Developer: Activision
Activision was founded in 1979 by four Atari programmers, David Crane, Alan Miller, Bob Whitehead and Larry Kaplan, who wanted to make games for the Atari 2600 outside Atari. In the summer of 1980 it released its first four cartridges, the first 2600 games ever sold by a company other than Atari, and showed that an independent publisher could succeed on the console. Many of its games came with a mail-in patch for players who reached a target score.
The site has 39 Activision games, from those first releases such as Boxing, Dragster and Fishing Derby to late titles such as Ghostbusters (1985). A few good places to start:
Kaboom! (1981): Larry Kaplan’s paddle game about catching the Mad Bomber’s bombs in buckets.
Megamania (1982): Steve Cartwright’s shooter, with waves of hamburgers and steam irons.
River Raid (1982): Carol Shaw’s scrolling shooter along an endless river.
Enduro (1983): Larry Miller’s long-distance race through day, night, snow and fog.
H.E.R.O. (1984): John Van Ryzin’s rescue mission down a maze of mine shafts.
Pitfall II: Lost Caverns (1984): David Crane’s huge underground sequel to Pitfall!
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Ghostbusters II
Ghostbusters II is a late Atari 2600 action game based on the 1989 film. Activision developed it, with programming credited to Michael Buetepage, but the cartridge was never sold in the United States. It came out only in…
Play ▸Private Eye
Private Eye is a detective game for the Atari 2600, designed by Activision co-founder Bob Whitehead and released by Activision in early 1984. You play the French detective Pierre Touché, driving a jumping Model A car around a…
Play ▸Starmaster
StarMaster is a first-person space combat game designed and programmed by Alan Miller and published by Activision in 1982. You pilot a lone starfighter across a galaxy map, hunting enemy fighters before they wipe out your starbases, while…
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