The Quest For Atari’s E.T. Cartridges Continues

Around a week and a half after we reported that the landfill dig for the E.T. game on the Atari 2600 platform was put on hold, the wheels of its “archaeological” dig continues to begin spinning – as the New Mexico Environmental Protection Division Solid Waste Bureau’s instructions to freeze the proposed dig is set to be rescinded. This dig happens to be sponsored by Microsoft and Lightbox Entertainment, and it has a scope of importance, too.

In 2013, Xbox Entertainment Studios, a 125-person studio that was founded to create “true interactive content” beyond video games for the Xbox range did make an announcement to film an original documentary series concerning video game culture, where the E.T. game excavation would hopefully be a centerpiece of the Lightbox-produced show.

Right now, the company is “finalizing plans as we speak”, at least according to a Microsoft spokesperson who preferred to remain anonymous. It looks like the search is on for what many deem to be the worst game ever made, where it has become gaming folklore that truckloads of E.T. cartridges were buried in the desert near Alamogordo. The only way to find out? Start digging! What other stuff do you think that this proposed dig will be able to uncover in due time?

Edwin Kee
Categories: Gaming
Tags: atari, et