April 1994

Nintendo bows to Blockbuster, Commodore enters liquidation & Acclaim-Midway divorce gets messy!   These stories and many more on this episode of the VGNRTM!   This episode we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in April 1994. As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events.   Alex Smith of They Create Worlds is our cohost.  Check out his podcast here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/ and order his book here: https://www.theycreateworlds.com/book   Get us on your mobile device: Android:  https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly92aWRlb2dhbWVuZXdzcm9vbXRpbWVtYWNoaW5lLmxpYnN5bi5jb20vcnNz iOS:  https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/video-game-newsroom-time-machine   And if you like what we are doing here at the podcast, don't forget to like us on your podcasting app of choice, YouTube, and/or support us on patreon! https://www.patreon.com/VGNRTM   Send comments on Mastodon @[email protected] Or twitter @videogamenewsr2 Or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/vgnrtm Or [email protected]   Links: If you don't see all the links, find them here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/107563816   7 Minutes in Heaven: Rocko's Modern Life Video Version:  https://www.patreon.com/posts/7-minutes-in-107343911     https://www.mobygames.com/game/37843/rockos-modern-life-spunkys-dangerous-day/   Corrections: March 1994 Ep - https://www.patreon.com/posts/march-1994-105189897 Ethan's fine site The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/     https://x.com/chrisgr93091552        1994: Ataris settle with Nintendo     https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/26/business/company-news-time-warner-increases-its-stake-in-atari.html     Nintendo and Atari Games reach settlement in long-running court case; litigation settlement ends five-year court battle and restores Atari's status as Nintendo licensee, Business Wire, March 24, 1994, Thursday     ATARI CORP. AND NINTENDO REACH SETTLEMENT IN PATENT INFRINGEMENT CASE, PR Newswire, March 24, 1994, Thursday - 19:44 Eastern Time     Atari Corp. falsely characterizes Nintendo/Atari settlement, Business Wire, March 25, 1994, Friday     https://archive.org/details/AtariCorporationAnnualReport1992/page/n12/mode/1up     https://archive.org/details/AtariCorporationAnnualReport1993/page/n33/mode/1up     https://patents.google.com/patent/US4445114A/en   Nintendo gives in to rentals     Nintendo Reverses Stand, Will Play The Rental Game, Billboard, April 30, 1994, Section: Pg. 6   Nintendo finally pays Galoob     GALOOB TO RECEIVE $16.1 MILLION PAYMENT FROM NINTENDO TODAY, PR Newswire, April 11, 1994, Monday - 09:11 Eastern Time   EA and Broderbund to merge     https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-04/page/n9/mode/1up?view=theater   Pearson buys Software Toolworks     https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/01/business/pearson-enters-multimedia-software-arena.html     https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/12/business/market-place-the-choices-are-few-for-investing-in-software-aimed-at-children.html?searchResultPosition=17   Paramount teams up with Davidson & Associates     https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/13/business/the-media-business-software-plan-for-paramount.html?searchResultPosition=18     https://www.avid.wiki/Davidson/Simon_%26_Schuster   Warner consolidates     https://archive.org/details/cashbox57unse_29/page/30/mode/1up?view=theater   TSR and SSI call it quits     https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_117/page/n11/mode/2up   WMS to buy Tradewest     BUSINESS BRIEFS: WMS INDUSTRIES INC TO ACQUIRE TRADEWEST IN HOME-VIDEO PUSH, WALL STREET JOURNAL, April 6, 1994, Wednesday, Section: Section B; Page 4, Column 5         WMS Industries to acquire Tradewest Inc., Business Wire, April 5, 1994, Tuesday   Acclaim signs deal for Batman Sequel     WARNER BROS. AND ACCLAIM ANNOUNCE 'BATMAN FOREVER' PACT; Blockbuster Motion Picture to be Released in 1995, Business Wire, April 26, 1994, Tuesday       SEGA SELECTS ACCLAIM AS FIRST U.S. PUBLISHER TO USE PROPRIETARY TITAN TECHNOLOGY FOR COIN-OP GAMES AND HIGH-END SEGA HOME HARDWARE PLATFORMS, Business Wire, April 7, 1994, Thursday     Big Movers in the Stock Market, The Associated Press, April 7, 1994, Thursday, AM cycle   MGM signs up with Sega     MGM, SEGA TO DEVELOP INTERACTIVE VIDEO GAMES, Extel Examiner, April 29, 1994, Friday - 03:15 Eastern Time   Could Disney buy a major games publisher?     Will Disney Chart More Adventurous Course in Wells' Absence?, The Associated Press, April 11, 1994, Monday, PM cycle, Section: Business News, Byline: By E. SCOTT RECKARD, Associated Press Writers   Living Books buys Dr. Seuss rights     https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/22/business/the-media-business-dr-seuss-rights-are-sold.html?searchResultPosition=34   US announces Special 301 trade action against China     NINTENDO OF AMERICA STATEMENT ON SPECIAL 301 ACTION BY USTR, PR Newswire, April 30, 1994, Saturday - 19:04 Eastern Time   Japan misses chip import target     Newsbyte, US Japan Chip Wars Heat Up - Again! 01/03/94, WASHINGTON, DC, U.S.A., 1994 JAN 3 (NB)   Japanese toy wholesale system under pressure     Big stores rile small retailers with bargain toy price strategy, Industry's retail pricing structure said to have been undermined, The Nikkei Weekly (Japan), April 18, 1994, Section: INDUSTRY; Pg. 9      AFTRA signs deal with EA     https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-04/page/n11/mode/1up?view=theater   Sega disses Summer CES     https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-04/page/n11/mode/1up?view=theater      Dedicated cabs rule UK ATEI show     https://archive.org/details/edge-007-april-1994/page/8/mode/1up?view=theater      American Laser goes CDRom     Play Meter, April 1994, pg. 14 & Acme 13   Midway takes page from Capcom's playbook     https://archive.org/details/cashbox57unse_28/page/30/mode/1up?view=theater   AMOA teams up with Ross Perot's EDS     Play Meter, April 1994, pg. 1, 66A        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claw_(video_game)#Development       EDS' EARNINGS RISE 13 PERCENT IN FIRST QUARTER, PR Newswire, April 27, 1994, Wednesday - 16:29 Eastern Time      Saturn to launch with Jupiter     https://archive.org/details/edge-007-april-1994/page/6/mode/1up?view=theater   Jaguar UK launch botched     https://archive.org/details/edge-007-april-1994/page/13/     https://archive.org/details/edge-007-april-1994/page/17/   3DO prospects in Japan look good     So far, 3DO multiplayer living up to hype, Matsushita Claims It Sold 40,000 Of Long-Awaited Machines In First 3 Days, The Nikkei Weekly (Japan), April 4, 1994,Section: INDUSTRY DIGEST; Pg. 9, Byline: BY MASATO ISHIZAWA Staff writer     https://vgsales.fandom.com/wiki/Fifth_generation_of_video_games   3DO licenses tech to Toshiba for GPS     3DO. TOSHIBA TIE UP ON NAVIGATION SYSTEM, Jiji Press Ticker Service, APRIL 12, 1994, TUESDAY   3DO kicks off US ad campaign     3DO Kicks Off National Advertising Campaign, Business Wire, April 25, 1994, Monday       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W67sqPQ9u0   MSU gives Konix Multisystem a second go     https://archive.org/details/edge-007-april-1994/page/14/mode/1up?view=theater        https://www.konixmultisystem.co.uk/index.php?id=archive        https://www.konixmultisystem.co.uk/index.php?id=msu   Japanese devs not waiting for Nintendo     https://archive.org/details/edge-007-april-1994/page/13/mode/1up?view=theater      Capcom to support 3DO and PSX     https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_057_April_1994/page/n159/mode/1up?view=theater   Virgin to support CDi     https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_057_April_1994/page/n159/mode/1up?view=theater   Tower Records ditches CDi and Gameboy     Tower Video Dumps CD-I; VSDA Adds Game Seminars, Billboard, April 30, 1994, Section: HOME VIDEO; Shelf Talk; Pg. 72   Lethal Enforcers comes to the SNES     https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_057_April_1994/page/n171/mode/1up?view=theater   Nintendo censorship strikes again     https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-04/page/n11/mode/1up?view=theater      Sega announces MegaJet is coming home!     https://archive.org/details/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20057%20%28April%201994%29/page/n63/mode/2up     https://consolemods.org/wiki/Master_System:Master_System_Model_Differences#Master_System_Super_Compact/Master_System_Girl_(1994)      Commodore pulls out of World of Commodore-Amiga show     https://archive.org/details/amiga-computing-magazine-072/page/n13/mode/1up      Commodore announces liquidation     Commodore Scuttles Ship, The Associated Press, April 29, 1994, Friday, AM cycle      IBM agrees to make Cyrix chips     https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/15/business/ibm-agrees-to-make-chips-designed-by-cyrix.html?searchResultPosition=19   EA sees big upswing in CDRom sales     Company Results Roundup, Newsbytes, April 29, 1994, Friday   Could CDRom usurp video games?     PC GAMES COULD CAPTURE SEGA, NINTENDO CUSTOMERS, WALL STREET JOURNAL,April 27, 1994, Wednesday, Section B; Page 1, Column 5, Byline: BY JOSEPH PEREIRA Argonaut, Cirrus and Diamond team up for PC 3D API standard         3-D GRAPHICS ALLIANCE FOR PC GAMES ANNOUNCED BY DIAMOND COMPUTER SYSTEMS, CIRRUS LOGIC AND ARGONAUT SOFTWARE, PR Newswire, April 25, 1994, Monday - 09:02 Eastern Time         https://blazingrender.net/   3Dlabs and Creative team up for PC 3D API standard     3Dlabs announces alliance with Creative Technology; Customized GLiNT processor to bring interactive 3D graphics to multimedia desktops, Business Wire, April 18, 1994, Monday   Spectrum Holobyte bets on fractals     Fractals to put the squeeze on the game industry, Business Wire, April 13, 1994, Wednesday         https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractal_compression#Implementations   Microprose dumps Adventure engine     https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_117/page/n11/mode/2up   Maxis wants to turn SimCity into a sandbox     https://archive.org/details/game-developer-april-1994/page/n5/mode/1up?view=theater   Doom leaves Edge unimpressed     https://archive.org/details/edge-007-april-1994/page/60/mode/1up?view=theater      Newscorp buys Kesmai     Murdoch's News Corp. to acquire Kesmai Corp; Global media company positions Delphi to deliver the next wave of online interactive multimedia, Business Wire, April 25, 1994, Monday   AOL swamped by new signups     https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-04/page/n9/mode/1up?view=theater     https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-04/page/n15/mode/1up?view=theater        https://archive.org/details/edge-007-april-1994/page/92/mode/1up?view=theater   Game Developer magazines debuts     https://archive.org/details/game-developer-april-1994/page/n3/mode/1up      Second round of video game violence hearings lack fireworks     Play Meter, April 1994, pg. 12   Data East beats Capcom in court     Play Meter, April 1994, pg. 1   Ads in software patented     https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/08/business/company-news-patent-dispute-brewing-on-software-use-of-ads.html         https://medium.com/swlh/how-i-screwed-a-patent-troll-out-of-a-billion-dollars-2849cb3e248a       https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/ed/d8/f2/387782f38818da/US5105184.pdf     https://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/08/business/us-revokes-cotton-patents-after-outcry-from-industry.html      Study finds no link between video violence and juvenile delinquency     Offenders do not watch more violence, The Times, April 11, 1994, Monday, Section: Home news, Byline: Alexandra Frean, Media Correspondent Middlesex University offers Gaming degrees         https://archive.org/details/PC-Player-German-Magazine-1994-04/page/n13/mode/2up        https://retrocdn.net/images/7/7f/CVG_UK_149.pdf pg. 14   RIP 3' disks     https://archive.org/details/amstrad-action-103/page/n7/mode/2up   Recommended Links:   The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/ Gaming Alexandria: https://www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/ They Create Worlds: https://tcwpodcast.podbean.com/ Digital Antiquarian: https://www.filfre.net/ The Arcade Blogger: https://arcadeblogger.com/ Retro Asylum: http://retroasylum.com/category/all-posts/ Retro Game Squad: http://retrogamesquad.libsyn.com/ Playthrough Podcast: https://playthroughpod.com/ Retromags.com: https://www.retromags.com/ Games That Weren't - https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/ Sound Effects by Ethan Johnson of History of How We Play. Copyright Karl Kuras