Did anyone get Sprintmaster in 1988?

[+Random Terrain]

Atari's sales activity for 01/01/88 - 01/01/89 shows that 15,084 units were sold, but Computer Entertainer claimed that Sprintmaster wasn't shipped until March of 1989. How could 15,084 units of Sprintmaster be sold in 1988 if it wasn't shipped until March of 1989?

 

Computer Entertainer claimed the same thing for Super Baseball and Super Football, but the sales figures for 1988 show that they were also sold in 1988.

[Mockduck]

I was not a part of the industry then, so this is just speculation, but I would guess it might be based on pre-orders from vendors (software and toy stores) ahead of release.

[+x=usr(1536)]

Atari's sales activity for 01/01/88 - 01/01/89 shows that 15,084 units were sold, but Computer Entertainer claimed that Sprintmaster wasn't shipped until March of 1989. How could 15,084 units of Sprintmaster be sold in 1988 if it wasn't shipped until March of 1989?

 

Computer Entertainer claimed the same thing for Super Baseball and Super Football, but the sales figures for 1988 show that they were also sold in 1988.

 

I'd lean towards Computer Entertainer having got it wrong. It would've been in Atari's best interests to report the numbers and titles of games sold both timely and accurately, since those would have had a direct bearing on quarterly and annual earnings.

[+bfstats]

I bought Sprintmaster from Toys R Us in February of 1989.

[+Random Terrain]

I bought Sprintmaster from Toys R Us in February of 1989.

 

So Computer Entertainer was wrong. Looks like I can trust Atari's info.