Does Market Date = Release Date?

[+Random Terrain]

On page 23 of the Atari CES Review (1982) there is a list of Apollo games and some of them have a "Market Date." Does that mean release date?

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks.

[daniel.inforede]

Hello Random, I found references on release dates for Apollo games at this link: www.atariarchive.org/atari-vcs-game-release-dates written by Kevin Bunch.
It seems to me that the Apollo sales documents attached to the Atari report, had a forecast date for launching on the market and with a suggested retail value. At that moment there would already be 2 games available for sale on the market: Skeet Shoot and Spacechase. There is an Apollo catalog listed at Atariage with copyright from 1981 listing the first 2 games.
Link to access: atariage.com/catalog_overview.php?SystemID=2600&CatalogID=65

 

Listing of launches according to the website:

 

1981

• DECEMBER:
  Skeet Shoot (December 7) - Source: Electronic Fun, January 1983; Anderson Daily Bulletin, January 26 1982; Computer Entertainer, April 1982

1982

• JANUARY:
  Spacechase - Source: Computer Entertainer, April 1982; Videogaming Illustrated, August 1982
• JUNE:
  Space Cavern - Source: Chicago Tribune, June 6 1982; Computer Entertainer July 1982
  Racquetball - Source: Chicago Tribune, June 6 1982
  Lost Luggage - Source: Chicago Tribune, June 6 1982; Philadelphia Inquirer, June 13 1982; Baltimore Sun, June 18 1982; Computer Entertainer, July 1982
  Lochjaw (rereleased as Shark Attack in August) - Source: Chicago Tribune, June 6 1982; Philadelphia Inquirer, June 13 1982; Baltimore Sun, June 18 1982

Daniel
 

[+cvga]

It certainly appears that market date is release date. I would have been pretty disappointed to pay $31.95 for Racquetball! Looks like they even had trouble hyping it for the description.

[ubersaurus]

My impression is that those would be the dates they started shipping to stores, for sure.

[+KaeruYojimbo]

21 hours ago, cvga said:

I would have been pretty disappointed to pay $31.95 for Racquetball! Looks like they even had trouble hyping it for the description.

"The most realistic racquetball simulation on the market today! We packed a fraction of the excitement of two middle-aged account executives smacking a rubber ball around a small, hot room into a video game!

[+Random Terrain]

On 11/3/2020 at 2:13 PM, daniel.inforede said:

Hello Random, I found references on release dates for Apollo games at this link: www.atariarchive.org/atari-vcs-game-release-dates written by Kevin Bunch.
It seems to me that the Apollo sales documents attached to the Atari report, had a forecast date for launching on the market and with a suggested retail value. At that moment there would already be 2 games available for sale on the market: Skeet Shoot and Spacechase. There is an Apollo catalog listed at Atariage with copyright from 1981 listing the first 2 games.
Link to access: atariage.com/catalog_overview.php?SystemID=2600&CatalogID=65

 

Listing of launches according to the website:

 

1981

• DECEMBER:
  Skeet Shoot (December 7) - Source: Electronic Fun, January 1983; Anderson Daily Bulletin, January 26 1982; Computer Entertainer, April 1982

1982

• JANUARY:
  Spacechase - Source: Computer Entertainer, April 1982; Videogaming Illustrated, August 1982
• JUNE:
  Space Cavern - Source: Chicago Tribune, June 6 1982; Computer Entertainer July 1982
  Racquetball - Source: Chicago Tribune, June 6 1982
  Lost Luggage - Source: Chicago Tribune, June 6 1982; Philadelphia Inquirer, June 13 1982; Baltimore Sun, June 18 1982; Computer Entertainer, July 1982
  Lochjaw (rereleased as Shark Attack in August) - Source: Chicago Tribune, June 6 1982; Philadelphia Inquirer, June 13 1982; Baltimore Sun, June 18 1982

Daniel
 

 

Here's what I have so far:

 

randomterrain.com/rt-atari-2600-game-list.html#apollo

 

December 1981

Skeet Shoot (December 1981)

 

 

February 1982

Spacechase (February 1982)

 

 

May 1982

Space Cavern (May 1982)

 

 

June 1982

Lochjaw (June 1982)

Lost Luggage (June 1982)
Racquetball (June 1982)

 

 

September 1982
Infiltrate (September 1982)
Shark Attack (September 1982) [formerly titled Lochjaw (released in June 1982)]

 

 

October 1982

Final Approach (October 1982)
Wabbit (October 1982)

 

 

November 1982

Guardian (November 1982)

[Rom Hunter]

The announcements in Computer Entertainer are not automatically the release dates.



 

[ubersaurus]

On 11/23/2020 at 5:07 PM, Rom Hunter said:

The announcements in Computer Entertainer are not automatically the release dates.



 

No, but given that the staff of the newsletter contacted companies monthly for updates on when games were shipping it is an extremely useful source. Those dates also sync up with when the games start showing up in newspaper ads.

[retroeight]

Lochjaw is most likely 5-15-82

 

I "believe" you will find some dates in Billboard magazine. If I am not mistaken some distributors ran ads in there.

 

lloyd