The Software house

Activision’s David Crane on the evolution of 2600 gaming

What did you initially think of the 2600 and its early games?

When I attended Gametronics 1976 in the San francisco Bay Area, the fairchild Channel f was featured there, and I played tennis with Alan Miller, who was working at Atari on Atari 2600 games. Based on discussions, he invited me into Atari to interview for a position making games there. I saw the potential and took the job. I saw the games at the time as indicative of what the system could do. I appreciated the way the Atari designers could think outside of the box in order to make the limited 2600 hardware play a diverse mix of games.

Why were so many early 2600 titles based on arcade games?

Atari’s primary strategy for creating the Atari 2600 was to bring their arcade hits to the home. The 2600 hardware was designed to play Tank and Pong; it was made cartridge-programmable so Atari could sell two cartridges. Every other game made for the 2600 was a pleasant surprise for the hardware team. Not until most of the arcade games had been duplicated on the 2600 were we able to start thinking of original games.

Why was Pitfall! not followed-up sooner?

The impetus behind Pitfall II was a custom integrated circuit I designed that went inside the cartridge and expanded the capabilities of the 2600. with that chip, I brought the 2600 even closer to the theoretical ‘new console in a cartridge’ paradigm that had made the 2600 so successful.

How did it feel to leave 2600 development behind after Skateboardin’ in 1987?

I always loved making games for the 2600. The challenges, while seemingly insurmountable, only served to make me more driven to squeeze more horsepower out of the system. Skateboardin’ was a business opportunity to reach out to people who still loved and played the 2600.

How would you explain the 2600’s lengthy commercial lifespan?

The 2600 was inadvertently far more capable than other consoles created in the Seventies and eighties. It allowed more control over the game experience than systems where the hardware was more capable but more rigidly defined. The 2600 was in more homes than any other console. That fact alone made it the first choice for game creators.