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Earliest Mention of 1980 Atari 2600 Games in Newspapers


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Atari 2600 Games Released in 1980
(Earliest mention in newspapers that I've found so far.)

 

Space Invaders: April 11, 1980, April 17, 1980
3-D Tic-Tac-Toe: June 15, 1980
Circus Atari: June 15, 1980, July 25, 1980
Golf: June 15, 1980, July 25, 1980
Adventure: May 9, 1980 (Canada), June 15, 1980, July 10, 1980

Night Driver: June 15, 1980, July 25, 1980
BASIC Programming: July 10, 1980
Dodge ‘Em: October 22, 1980
Maze Craze: October 22, 1980
Video Checkers: October 22, 1980

Championship Soccer: November 13, 1980 (article)

Boxing: December 22, 1980
Checkers: December 22, 1980
Dragster: December 22, 1980
Fishing Derby: December 22, 1980
Bridge: January 30, 1981, February 17, 1981
Skiing: January 30, 1981, February 17, 1981







1980y_04m_11d Salina Journal Friday, April 11, 1980, Salina, Kansas
(Space Invaders game now available $29.95. [Woolco])
post-13-0-93977600-1553497121_thumb.png




1980y_04m_17d Park Forest South Star Thursday, April 17, 1980, Park Forest, Illinois
(Space Invader [space Invaders]. [American Sales])
post-13-0-13702500-1553497350_thumb.png




1980y_05m_09d Medicine Hat News Friday, May 9, 1980, Medicine Hat, Alberta Canada
(Space Invaders and Adventure. [sounds Fantastic])
post-13-0-29900500-1549455250.png




1980y_06m_15d Chicago Heights Star Sunday, June 15, 1980, Chicago Heights, Illinois
(New cartridges: 9 Hole Golf [Golf], Circus [Circus Atari], Night Driver, 3D Tic Tac Toe [3-D Tic-Tac-Toe]. Adventure box in photo. [American Sales])
post-13-0-06838800-1553497799_thumb.png




1980y_07m_10d Chicago Heights Star Herald Ad Visor Thursday, July 10, 1980, Chicago Heights, Illinois
(Adventure, BASIC Programming, and more. [Matt's TV & Stereo])
post-13-0-54900700-1553497869_thumb.png




1980y_07m_25d Westport News Friday, July 25, 1980, Westport, Connecticut
(Circus Atari, Night Drivers [Night Driver], and Golf. [Captain Video])
post-13-0-83460000-1553498041_thumb.png




1980y_10m_22d Daily Herald Suburban Chicago Wednesday, October 22, 1980, Arlington Heights, Illinois
(Maze Craze, Video Checkers, and Dodge 'Em, among other games. [Woolco])

post-13-0-47934800-1549467193.png





1980y_10m_23d Escanaba Daily Press Thursday, October 23, 1980, Escanaba, Michigan
(A nice list little of games with prices. [Woolworth])
post-13-0-27654100-1553498481_thumb.png




1980y_11m_13d Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph Thursday, November 13, 1980, Colorado Springs, Colorado
(Newspaper article mentioning Championship Soccer, Maze Craze, Video Checkers, and Dodge 'Em.)
post-13-0-80876700-1552396090.png




1980y_11m_20d East Liverpool Evening Review Thursday, November 20, 1980, East Liverpool, Ohio
(This newspaper article is basically the same as the one above, but it mentions prices at the end.)
post-13-0-70011300-1552397653.png




1980y_12m_22d Eau Claire Leader Telegram Monday, December 22, 1980, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
(Dragster, Checkers, Boxing, Fishing Derby, and more. [Prange Way])
post-13-0-22188200-1553498978_thumb.png




1981y_01m_30d Elyria Chronicle Telegram Friday, January 30, 1981, Elyria, Ohio
(Skiing, Bridge, and more. [Video Adventures])
post-13-0-14011100-1553499156_thumb.png




1981y_02m_17d Clearfield Progress Tuesday, February 17, 1981, Clearfield, Pennsylvania
(Skiing and Bridge. [Murphy's Mart])
post-13-0-42725500-1553499315_thumb.png




1981y_02m_18d Madison Wisconsin State Journal Wednesday, February 18, 1981, Madison, Wisconsin
(Skiing, Bridge, and more. [Prange Way])

post-13-0-40396300-1553499644_thumb.png





The 1980 history page has been updated.

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I've got a couple other dates from my own trawl (which includes newspapers.com thanks to a friend's help).

Feb 27 Madison Wisconsin State Journal has an ad for Atari computers, but also Space Invaders on cartridge (the computer version didn't come out on cart until much later that year). Merchandising did note that the game shipped out in March, so this ad was likely a bit ahead of itself.

 

Adventure and BASIC Programming are both also advertised in the May 1 Chicago Tribune.

madison-wisconsin-state-journal-Feb-27-1980-p-5.pdf

Chicago_Tribune_Thu__May_1__1980_.pdf

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