This Month in Video Game History: July 10 - July 19

1982

The day following the nationwide theatrical release of Tron, one of the earliest video game movies, the value of Disney stock declined 2.5 points. Before its release, Disney stock dropped 4% after Wall Street analysts were unimpressed by a screening.

1988

Bally Manufacturing agreed to sell its coin-operated arcade manufacturing business to Williams Industries for $8 million.

1992

Sega released a very limited number of Sonic Championship arcade units to arcades across the U.S. It's release was limited because Sega felt that the game took a violent departure from previous entries in the franchise, and executives feared the game would damage the franchise. However, the game would gain notable popularity for its more action-packed take on Sonic in a time when violent tournament games were in vogue. The machines' rarity would later make it a highly valued collector's item.

1996

American game developer New World Computing, best known for its Might and Magic series, was acquired by The 3DO Company.

1999

Nintendo released the The New Tetris video game for the Nintendo 64 in the U.S. ESRB: E

2001

Sony CEA released the racing game Gran Turismo 3: A-spec game for the PlayStation 2 in the US. It would go on to sell over seven million copies. ESRB: E

2003

A federal court strikes down a Washington state law that imposed a five hundred dollar fine on any retailer selling violent video games to minors under the age of seventeen on the grounds that the law would have violated the First Amendment.

2006

2K Games released the first-person Prey video game for the Xbox 360 in the U.S. Prior to it release, the game was considered one of the all-time worst examples of "vaporware," software promised but never delivered by a developer, as 2K Games had been openly developing the game since 1995. (ESRB: M)

2006

Following accusations of racism, Sony was forced to cancel an advertising campaign in the Netherlands that had been promoting the new white PlayStation Portable. The campaign featured a commercial in which a Caucasian woman grabbed a black woman in a menacing way. Because of the controversy, the ad was never released in North America.

2007

At the Electronic Entertainment Expo, Sony announced that it would release a slimmer model of its popular PlayStation Portable handheld game system in September. The new line would be thirty-three percent lighter, nineteen percent thinner, and available in three colors. Price: $169.99

Nintendo publicly warned that its Wii video game console would remain in short supply through the year's end.

1990

Nintendo released the roleplaying game Final Fantasy for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in North America. The game would go on to gain global popularity, influence an entire generation of video game design, and popularize the console roleplaying genre. Its original run would sell four hundred thousand units, but all told, by 2003, it would sell nearly two million units.

1996

The Securities Exchange Commission approves Atari's pending merger with hardware manufacturer Jugi Tandon Storage, Inc. (JTS).

1999

Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA) announced that its racing game Gran Turismo had sold over two million unit just in the United States since its release to become Sony’s best-selling game ever. The game had sold over 6.86 million units worldwide.

2002

Bandai released its Swan Crystal handheld video game system in Japan. The system featured a 2.8-inch diagonal screen, stereo sound, backwards compatibility prior WonderSwan titles, and a Blue Velvet or Wine Red case. Price: 7800 yen

2006

Microsoft announced the launch of “Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays,” under which it would release a new Xbox Live Arcade game every Wednesday of the summer. The program would be so successful that Microsoft would continue to release new games on Wednesdays.