Atari's Marketing - Rock Fight game...based on reality???

[Scott Stilphen]

To those who are unfamiliar, Atari's Marketing department would routinely circulate a list of game titles around to programmers, which they determined people would buy, based on the name alone - Rock Fight always being the number #1 title on the list! Rob Zdybel tells this story on the 'Stella at 20' series.

 

I recently came across this article in News of the Weird.

 

ROCK FEST

"News of the Weird reported on the annual Gotmaar festival in Pandhurna, India, in 1989, describing how, despite the village's increasing modernization, its work comes to a halt after the first full moon in September, with males dividing into two groups to gather rocks and throw them at each other, attempting to injure as many people as they can. At sunset, they stop, nurse the wounded, and return to normal life. Apparently, the festival continues with equal vigo, despite attempts in recent years to make it less violent. In September 2002, participants again rejected safety rules, and 500 were wounded, some seriously."

[DEBRO]

To those who are unfamiliar, Atari's Marketing department would routinely circulate a list of game titles around to programmers, which they determined people would buy, based on the name alone - Rock Fight always being the number #1 title on the list! Rob Zdybel tells this story on the 'Stella at 20' series.

 

Ahh...I see you were in the keynote speeches at CGE2K2 too That's where Rob mentions Rock Fight. I don't think he was on the Stella @ 20 videos.

 

BTW, what did you think of Marketing Adventure? It would be cool to see this ROM get out just for a laugh

[Scott Stilphen]

Ahh...I see you were in the keynote speeches at CGE2K2 too That's where Rob mentions Rock Fight. I don't think he was on the Stella @ 20 videos.

 

BTW, what did you think of Marketing Adventure? It would be cool to see this ROM get out just for a laugh

 

Yep, he's on the Stella video. I missed his keynote speech at CGE, but I vaguely remember something 'Marketing Adventure' - what was it?

[DEBRO]

Yep, he's on the Stella video.

Wait a minute...do you mean the Once Upon Atari series from Scott Warshaw? He is on that one.

I missed his keynote speech at CGE, but I vaguely remember something 'Marketing Adventure' - what was it?

I can't remember who he said wrote it but I think it was Rob Fulop. It was an adventure game where you go around looking for the "golden disk". Once you find it you race across to the marketing department, present it, and...you don't win.

 

Actually there is no way to win. That's the joke of the whole game. It was their way of poking fun at marketing.

[Nukey Shay]

We do the same thing...except we usually hide the rocks inside snowballs

[Scott Stilphen]

You're right- it was Warshaw's tape (knew it was on one of them )