Libsyn Directory

May 1994

Release Date: 08/22/2024

Raymond Yap - Wong's International, Mondex

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

The boom of home computers and electronics in the 1970s and 1980s was as much a success of entrepreneurial endeavor and technological innovation, as it was of the blossoming worldwide supply chain. One of the company's that made it all possible was WONG's International and our guest today, Raymond Yap was their representative in the UK. He helped make sure that the BBC Micro got into UK schools and traveled the world securing suppliers for all manner of electronics. How did that business work? Where did his career lead after this? Raymond tells us of an amazing journey that includes not only...

June 1984

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

The home computer market implodes, Atari announces 7800 & Console software dries up. 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 June 1984. 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:...

Larry J. Dunlap - The Games Network, Imperial Wars

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

The dawn of the home computer seemed to usher in the death of computing's networked past dominated by dumb terminals connected to mainframes, but a few visionaries foresaw a world in which the microcomputer technology invading millions of homes could be connected and the data networks already in consumer hands, such as cable TV and telephones, could usher in a new way of connecting people and distributing software. Our guest, Larry J. Dunlap, was one such pioneer. The company he cofounded, The Games Network almost brought that dream to the world but tragically came up short. Larry tells us of...

May 1994

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

Nintendo and Sega financials dissapoint Sony gets ready for NextGen Venture money goes ga-ga over silliwood 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 May 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 or get it in the Humble...

May 1984

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

Sinclair ships QLs, Atari looks hopeful & Jack is BACK! 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 May 1984. 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: and order his book here: or get it in the Humble Bundle here: Get us on your mobile device: Android: iOS: And if you like what we are doing here at the podcast, don't forget to...

Jay Balakrishnan - HESWare, Radical, Dynamics, Solid State Software

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

In the earliest days of the gaming biz, Human Engineered Software was a trailblazer, bringing big names like Jeff Minter to the US. The company's founder, Jay Balakrishnan, is a serial entrepreneur who not only would help create the mass market for software at retail but would also have a long and storied career in games beyond Hes ware with such companies as Radical Entertainment and Dynamics. I spoke to Jay in November and December of 2023, and after a few technical hiccups we finally got a connection going and we jump right into that today, so don't worry that I don't start...

April 1994

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

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: ...

Joneva Barry - Chuck E. Cheese, Kadabrascope

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

Nolan Bushnell, the PT Barnum of games, left indellible marks on the industry, some greater than others, and among the big hits like Atari and Chuck E. Cheese, were also many misses and could-have-beens. Our guest, Joneva Barry, was witness to one of them, Kadabrascope, an attempt to use computers to bring down the cost of traditional 2D animation. An accomplished artist and educator, Joneva tells us of those heady days of high tech, great hopes, the comradery with Sente, the fall of Pizza Time Theater and her career in movies and as a school teacher. Recorded: July 2023 Get us on...

April 1984

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

Acorn and Commodore soar, as Coleco and Atari falter Software takes center stage in PC clone world UK game prices hit rock bottom 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 1984. 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: ...

March 1994

Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

Sega previews Saturn at CES, Commodore warns of bankruptcy & Doom brings corporate networks to their knees 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 March 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: ...

More Episodes

Nintendo and Sega financials dissapoint
Sony gets ready for NextGen
Venture money goes ga-ga over silliwood

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 May 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
or get it in the Humble Bundle here:
https://www.humblebundle.com/books/game-programming-taylor-francis-books

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/110575391

7 Minutes in Heaven: Rebel Assault (SegaCD)
Video Version: https://www.patreon.com/posts/7-minutes-in-may-110535204
https://www.mobygames.com/game/272/star-wars-rebel-assault/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Rebel_Assault

Corrections:
April 1994 Ep - https://www.patreon.com/posts/april-1994-107563816
Ethan's fine site The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/

1994-05:
Console market in a slump
Edge 8, May 1994 pg. 18

Panasonic tries to save 3DO
Edge 8, May 1994 pg. 16
https://x.com/blakejharrisNYC/status/1168364212139307008

Nintendo loosens minimum cart order rules in Japan
"Nintendo easing iron grip on programmers Video-Game Giant Halves Minimum Cartridge Order, The Nikkei Weekly (Japan), May 2, 1994, Section: INDUSTRY; Pg. 8

Nintendo stock keeps dropping
Nintendo shares no fun in 1994 - Emiko Terazono on reaction to the gamemaker's revised forecasts, Financial Times (London,England), May 6, 1994, Friday, London; Section: World Stock Markets; Pg. 39, Byline: By EMIKO TERAZONO

Nintendo is a top earner
TOYOTA RETURNS AS NO.1 INCOME EARNER IN JAPAN, Jiji Press Ticker Service, MAY 18, 1994, WEDNESDAY,Dateline: TOKYO, MAY 18

Sega profits plunge
Sega Enterprises reports 22.7% pretax profit fall, Japan Economic Newswire, MAY 19, 1994, THURSDAY

Sony Computer Entertainment of America formed
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/19/business/company-news-sony-starts-a-division-to-sell-game-machines.html?searchResultPosition=1

3DO shares collapse
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/21/business/company-news-shares-of-3do-fall-by-another-18.html

Nintendo profits plunge... more
Nintendo suffers first profit decline in 10 years,Japan Economic Newswire,MAY 23, 1994, MONDAY
Nintendo reports solid earnings despite strong yen; outlines exciting new software plans for 1994, Business Wire, May 23, 1994, Monday

THQ sales collapse
T-HQ announces first-quarter results, Business Wire, May 11, 1994, Wednesday
Absolute Entertainment reports first quarter results, Business Wire, May 10, 1994, Tuesday

EA/Broderbund merger collapses
No Headline In Original, Consumer Electronics, May 9, 1994, Section: NOTEBOOK, Vol. 34, No. 19
https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-05/page/n21/mode/1up?view=theater
https://www.smoliva.com/2024/08/07/what-the-learning-company-taught-us-about-the-history-of-computer-software/

Davidson & Associates buys Chaos Studios
https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-05/page/n17/mode/1up?view=theater

Fox Interactive launches
Twentieth Century Fox establishes new interactive multimedia division; new division to utilize News Corp. resources, Business Wire, May 20, 1994, Friday

Fall of Park Place profiled
https://archive.org/details/Electronic-Games-1994-05/page/n9/mode/1up?view=theater

Forbes profiles Id
Profits from the underground, Forbes, May 9, 1994,Section: COMPUTERS/COMMUNICATIONS INTERACTIVE MEDIA; Parameters; Commentary; Pg. 176, Byline: BY ANDREW J. KESSLER

AOU lacks premieres
Edge 8, May 1994 pg. 8

Saturn to become an arcade Titan
Edge 8, May 1994 pg. 7
https://segaretro.org/Sega_Titan_Video
Play Meter, May 1994, pg. 16
https://segaretro.org/Batman_Forever_(arcade)

Namco consolidates
Play Meter, May 1994, pg. 12

Atari links up with Bally
Edge 8, May 1994 pg. 13

Virtuality goes to Japan
British high-tech game maker to enter Japan, Japan Economic Newswire, MAY 6, 1994, FRIDAY
Https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakayama_Marina_City#Minor_attractions
Play Meter May 1994, pg. 251

Sony delivers devtools
Edge 8, May 1994 pg. 13

Sega disses Jupiter for Mars
Edge 8, May 1994 pg. 6

DMA signs up with Nintendo
Nintendo and U.K.-based DMA design announce Project Reality agreement; 64-bit home games to debut in fall 1995, Business Wire, May 2, 1994, Monday

Nintendo smashes myths
https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_058_May_1994/page/n31/mode/1up?view=theater

Howard Lincoln to deliver CES keynote
Playthings May 1994, pg. 22

Laseractive drops price
Pelican Brief,' Pakula Classics Due From Warner, Billboard, May 7, 1994, Section: HOME VIDEO; Laser Scans; Pg. 96, Byline: by Chris McGowan
https://youtu.be/qSdfj5O-N1Q?si=Wx7ZJ_Yvc6MafKSK

NEC taps out of 3D race
Edge 8, May 1994 pg. 14

NEC gives PC Engine another lease on life
Edge 8, May 1994 pg. 15

Sigma Designs to bring Jaguar to PC
Sigma To Make Atari Jaguar Titles Run On PC, Newsbytes, May 3, 1994, Tuesday

Reinventing the Z-Machine is apparently Rocket Science
Platform battle, Forbes, May 9, 1994, Section: COMPUTERS/COMMUNICATIONS INTERACTIVE MEDIA; Pg. 168, Byline: By Nikhil Hutheesing

Silliwood gold rush continues...
Sillywood, Forbes, May 9, 1994, Section: MANAGEMENT/CORPORATE STRATEGIES; Pg. 46, Byline: By Lisa Gubernick and Nikhil Hutheesing
Rocket Science takes off with funding from Sega Enterprises and Bertelsmann Music Group; 10-month-old start up attracts major corporate investors, Business Wire, May 18, 1994, Wednesday

Penn & Teller sign up with Absolute
PENN & TELLER, THOSE 'BAD BOYS OF MAGIC,' MAKE THEIR VIDEO GAME DEBUT WITH ABSOLUTE ENTERTAINMENT, Business Wire, May 19, 1994, Thursday

CD-i gets John Cleese
No Headline In Original, Consumer Electronics, May 2, 1994, Section: NOTEBOOK; Vol. 34, No. 18; Pg. 13

Argonaut working on 3D accelerator
Edge 8, May 1994 pg. 19
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARC_(processor)

Sirius introduces 5 ft. 10 pack
CD-ROM publishers unite-users benefit; introductory 5 ft. 10 Pak. flies from shelves, Business Wire, May 3, 1994, Tuesday
https://worldroms.com/5-ft-10-pak-volume-1-details.html

Commodore advertises CD32.. in the US?
https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_058_May_1994/page/n10/mode/1up?view=theater

Commodore developing RISC CPU
https://archive.org/details/amiga-computing-magazine-073/page/n33/mode/2up

Commodore shows off CD drive at Cebit
Amiga Format 59, pg. 24

C64S launches
https://archive.org/details/64er_1994_05/page/n35/mode/1up
https://www.c64-wiki.de/wiki/C64s

CPC emulation comes to PC
Amstrad Action 104, pg. 8
https://cpc-emu.org/news.html

Sega Channel to launch in Japan
Sega to provide to provide videogames on cable TV, Report From Japan, May 3, 1994,Section: Business

Silicon Graphics founder teams up with Mosaic devs
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/07/business/new-venture-in-cyberspace-by-silicon-graphics-founder.html?searchResultPosition=8

Lexis Nexis to get SEC filings
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/11/business/company-news-agreement-to-utilize-sec-data.html?searchResultPosition=18

Computer biz to dominate Akihabara
Akihabara shifting to 'computer town' amid recession, Japan Economic Newswire, MAY 4, 1994, WEDNESDAY, Byline: Hisa Miyatake

Rewritable carts coming to Blockbuster
Sega and NewLeaf to test video game software delivery system that eliminates retailer stock-outs, Business Wire, May 31, 1994, Tuesday
https://segaretro.org/Game_Factory

Copying goes legit in the UK with EDOS
https://commodore.software/downloads?task=download.send&id=15005:commodore-format-issue-44&catid=721 pg. 22
https://blog.amigaguru.com/edos-the-software-on-demand-of-the-80s/
http://amigaguru.com/Games/EDOS_MAGAZINE_1991-1992__ENGLISH.pdf
https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/63955/EDOS/
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC121687/filing-history?page=1

Psytronik keeps the C64 alive
https://commodore.software/downloads?task=download.send&id=15005:commodore-format-issue-44&catid=721 pg. 8
https://www.psytronik.net/

Lieberman picks IDSA over SPA
SENATORS WARN ON GAME RATINGS, Consumer Electronics, May 9, 1994, Section: THIS WEEK'S NEWS, Vol. 34, No. 19

Alpex faces off against Nintendo in court
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/16/business/patents-108332.html?searchResultPosition=30
https://itlaw.fandom.com/wiki/Alpex_Computer_v._Nintendo

Japanese Copyright change scuttled
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/19/business/japan-likely-to-retain-curb-on-software-raiding.html?searchResultPosition=33

Jean-Claude Van Damme to headline Street Fighter movie
https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_058_May_1994/page/n171/mode/1up?view=theater

Multimedia-centric horror film captures Zeitgeist
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/05/01/movies/film-taking-the-children-like-your-mom-said-beware-sweet-serial-ads-931985.html?searchResultPosition=4

Virgin to release Music compilation CD

Billboard previews music's digital future
In The Brave New Technological World, Music Uses And Publishing Possibilities Seem Endless, Billboard, May 7, 1994, Section: MUSIC PUBLISHING; Spotlight; Pg. 76, Byline: BY MARILYN A. GILLEN

Green Jelly wants to ooze all over multimedia
Green Jelly's Land Of Ooz: Zoo Act Opens Vid Facility, Billboard,May 21, 1994,Section: Pg. 1,Byline: BY DEBORAH RUSSELL

TOPICS