Atari – E.T. The Game

1982-1983

A video game based on one of the biggest films of 1982 seemed like something to ‘phone home’ about. However, the decision to make an E.T. video game for the Atari 2600 came in late July, giving developers a mere 5½ weeks to build it in time for the 1982 Christmas season. Retailers were dreaming of a green Christmas, but customers found the game difficult to play, clunky, and redundant. E.T. did move 1.5 million units, but that was far lower than expected and Atari reported a $536 million loss in 1983. Today, E.T. is often cited as the worst video game of all-time.

Additional info:
npr.org – Total Failure: The World’s Worst Video Game
Engadget – The true story of the worst video game in history
Virtualatari.org – Play the game online!!!

Must watch documentary: Game Over: