Atari 2600 "E.T." box (Photo : Twitter)
A collection of classic video games dug up last year from a New Mexico landfill has racked up over $107,000 in sales since then. The unearthed Atari 2600 cartridges in April 2014 verified an urban legend that the company had tossed out hundreds of games over three decades ago. Buried titles included copies of "E.T.," widely considered as the worst video game in history.
The myth about the discarded old-school cartridges was reported by The Alamogordo Daily News. It was rumored to have included the 1982 adventure game "E.T. The Extra-terrestrial."
A film crew recorded Joe Lewandowski's digging up of the Atari cartridges. Besides the E.T. game, he discovered over 60 other titles including Asteroids, Centipede, Defender, Missile Command, and Super Breakout, according to Albuquerque Journal.
The Atari E.T. game was based on the Steven Spielberg film that earned about $793 million in box office sales and four Academy Awards. Released in 1982 after just 34 days in development, it is widely considered as one of the all-time worst video games, greatly due to its gameplay.
In fact, the game is infamously featured in the documentary "Atari: Game Over." Many experts believe that the cartridge's low sales figures could have partially led to the company's downfall.
Sales of 881 classic games on eBay raked in about $108,000. Buyers originated from 45 American states and 14 nations.
The biggest sale was for a copy of E.T., according to Engadget. It sold for a $1,535 price tag.
In addition, 23 games were sent to international museums, including the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.
Lewandowski explained that nearly 300 games are being stored in an archive. He might put them on sale if a second film about the buried cartridges is produced.
The city of Alamogordo will get around $65,000 from the games' sales, and $16,000 will go to a historical society. About $26,000 will cover shipping fees and other expenses.
The Atari 2600 video game console was launched in November 1977 and sold for about $200. Its all-time best-selling game was Pac-Man (1982), which sold 7 million units.
Here is an Atari 2600 "E.T." play-through:
