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 Bundle here: https://www.humblebundle.com/books/game-programming-taylor-francis-books

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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

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

30 years ago: #Nintendo and #Sega financials disappoint, #Sony gets ready for NextGen & Venture money goes ga-ga over #Silliwood

These stories and many more on the VGNRTM!

https://www.patreon.com/posts/110575391