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announced/previewed by Atari, Inc. in 1983), and also announced a new XE- styled replacement for the recently fast-selling-out 800XL (would ship as: 800XE).
March 24: Atari announced that technical support manager Alex Leavens was no longer with the company.
April 24-26: At the Atari Computer Show, Champagne Suite & Exhibition Centre, Novotel, Hammersmith, London, Atari introduced the XE game system to the UK (console: 80 pounds; keyboard: 40 pounds).
May: According to Atari, AtariWriter 80 (80-column XEP80 version of
AtariWriter Plus) was to ship in June 1987 along with the XEP80 itself, and a new 80-column XEP80 version of Silent Butler (Silent Butler 80; never shipped) was to ship soon after that.
May 29: Atari announced the appointment of Clifford Slobod as director of national sales for its entertainment division. Slobod's experience included
13 years with Mattel. Slobod would be responsible for domestic sales of video game systems and software, and would manage the introduction of the new Atari XE game system.
May 30-June 2: At the Summer CES in Chicago Atari announced that, in addition to keyboard, joystick, and video gun (light gun), the XE game system would be bundled with Flight Simulator II (previously released by SubLOGIC), Missile Command (previously released on cartridge), and Blast 'Em (previously: Bug Hunt; before that: Troubleshooter; would ship as: Bug Hunt). Atari introduced 14 XE cartridges: Hardball! (previously released by Accolade), Fight Night (previously released by Accolade), Touchdown Football (previously released by Electronic arts; XE cartridge never shipped), One-on-One Basketball
(previously released by Electronic Arts), Archon (by Free Fall Associates; previously released by Electronic Arts), Ballblazer (by Lucasfilm; previously released by Epyx), Rescue on Fractalus! (by Lucasfilm; previously released by Epyx), Lode Runner (previously released by Broderbund), Blue Max (by Broderbund; previously released by Synapse), David's Midnight Magic
(previously released by Broderbund), Crossbow (title by Exidy), plus Atari's own Food Fight, BattleZone, and Star Raiders II (previously released on disk). Atari said they were additionally developing "two new shooting games" as well (would ship as: Barnyard Blaster, Crime Buster). Further titles announced for later release: Desert Falcon, Choplifter! (previously released by Broderbund), Commando (title by Capcom; never shipped), GATO (title by Spectrum Holobyte). Also, Atari introduced the XF551 disk drive with ADOS (would ship as: DOS XE), featured the SX212 and introduced/announced SX Express!, featured the XEP80, and featured Atari Planetarium. (CN Jul/Aug87 p13-14)
Summer: Atari shipped the XDM121 printer.
August: Newspaper wire story on Las Vegas attractions: Atari Adventure Center, Caesars Palace and Riviera Hotels. Designed for the hotels by Atari and featuring more than 50 games...charge for most games. Atari 800 computers may be played at no charge for those who want to test geography and spelling skills. Open 24 hours daily.
September: Atari shipped the SX212 modem.
September 16-21: At SMAU 87 (Salone Macchine e Attrezzature per l'Ufficio, or Office Machinery and Equipment Exhibition) in Milan, Italy, Atari featured the 130XE (L. 259.000) and XE 4002 (XE System/XC12 package) (L. 320.000).
September/October: Atari shipped the XEP80 interface.
September/October: Atari shipped the XE game system in late September, and it reached most dealer shelves by mid-October, retail price $150. XES4001
package included: Missile Command and Atari BASIC on ROM, keyboard, Joystick (CX40), Light Gun (XG-1), Bug Hunt (previously: Blast 'Em) cartridge, Flight Simulator II cartridge.
October 23: Nintendo of America Inc. requested a preliminary injunction
against Atari Corporation in U.S. District Court, protesting that two Atari television commercials were false and misleading. The first commercial
claimed the XE played hundreds of games while Nintendo's NES played only 80. Nintendo said the Atari claim was inflated because it was based in part on older games now hard to find. The second commercial stated the XE played both disk and cartridge games while the Nintendo played only cartridge games.
While the commercial acknowledged the disk drive for the XE must be purchased separately, Nintendo said the claim was misleading because the disk drive was expensive and hard to find.
October 24-25: Atarifest '87 at Fairfax High School, Vairfax VA.
(CN Dec87 p14-17)
Fall: For the XE Atari shipped: Lode Runner (Chuck Peavey) (CE 12/87 p11), Archon
December 15: The Honorable Robert P. Aguilar, United States District Judge, Northern District of California, denied the October 23, 1987 request by Nintendo of America for a preliminary injunction against the Atari television ads comparing Atari's XE game system with the Nintendo Entertainment System. The court ruled that the advertisements did not violate the Lanham Act.
December: Atari shipped: Rescue on Fractalus!, Ballblazer, Star Raiders II, Blue Max (Sculptured Software), David's Midnight Magic, Hardball! (Sculptured Software), Barnyard Blaster (K-Byte) (CE 1/88 p14)
December?: Atari shipped the XF551 disk drive (with DOS 2.5).
December 31: From the Atari Annual Report: "In Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic, and Poland the Atari 800XE and 65XE computers have gained brand dominance and are among the most popular systems being sold in these countries."
Atari sold 100,000 XE game systems in the U.S. at Christmas and did
not meet demand (Antic magazine, May 1988, p. 39)
Atari "claims more than 2 million XE game systems sold in 1987."
(Compute! magazine, May 1988)
1988
January: Atari shipped: BattleZone (Ken Rose) (CE 1/88 p14)
January: Optimized Systems Software (OSS) was merged into ICD.
February 8-17: Atari featured the 2600, 7800 and XE video game systems at the 85th American International Toy Fair in New York City.
March: For the XE Atari shipped: Fight Night (Sculptured Software), One-on-One Basketball (Sculptured Software) (CE 5/88 p9)
Winter/Spring: For the XE Atari shipped: Lode Runner (Chuck Peavey), Archon (see manual printing dates)
April: Atari shipped: GATO (Xanth F/X) (CE 5/88 p9)
Spring: Atari shipped the SX Express! disk software package for use with the SX212.
June 4-7: At the Summer CES in Chicago (booth 9405) Atari featured the XE ($149.95) game system. New XE titles ("more than 19") would include: Necromancer (by Bill Williams; previously released by Synapse), Desert Falcon, Food Fight, Ace of Aces (previously released by Accolade), Commando (never released), Crossbow, Crystal Castles, Mario Bros., Choplifter!, Into the Eagle's Nest (by Pandora), Karateka (previously released by Broderbund), Crime Buster, Mean 18 Ultimate Golf (title by Accolade; never released), Summer
Games (previously released by Epyx), Airball (by MicroDeal), Dark Chambers, Jinks (by Softgold; never released), Nebulus (Hewson; never released), F-16 Fighting Falcon (title by Nexa; never shipped), Ultimate Driving (later: Fatal Run; never shipped). (Atari featured no computers at the show.)
June 21: Date of "Specification for Super XE Game Machine" document by Atari and Ricoh. VP advanced technology Shiraz M. Shivji signed for Atari. (
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/287546-super-xe-game-machine/)
(This project did not lead to any product announcement.)
October 1, 1988 through September 30, 1989: "Atari Advantage" promotion
program by Atari (U.S.) for the 2600, 7800, and XE. Collect 5 cartridges for
a free Atari T-shirt; 15 cartridges for a free cartridge; or 25 cartridges for a 7800 for $25 or for an XE game system or XE disk drive for $50, and "enter
an essay writing contest to win an expense-paid 7-day/6-night trip for you and a guest to California. Visit some of California's top tourist attractions including a day at Atari headquarters (near San Francisco) to see how video games are designed."
October?: Atari published the XE "Atari Advantage" catalog/poster. "Coming Soon": Crystal Castles, Thunderfox, Crossbow, Into the Eagle's Next
November: Final issue of the U.K.'s Atari User magazine. The name would be sold to rival U.K. magazine publisher Page 6.
November: Atari (U.S.) announced the availability of the XES2001 Light Gun + Bug Hunt package.
November/December: Atari (U.S.) offered a $50 consumer rebate on the purchase of the XE game system.
December 31: From the Atari Annual Report: "Our XE line of 8-bit computer systems is extremely popular throughout Eastern Europe, and most recently, has begun to appear on retail shelves in the Soviet Union."
Atari sold 500,000 Atari 800XL units in West Germany in 1988.
(Bajtek 2/1989, p.7; thanks Tomasz Krasuski)
1989
January 7-10: Atari's Entertainment division exhibited in a suite of rooms at the Dunes Hotel near the Winter CES in Las Vegas. (ST World Feb89) Atari announced 6 new titles planned, including: Commando (never shipped), Into the Eagle's Nest, Airball. This would bring the total library to 41 "active" game cartridge titles. (CN Mar89p13)
January: Atari shipped DOS XE (earlier name: ADOS). New production XF551 disk drives would also ship with DOS XE (replacing DOS 2.5).
February/March: New name for Page 6 magazine: Page 6 Atari User
February-March: Atari (U.S.) offered the XE game system for $99 (normal:
$149). (CN 3/89 p13)
March 8-15: At CeBIT '89 in Hanover, West Germany, Atari announced that the 7800 would ship in West Germany in June 1989 (to replace the XE game system).
March: For the XE Atari shipped: Ace of Aces, Food Fight (The Softworks Factory), Necromancer (CE 3/89 p14)
April 3: Date of Atari U.S. 1989 Distributor Price List, in which Atari announced or again promised: Deflektor (August; never shipped), MIDI Maze (by Xanth F/X) (Sept.; never shipped), Commando (Sept.; never shipped), Super Football (Sept.; never shipped), Tower Toppler (previously: Nebulus; title by U.S. Gold) (Sept.; never shipped), Xenophobe (title by Bally Midway) (Sept.; never shipped)
April: For the XE Atari shipped: Crossbow (Sculptured Software), Dark Chambers (Sculptured Software) (CE 5/89)
Spring?: For the XE Atari shipped: Crystal Castles (The Softworks Factory), Desert Falcon (Ken Rose), Mario Bros. (Sculptured Software), Choplifter! (Sculptured Software), Crime Buster, Karateka (Sculptured Software),
Summer Games, Airball (The Softworks Factory), Thunderfox
May: For the XE Atari shipped: Into the Eagle's Nest (CE 6/89)
May: Atari shipped AtariWriter 80, programmed by William Robinson and Ron
Rosen for Micro Fantasy. The package included Proofreader (programmed by
R. Stanley Kistler) and Mail Merge modules, and required the XEP80 interface. Like AtariWriter Plus, the package included a version for 48KiB/64KiB Atari computers as well as a version supporting the 128KiB RAM of the 130XE.
This would be the last release by Atari for the XE.
May/June: Premier issue of Atarian magazine, "the official magazine of the Atarian Video Game Club sponsored by Atari (U.S.) Corp." Published by Atari Explorer Publications, David H. Ahl, Publisher/Editor, in support of the 2600, 7800, and XE game systems.
June 3-6: At the Summer CES in Chicago, for the XE Atari introduced/again promised: Deflektor (never shipped), Commando (never shipped), Super Football (never shipped), Tower Toppler (never shipped), Xenophobe (never shipped),
MIDI Maze (never shipped), (CE 6/89 p13)
June/July: New name for Page 6 Atari User magazine: New Atari User.
October: Third and final issue of Atarian magazine.
December: Final issue of ANALOG Computing magazine
December 31: From the Atari Annual Report: "sales of games products such as
the 2600 and 7800 game systems and the range of older XE 8 bit computers decreased by 35% to $101.6 million, or 24% of total net sales for the year ended December 31, 1989, from $155.5 million, or 34%, of total net sales in 1988." From the Atari 10-K: "The Company's traditional video game offerings include the 2600 VCS, the 7800 ProSystem, and the XE game system."
1990
March 15: Atari Explorer Publications was shut down, and Atari Explorer magazine went on hiatus.
May?: At the Atari shareholders meeting, Atari stated that last year, 250,000 XE computers were sold. In Poland, the XE sold 70,000 units, making it the most popular computer in Poland. (Atari Interface, June/July 1990, p. 6)
June/July: Final issue of Antic, The Atari Resource magazine. Antic would continue as a section of the publisher's STart magazine.
1991
Jan/Feb: Return of Atari Explorer magazine, now headed by John Jainschigg and published in-house at Atari.
March/April: LDW had imported about 250-270 thousand Atari 8-bit computers
into Poland to date (since 1985)...Currently about 20% of the global
production of 8-bit Atari computers is sent to Poland (Moje Atari 4/1991,
pp. 8-9; thanks Tomasz Krasuski)
April/May: Final issue of STart magazine (which had incorporated Antic magazine).
May: "Atari Canada's General Manager Geoff Earle announces a new trade up program for owners of Atari 8-bit computers to a 520STFM for $250. The 8-bit computer line is admitted to be discontinued." (AtariUser Jan'92, p. 20)
May 14: At the Atari shareholders meeting, Atari stated that the XE was still in production, being sold in South America, Eastern Europe and the Middle
East. (Atari Interface magazine, June 1991, p. 10)
November 23-24: Chicago Computerfest by Atari / Lake County Atari Computer Enthusiasts (LCACE), Ramada Hotel O'Hare, Rosemont, Illinois. Atari (U.S.) brought substantially all of their remaining inventory of 8-bit computer products for clearance sales.
December: "..as of Christmas 1991, Atari decided to discontinue the XEgs,
2600, and 7800 systems." --Tim Duarte, AtariUser magazine, July 1992, p. 22.
December 28: From the Atari 10-K SEC filing: "Atari's XE series computers are targeted for the price conscious markets. The 65XE and 130XE have 64k and
128k of internal RAM, and generally retail for less than $100 and $150, respectively. Both are supported by a variety of peripheral equipment and a variety of software titles including entertainment software. This computer line retains compatibility with the Company's previous generation 8-bit computer systems, i.e., the 400 and 800XL computers."
1992
Atari announced that support for all 8-bit products was discontinued as of the beginning of this year, according to Atari Classics magazine. (Dec. 1992, p.4)
June 2: At the Atari stockholders meeting, Atari stated that the XE line of computers was still being made. Though not available in the U.S. market, XE systems were being made for sale in Mexico, South America, Eastern Europe and Germany. (Atari Interface magazine, Fall 1992, p. 19)
Fall?: The Atari Adventure center at Crestwood Plaza in Crestwood MO, which
had featured 800XL computers until at least 1991, was shut down.
December: First issue of Atari Classics magazine, published by Unicorn Publications, Ben Poehland managing editor.
December 31: For the first time, the XE was not mentioned in Atari's Annual Report to Shareholders.
1993
Jan/Feb: Final issue of Atari Explorer magazine.
November?: Rights to ICD (including OSS) products for the 8-bit Atari were purchased by Fine Tooned Engineering (FTe / Mike Hohman)
1994
January 1: From the Atari Annual Report: "The Company also has some inventory of its older 16-bit computer products and 8-bit game products, namely ST and
TT series of computers, 2600 and 7800 video games systems and XE computer and Portfolio products. As a result of these inventories being technologically obsolete and noncompetitive, the Company has written off these inventories.
The Company is expecting minimal sales from these products in the future."
1996
July 30: Atari Corporation was merged with and into JTS Corporation. The
prior business of Atari would now be conducted through the Atari Division of JTS; however "the Atari Division was not expected to represent a significant portion of JTS business," JTS said.
1997
July: Final issue of Atari Classics magazine.
1998
February 23: JTS sold substantially all of the assets of its Atari Division, consisting primarily of the Atari intellectual property rights and license agreements, to HIAC XI Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hasbro Interactive (which was established in 1995 as a subsidiary of toy company Hasbro, Inc.), for $5 million.
May 7: The name of HIAC XI Corp. was changed to: Atari Interactive, Inc.
Fall: Final issue of Page 6 Publishing's New Atari User magazine.
2001
January 29: Infogrames Entertainment S.A. (Lyon, France) announced completion of its acquisition of Hasbro Interactive from Hasbro, renaming the subsidiary Infogrames Interactive, Inc. Atari Interactive remained a wholly-owned subsidiary of the newly-renamed Infogrames Interactive, Inc.
2003
May 6: Atari Interactive, Inc. (established Feb. 12, 1998 as HIAC XI, Corp.) was merged with and into Infogrames Interactive, Inc. (established Dec. 8,
1995 as Hasbro Interactive, Inc.), which was renamed to: Atari Interactive, Inc.
2009
May 29: Infogrames Entertainment S.A. announced that the company would now be known as Atari S.A. -- Atari name licensed from the wholly owned Atari S.A. subsidiary, Atari Interactive, Inc.
TODAY: The Atari copyrights/trademarks/patents associated with the 400/800/XL/XE 8-bit Atari computer line are owned by Atari Interactive, Inc.,
a subsidiary of Atari S.A. of Paris, France.
http://www.atari.com/
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