_16_May_1990 pg. 18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDbD0216NaU
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_Team_(TV_series)

F-15 Strike Eagle is heading to arcades
https://archive.org/details/computer-video-games-magazine-102/page/n91/mode/2up
https://www.mobygames.com/game/arcade/f-15-strike-eagle_
https://videogamenewsroomtimemachine.libsyn.com/wild-bill-stealey-interview
https://www.microprose.com/news/

Arcade vs. Home: The debate heats up
Play Meter May 1990, pg. 34
https://www.computerspielemuseum.de/

TG16 gets a price cut
https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Computer_Entertainment_Issue_16_May_1990 pg. 22

PC Engine is finally coming to the UK
https://archive.org/details/ACEIssue32May90/page/n6/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TurboGrafx-16
https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/08/george-soros-bank-of-england.asp

Atari's Panther is waiting in the wings
https://archive.org/details/ACEIssue32May90/page/n93/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_Panther#cite_note-theone-2

Sega lines up computer games for the Genesis
https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Computer_Entertainment_Issue_16_May_1990 pg. 22
https://videogamenewsroomtimemachine.libsyn.com/michael-katz-interview-part-2

Electronic Arts becomes an NES licensee
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_71/page/n49/mode/1up
https://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/nes/electronic-arts-inc/
https://www.mobygames.com/game/nes/caveman-ugh-lympics

Mindscape becomes first third party publisher of NES titles in Europe
https://archive.org/details/computer-video-games-magazine-102/page/n9/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindscape_(company)

Sierra buys Dynamix
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_71/page/n49/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamix

Ultima VI will not be coming to the Apple II
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_71/page/n51/mode/1up
https://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/ultima-vii-the-black-gate
https://www.mobygames.com/game/ultima-vi-the-false-prophet

C-Cube is making digital video affordable
Replay May 1990, pg. 176
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-Cube
https://books.google.de/books?id=117mBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA331&lpg=PA331&dq=%22CL4000%22+MPEG+II+encoder&source=bl&ots=HdCCZU_Edl&sig=ACfU3U3W3W8ySDjwJy_a1NT4YswCZi5b6g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiY49ufze3oAhUE3KQKHVN8CfUQ6AEwBnoECAsQPA#v=onepage&q=%22CL4000%22%20MPEG%20II%20encoder&f=false

Titus has won the right to make a Dick Tracy game... and we've all lost.
https://archive.org/details/CommodoreUserIssue801990May/page/n7/mode/1up
https://www.mobygames.com/game-group/dick-tracy-licensees

2000:
Dreamcast peripherals proliferate
https://archive.org/stream/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20130%20%28May%202000%29#page/n34/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreameye
https://web.archive.org/web/20070311083135/http://uk.dreamcast.ign.com/articles/076/076137p1.html
https://archive.org/stream/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20130%20%28May%202000%29#page/n43/mode/1up
https://segaretro.org/Swatch_Access_for_Dreamcast

Sega forecasts a loss of over $400 million
https://www.retromags.com/files/file/3957-gamepro-issue-140-may-2000/ pg. 34
https://web.archive.org/web/20070925210504/http://www.segasammy.co.jp/english/ir/pdf/ir/kako/sega_AR_all_2000.pdf pg. 10

Sega.com is gonna give you a Dreamcast for free!
https://archive.org/details/NextGen65May2000/page/n25/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SegaNet
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/free-dreamcast-for-segas-new-isp/1100-2542096/

Indrema has a dream...
https://archive.org/details/PC-Player-German-Magazine-2000-05/page/n18/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indrema
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gildred

Nintendo vies for Harry Potter rights
https://www.unseen64.net/2015/02/09/nintendo-harry-potter-games-pitch/
https://archive.org/stream/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20130%20%28May%202000%29#page/n43/mode/1up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AXq2E_X67g

Daikatana releases!
https://archive.org/details/NextGen65May2000/page/n22/mode/1up
https://www.mobygames.com/game/john-romeros-daikatana/release-info

The Sims have arrived
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_190/page/n65/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sims

Triforge takes to the web
https://archive.org/details/NextGen65May2000/page/n18/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArenaNet

Fiendish games revives the budget title
https://archive.org/details/NextGen65May2000/page/n22/mode/1up
https://www.mobygames.com/company/criterion-software-ltd
https://www.mobygames.com/company/fiendish-games-ltd

AMD launches the first 1 GHz chip
https://archive.org/details/NextGen65May2000/page/n21/mode/1up
https://www.zdnet.com/article/its-official-amd-hits-1000mhz-first-5000096067/

Napster gets competition
https://archive.org/details/PC-Player-German-Magazine-2000-05/page/n18/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnutella

Babylon 5 finally dead
https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_Issue_089_2000-05_Dennis_Publishing_GB/page/n30/mode/1up

Recommended Links:
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/
The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/
Retro Asylum: http://retroasylum.com/category/all-posts/
Retro Game Squad: http://retrogamesquad.libsyn.com/

Sound Effects by Ethan of History of How We Play.