The Crash of 1983

1983

A story stop

This station has no games: it is here for its story. Ride on to the next one to play.

The story

By 1983 there were too many consoles and far too many rushed games. Hurried releases such as the 2600’s E.T. and its version of Pac-Man let millions of buyers down, and cheaper home computers could play games too.

In North America, video game revenues fell by around 97% within a couple of years. Shops cleared their shelves, and many retailers decided that video games had been a fad.

In Japan the industry carried on, and that is where the next station begins.

Year
1983
North American sales
Down around 97%
Causes
Too many consoles, rushed games, cheap computers
Recovery
The NES, from 1985