Atari & Tron: Why did Bally make the game?

scottmaggie

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Atari has a credit in the original Tron movie and I don't think Bally does (I could be wrong). So how did Bally end up making the game for the movie and not Atari? I wonder what an Atari arcade Tron would have been like...
 
Atari has a credit in the original Tron movie and I don't think Bally does (I could be wrong). So how did Bally end up making the game for the movie and not Atari? I wonder what an Atari arcade Tron would have been like...

The cabinet would have weighed 50% more, used a tracball instead of spinner and a separate fire button (not on the joystick), twice the amperage to power the board, most would have disentegrated from the particle board. It would have used only one blacklight and possible have been a horizontal monitor.

Wonder how many of those would be right?
 
maybe back in 82' bally had deeper pockets to snag the tron arcade game/licensing etc??

Atari has a credit in the original Tron movie and I don't think Bally does (I could be wrong). So how did Bally end up making the game for the movie and not Atari? I wonder what an Atari arcade Tron would have been like...
 
The cabinet would have weighed 50% more, used a tracball instead of spinner and a separate fire button (not on the joystick), twice the amperage to power the board, most would have disentegrated from the particle board. It would have used only one blacklight and possible have been a horizontal monitor.

Wonder how many of those would be right?

It would probably have been a vector as well. Vector Tron would be awesome!
 
Yes, but it might have also ended up being a much better game too!

Compare Atari titles against Bally Midway titles from 79-82. Be sure to subtract titles that were developed by other developers.

Hmm, Atari loses Pole Position, Arabian, Kangaroo and a few others. Keeps, Missile Command, Centipede, Millipede, Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe, Tempest, Battlezone, Warlords, Missile Command, Space Duel, Millipede and a half dozen other classics.

Bally Midway, hmmm, take away the Namco, Data East and other licensed stuff and you are left with a game collection filled with also ran titles, like Robby Roto and Solar Fox. Sure you have Satan's Hollow and Wizard of Wor, but nothing non collectors have ever heard of.


The cabinet would have weighed 50% more, used a tracball instead of spinner and a separate fire button (not on the joystick), twice the amperage to power the board, most would have disentegrated from the particle board. It would have used only one blacklight and possible have been a horizontal monitor.

Wonder how many of those would be right?
 
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