Gaming has many years behind it. Countless games are on the market and more will be released, but which game was the first commercially successful game that required payment? We have researched and found the answer for you.
Which game was it? Many of you may know the game as it is the iconic and nostalgic arcade game “Pong”. Who would have thought that such a simple game principle would make a splash in 1972 and captivate many people.
While many arcade games, such as Pinball or Streetfighter, were still present in gaming halls at the time, Pong paved the way for home consoles and gaming at home. However, the table tennis-inspired game has an exciting history that we do not want to withhold from you.
Since we’re talking about game consoles, how about 5 devices that flopped so hard that hardly anyone knows them today:
The story behind Pong
How did Pong come to be? The cult game from the 70s has a complicated history behind it. The company “Magnavox”, which at the time also produced the game console “Odyssey”, created the game titled “Ping Pong”. Unfortunately, the console was not a bestseller and despite the cool game idea, production of the console was discontinued in 1974.
While Magnavox had no success with the idea behind the console, another company was in a better position. The founder and head of Atari, “Nolan Bushnell”, picked up the game principle behind Ping Pong at a Magnavox presentation in 1972. There, he had the opportunity to test the game and form an idea from it.
He immediately recognized the potential of the game and had his then employee Allan Alcorn program the arcade game for test purposes. However, the game was so good that they decided to market it. The title “Ping Pong” was already taken, so the team decided to simply call it “Pong”.
Unfortunately for Atari, Magnavox got wind of the situation and sued them for $700,000 for the use of patent rights. However, Atari was unconcerned, as they had already sold a total of 8,000 Pong arcade machines at that time, but that was not enough.
Pong also made it to your home: Atari took it a step further, as they presented a home console with the game “Pong” at the Consumer Electronics Show in 1975. Despite the huge sales figures of the arcade machines, they faced low interest because such a console had already been on the market from Magnavox.
After the presentation, however, an employee from Sears, a major trading company from the United States, got in touch. Sears was interested in marketing the console, but only under the condition:
- Sears receives all marketing rights
- Atari would have to deliver 150,000 units of the console by the Christmas season
Atari complied and ensured that the Christmas season of 1975 was a huge success. The consoles, as well as replicas with the Pong game, sold in large quantities in the United States. In Europe, the hype around the game even lasted until the early 1980s. Through certain coincidences and given opportunities, Atari ensured that Pong became the first commercially successful game in gaming.
But what do you think of Pong? Are you also from that era and did you enjoy the simple game design and principle in your youth? Let us know in the comments!
The image in our title is a symbolic representation of old gaming equipment, featuring the game Space Invaders.
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