Editing E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (video game)

{{for|other video games with this title|E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in video games}}
{{Short description|1982 video game}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2014}}

{{Infobox video game
| title = E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
| image = Etvideogamecover.jpg
| alt = Artwork of a grey, vertical rectangular box. The top half reads "Atari 2600. E.T.* The Extra-Terrestrial". The bottom half displays a drawn image of a brown alien with a large head and long neck beside a young boy in a red, hooded jacket.
| caption = Atari's silver label box art featuring the titular character and his friend Elliot, two of the main characters from the original film
| developer = [[Atari, Inc.]]
| publisher = Atari, Inc.
| designer = [[Howard Scott Warshaw]]
| released = {{vgrelease|NA|December 1982<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.atariage.com/magazines/magazine_page.php?MagazineID=4&CurrentPage=3|volume=1|issue=4|date=November–December 1982|page=3|title=E.T. Needs Your Help! (advertisement)|magazine=[[Atari Age (magazine)|Atari Age]]|publisher=The Atari Club Inc.|access-date=May 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514181420/https://www.atariage.com/magazines/magazine_page.php?MagazineID=4&CurrentPage=3|archive-date=May 14, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><!-- Per [[MOS:VG]], this statement requires a source from after the game's release that confirmed it released on the date mentioned and was not delayed. This cite fails to do so. -->}}
| genre = [[Adventure game|Adventure]]
| modes = [[Single-player]]
| platforms = [[Atari 2600]]
}}

'''''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial''''' is a 1982 [[adventure game|adventure]] [[video game]] developed and published by [[Atari, Inc.]] for the [[Atari 2600]] and based on [[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial|the film of the same name.]] The game's objective is to guide the eponymous character through various screens to collect three pieces of an interplanetary telephone that will allow him to contact his home planet.

The game was designed by [[Howard Scott Warshaw]], who intended it to be an innovative [[Adaptation (arts)|adaptation]], but Atari held unrealistic expectations for sales based on the international box-office success of the film. Negotiations for the game rights ended in late July 1982, giving Warshaw just over five weeks to develop the game in time to meet the production schedule for the 1982 [[Christmas and holiday season|Christmas season]].<ref name="hswinterview">{{cite web |url=http://www.digitpress.com/library/interviews/interview_howard_scott_warshaw.html |last=Scott |first=Stilphen |title=DP Interviews |publisher=Digitpress.com |access-date=March 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140831054249/http://www.digitpress.com/library/interviews/interview_howard_scott_warshaw.html |archive-date=August 31, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> The final release received negative reviews. The game is often cited as one of the [[List of video games notable for negative reception|worst of all time]] and one of the [[list of commercial failures in video games|biggest commercial failures in video game history]]. It is cited as a major contributing factor to the [[video game crash of 1983]], and has been frequently referenced and mocked in [[popular culture]] as a [[cautionary tale]] about the dangers of rushed game development and studio interference.

In what was once deemed only an [[urban legend]], reports from 1983 stated that as a result of overproduction and returns, unsold [[Atari video game burial|cartridges were secretly buried]] in a landfill in [[Alamogordo, New Mexico]], and covered with a layer of concrete. In April 2014, diggers hired to investigate the claim confirmed that the landfill contained several ''E.T.'' cartridges, among other games.<ref name="Fuel Industries access">{{cite web|last=Goldsmith |first=Alex |title=Alamogordo approves Atari excavation |url=http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/southeast/alamogordo-approves-atari-excavation |access-date=May 31, 2013 |publisher=[[KRQE]] |location=ALAMOGORDO, N.M. |date=May 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719024233/http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/southeast/alamogordo-approves-atari-excavation |archive-date=July 19, 2013 |url-status=dead |df=mdy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/e-t-found-in-new-mexico-landfill-1568100161|title=E.T. Found In New Mexico Landfill|first=Jason|last=Schreier|work=Kotaku|date=April 26, 2014 |access-date=February 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211071907/http://kotaku.com/e-t-found-in-new-mexico-landfill-1568100161|archive-date=February 11, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="abcnews1">{{cite web |first=Juan Carlos |last=Llorca |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/diggers-ready-unearth-ataris-games-23477542 |title=Diggers Find Atari's E.T. Games in Landfill |work=ABC News |date=September 28, 1983 |access-date=April 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426215118/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/diggers-ready-unearth-ataris-games-23477542 |archive-date=April 26, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> James Heller, the former Atari manager who was in charge of the burial, was at the excavation, and admitted to the [[Associated Press]] that 728,000 cartridges of various games (not just ''E.T.'') were buried.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/04/26/diggers-find-ataris-et-games-in-landfill/8232609/| newspaper=[[USA Today]]| title=Diggers find Atari's E.T. games in landfill | date=April 26, 2014 | access-date=April 26, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427193706/http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/04/26/diggers-find-ataris-et-games-in-landfill/8232609/|archive-date=April 27, 2014|url-status=dead<!--page loads without article content-->}}</ref> Marty Goldberg, co-author of the book ''Atari Inc.: Business Is Fun'', added that the dump was in fact a clearing out of the Texas Atari manufacturing plant's unused cartridge stock of a number of titles, as well as console and computer parts.<ref name="PCMag">{{cite web |url=https://uk.pcmag.com/computer-console-gaming-products/15044/news/debunking-the-myth-of-the-buried-atari-et-cartridges |title=Debunking the Myth of the Buried Atari E.T. Cartridges |first=Damon |last=Poeter |date=June 5, 2013 |website=[[PC Magazine|PCMag UK]] |access-date=September 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906195942/https://uk.pcmag.com/computer-console-gaming-products/15044/news/debunking-the-myth-of-the-buried-atari-et-cartridges |archive-date=September 6, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> According to [[Atari: Game Over|the 2014 documentary ''Atari: Game Over'']], only 10% of the approximately 1,300 recovered were ''E.T.'' cartridges.

== Gameplay ==
[[File:ET2600-JD.png|thumb|alt=A horizontal rectangle video game screenshot that is a digital representation of a grass field with large holes. Two characters stand in the middle of the field.|E.T. meets Elliott in a field of wells. [[Reese's Pieces]] are scattered throughout the world and are represented by black dots.]]

''E.T.'' is an [[adventure game]] in which players control the alien [[E.T. (character)|E.T.]] from a [[top-down perspective]]. The objective is to collect three pieces of an interplanetary telephone. The pieces are found scattered randomly throughout various pits (also referred to as wells). There is no overall time limit.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=John |title=Review Roundup: Was E.T. Really the "Worst Game Ever"? |url=https://gamehistory.org/et-atari-reviews-worst-game-ever/ |website=gamehistory.org |publisher=Video Game History Foundation |access-date=16 July 2020 |date=3 November 2017 |archive-date=March 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303022809/https://gamehistory.org/et-atari-reviews-worst-game-ever/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The player is provided with an on-screen energy bar, which decreases when E.T. performs any actions (including moving, teleporting, or falling into a pit, as well as levitating back to the top). To prevent this, E.T. can collect [[Reese's Pieces]], which are used to restore his energy or, when nine are collected, E.T. can call [[Elliott Taylor|Elliott]] to obtain a piece of the telephone, or the player can save the candy pieces for bonus points at the end. After the three phone pieces have been collected, the player must guide E.T. to an area where he can use the phone, which allows him to call his home planet. Once the call is made, a clock appears at the top right of the screen; E.T. has to arrive at the landing zone before it reaches zero.<ref name="manual">{{cite web |title=E.T.* THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL manual |url=https://atariage.com/manual_html_page.php?SoftwareLabelID=157 |website=atariage.com |publisher=Atari |access-date=16 July 2020 |archive-date=March 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313171423/https://atariage.com/manual_html_page.php?SoftwareLabelID=157 |url-status=live }}</ref> Once E.T. gets to the forest where his ship abandoned him and stands and waits in the designated area for the ship to come, the ship will appear on-screen and take him back to his home planet. Then the game starts over, with the same difficulty level, while changing the location of the telephone pieces. The score obtained during the round is carried over to the next iteration.<ref name="CG">{{cite web | first = Kevin | last = Bowen | url = http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=GameMuseum.Detail&id=290 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081010005643/http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=GameMuseum.Detail&id=290 | archive-date = October 10, 2008 | title = Game of the Week: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | publisher = Classic Gaming | access-date = August 18, 2014 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> E.T. has three lives and if he dies within those three lives Elliott will come in and revive him. E.T. can get a fourth life if the player finds a geranium in one of the wells. According to the manual, a game can end "when E.T. runs out of energy or when you decide to quit playing".<ref name="manual" />

The game is divided into six environments, each representing a different setting from the film. To accomplish the objective, the player must guide E.T. into the wells. Once all items found in a well are collected, the player must levitate E.T. out of them.<ref name="abctv-rev">{{cite episode|series=Good Game|series-link=Good Game (TV program)|number=25|series-no=4|title=Good Game Shocks the 80s|time=3:58|url=https://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/video/default.htm?year=2008|transcript=Good Game Stories - Game Review: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial|transcript-url=http://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s2380512.htm|publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|date=6 October 2008|access-date = September 21, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008041052/http://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s2380512.htm|archive-date = October 8, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> An icon at the top of each screen represents the current area, each area enabling the player to perform different actions. Antagonists include a scientist who takes E.T. for observation and an FBI agent who chases the alien to confiscate one of the collected telephone pieces or candy.<ref name="CG" /> The game offers diverse difficulty settings that affect the number and speed of humans present and the conditions needed to accomplish the objective.

== Development ==
Following the commercial success of ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' in June 1982, [[Steve Ross (Time Warner CEO)|Steve Ross]], CEO of Atari's parent company [[Warner Communications]], began negotiations with the film's director [[Steven Spielberg]] and its distributor [[Universal Pictures]] to acquire a license to produce a video game based on the film. Later that month, Warner announced its exclusive worldwide rights to market coin-operated and console games based on ''E.T.''<ref name="announce">{{cite news|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/08/19/business/atari-gets-et-rights.html|title=Atari Gets 'E.T.' Rights|date=August 19, 1982|page=D6|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514191357/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/08/19/business/atari-gets-et-rights.html|archive-date=May 14, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Although the exact details of the transaction were not disclosed in the announcement, it was later reported that Atari had paid {{US$|20–25&nbsp;million|link=yes}} ({{US$|{{Inflation|US|20|1982}}–{{Inflation|US|25|1982}}&nbsp;million|long=no}} when adjusted for inflation to {{year}}) for the rights, a high figure for video game licensing at the time.<ref name=harmetz19830115>{{cite news|last=Harmetz|first=Aljean|title=New Faces, More Profits For Video Games|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jnhcAAAAIBAJ&pg=4201,2482231|page=16|access-date=28 February 2012|newspaper=Times-Union|date=January 15, 1983|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801133617/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jnhcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=a1cNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4201,2482231|archive-date=August 1, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="AVinterview">{{cite news| last = Keith| first = Phipps| date = February 2, 2005| url = https://www.avclub.com/howard-scott-warshaw-1798208406| title = Howard Scott Warshaw| newspaper = A.V. Club| access-date = September 24, 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110605060828/http://www.avclub.com/articles/howard-scott-warshaw%2C13912/| archive-date = June 5, 2011| url-status = live}}</ref><ref name="quoteable">{{cite book | last = Kent | first = Steven L. |authorlink = Steven L. Kent | year = 2001 | title = The Ultimate History of Video Games | url = https://archive.org/details/ultimatehistoryv00kent | url-access = limited | publisher = Prima | location = Roseville, California | isbn = 0-7615-3643-4 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/ultimatehistoryv00kent/page/n252 237]–239}}</ref><ref name="NYT-Toys">{{cite news|date=December 13, 1982|title=E.T. Starring in Sales of Toys|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514193440/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/13/business/et-starring-in-sales-of-toys.html|archive-date=May 14, 2020|url-status=live|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/13/business/et-starring-in-sales-of-toys.html|pages=D1, D8}}</ref> When asked by Ross what he thought about making an ''E.T.''-based video game, Atari CEO [[Ray Kassar]] replied: "I think it's a dumb idea. We've never really made an action game out of a movie."<ref name="quoteable"/> An [[arcade game]] based on the ''E.T.'' property had also been planned, but this was deemed to be impossible given the short deadline.<ref name="rags">{{cite news|date=January 14, 1986|title=Many Video Games Designers Travel Rags-to-Riches-to-Rags Journey|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514193941/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-14-fi-28063-story.html|archive-date=May 14, 2020|url-status=live|author=From [[The Washington Post]]|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-01-14-fi-28063-story.html}}</ref>

On July 27, 1982, after negotiations were completed, Kassar called [[Howard Scott Warshaw]] to commission him as developer of the video game adaptation.<ref name="GS-2600Keynote">{{cite web|url=http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Articles.Detail&id=376 |publisher=[[GameSpy]] |title=ClassicGaming Expo 2000: Atari 2600 Keynote |first=Kevin |last=Bowen |access-date=September 28, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109200808/http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Articles.Detail&id=376 |archive-date=January 9, 2014 }}</ref><ref name="DP">{{cite web |last1=Stilphen |first1=Scott |title=DP Interviews: Howard Scott Warshaw |url=http://www.digitpress.com/library/interviews/interview_howard_scott_warshaw.html |website=Digital Press: The Video Game Database |access-date=16 July 2020 |archive-date=July 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170721041715/http://www.digitpress.com/library/interviews/interview_howard_scott_warshaw.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Kassar informed him that Spielberg asked for Warshaw specifically and that development had to be completed by September 1 to meet a production schedule for the [[Christmas and holiday season|Christmas holiday season]]. Although Warshaw had spent over a year working on consecutive development schedules for games (seven months working on ''[[Yars' Revenge]]'' and six months on ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark (video game)|Raiders of the Lost Ark]]''), he accepted the offer based on the challenge of completing a game in a short time frame and at Spielberg's request.<ref name="rags"/><ref name="DP" /> Warshaw considered it an opportunity to develop an innovative Atari 2600 game based on a film he enjoyed, "provided we reach the right arrangement".<ref name="DP" /><ref name="The Crash, at G4">{{cite episode | title=The Crash | series-link=Icons (TV series) | series=G4 Icons | season=2 | number=14 | station=[[G4techTV]] | url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuHbRPoOEEA | access-date=August 18, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151227090839/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuHbRPoOEEA | archive-date=December 27, 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|9:34}} Kassar reportedly offered Warshaw {{USD|200,000}} and an all-expenses-paid vacation to [[Hawaii]] in compensation.<ref name="rags"/> Warshaw was flown via private jet to Warner Brothers Studios to meet with Spielberg.<ref name="DP" /><ref name="onceupon" />

Warshaw used those days to design the structure and segmented the concept into four ideas: world, objective, the path to achieve the objective, and obstacles. He envisioned a six-sided world that players could "float" around as the setting, and adapted part of the film's plot, E.T. phoning home, as the goal.<ref name="DP" /> The player would need to gather parts for a phone to call his ship and arrive at a special landing site to achieve this goal.<ref name="NPR">{{cite web |last1=Brumfiel |first1=Geoff |title=Total Failure: The World's Worst Video Game |url=https://www.npr.org/2017/05/31/530235165/total-failure-the-worlds-worst-video-game |publisher=NPR |access-date=9 May 2020 |date=31 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514194329/https://www.npr.org/2017/05/31/530235165/total-failure-the-worlds-worst-video-game |archive-date=May 14, 2020}}</ref> Warshaw considered obstacles as an element that would determine the success of a game, and experienced difficulties when taking into account the time constraints and technical limitations of the console. Inspired by the film, adults were implemented as antagonists that would chase the alien. Pits were devised as an element to hide the pieces of the phone as well as expand the game world.<ref name="DP" />

Warshaw and other Atari executives presented this design to Spielberg, who was not enthusiastic.<ref name="GS-2600Keynote"/> According to Warshaw, Spielberg asked him: "Couldn't you do something more like ''[[Pac-Man]]''?"<ref name="BBC">{{cite news |last1=Hooper |first1=Richard |title=The man who made 'the worst video game in history' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35560458 |access-date=17 July 2020 |work=BBC |date=22 February 2016 |archive-date=August 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804083251/http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35560458 |url-status=live }}</ref> Believing the concept too derivative of a common game design, Warshaw proceeded with his concept, which he believed would capture the sentimentality he saw in the original film.<ref name="AVinterview"/><ref name="GS-2600Keynote"/> (Warshaw later stated that, in retrospect, Spielberg's idea might have had merit.)<ref name="GS-2600Keynote"/> He spent the remaining time programming. Atari graphic designer Jerome Domurat assisted Warshaw with creating graphics for the game.<ref name="DP" /> Atari anticipated enormous sales based on the popularity of the film, as well as the stability of the [[video game industry]] at the time. Due to time limitations, Atari skipped [[focus test|audience testing]].<ref name="wirt">{{cite magazine|last=Cummings|first=Betsy|date=December 2003|title=How I got here|magazine=Sales and Marketing Management}}{{volume needed|date=May 2020}}</ref> Emanual Gerard, then part of the Office of the President of Warner, later suggested that the company had fallen into a false sense of security by the success of its previous releases, particularly [[Pac-Man (Atari 2600)|its console version of ''Pac-Man'']], which was commercially successful despite poor critical reaction.<ref name="serious">{{cite news|last=Pollack|first=Andrew|date=December 19, 1982|title=The Game Turns Serious at Atari|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|page=F1|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/19/business/the-game-turns-serious-at-atari.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515045553/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/19/business/the-game-turns-serious-at-atari.html|archive-date=May 15, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Reception ==
[[File:ET2600-Pit.gif|thumb|alt=A horizontal rectangle video game screenshot that is a digital representation of the side view of a large hole. A green character sprite floats in the middle of the hole moving towards a multi-colored object sprite.|The player must navigate E.T. into wells to search for pieces of the interplanetary telephone. This aspect of the game was negatively received by players and critics.]]

Anticipation for the ''E.T.'' video game was high, and Atari was hoping it would be a sought-after Christmas gift.<ref name="BBC" /> In early December 1982, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported that video games based on successful films, specifically ''E.T.'', would become "an increasingly profitable source" for video game development.<ref>{{cite news|date=December 7, 1982|title=A Squeeze in Video Games|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200514194614/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/07/business/a-squeeze-in-video-games.html|archive-date=May 14, 2020|url-status=live|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/07/business/a-squeeze-in-video-games.html|pages=D1, D5}}</ref> At first, retailers ordered more supplies than what was expected to be sold, but Atari received an increasing number of order cancellations as new competitors entered the market, which the company had not anticipated.<ref name="serious"/><ref name="zap">{{cite book | last = Cohen | first = Scott | year = 1984 | title = Zap! The Rise and Fall of Atari | publisher = McGraw Hill Book Company | isbn = 0-07-011543-5 | url = https://archive.org/details/zaprisefall00cohe | url-access = registration|page=120}}</ref><ref name="NY-Pileggi">{{cite magazine|magazine=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]|title=The Warner Case: Curiouser and Curioser|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mcoBAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32|volume=16|issue=4|issn=0028-7369|publisher=New York Media, LLC|first=Nicholas|last=Pileggi|author-link=Nicholas Pileggi|date=January 24, 1983|pages=26–32}}</ref> John Hubner and William Kistner of ''[[InfoWorld]]'' have attributed the cancellations to changes Atari initiated in its relationship to distributors. On November 1, 1982, Atari informed them that their contracts were canceled and that exclusive deals would be established with select distributors. Hubner and Kistner believed the action prompted retailers to cancel orders, which Atari had not properly tracked.<ref name="IW-Atari"/>

''E.T.'' enjoyed initial commercial success, being among the top four on ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine's "Top 15 Video Games" sales list in December 1982 and January 1983.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|volume=95|issue=1|issn=0006-2510|publisher=[[Nielsen Company|Nielsen Business Media, Inc]]|date=January 8, 1983|title=Billboard Top 15 Video Games|page=36|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PSQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT35}}</ref> The game sold over {{nowrap|2.6 million}} copies by the end of 1982. However, at least 669,000 copies were later returned in 1983.<ref name="Atari">{{cite book |title=Cartridge Sales Since 1980 |publisher=[[Atari Corp.]]}} Via {{cite episode |title=The Agony & The Ecstasy |series=Once Upon Atari |date=August 10, 2003 |number=4 |minutes=23 |publisher=Scott West Productions}}</ref> One retailer said that "mostly grandmothers" bought the game; because of [[word-of-mouth]], children preferred the best-selling ''[[Pitfall!]]''<ref name="harmetz19830115"/>

Hubner and Kistner commented that the large number of produced cartridges may have resulted in excess inventory regardless of ''E.T.''{{'}}s success.<ref name="IW-Atari">{{cite magazine|magazine=[[InfoWorld]]|title=What went wrong at Atari|first=John|last=Hubner|author2=William F. Kistner Jr.|date=December 5, 1983|volume=5|issue=49|issn=0199-6649|pages=145–155|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6C8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA145}}<!-- Not to be confused with the November 28 issue (#48) with an article with the same title on pages 151-158: https://books.google.com/books?id=sy8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA151) --></ref> Even though the game was a bestseller during the holiday season, retailers still stated that its sales figures did not meet expectations. Warner Communications also expressed disappointment at the number of sales.<ref name="NYT-Toys"/> Lower-than-expected sales figures combined with excess inventory, which produced a negative supply and demand event, prompted retailers to repeatedly discount the price. According to Ray Kassar, about three and a half million of the four million produced were sent back to the company as unsold inventory or customer returns.<ref name="kassarmaster">{{Cite book| last = Bruck| first = Connie| title = Master of the Game: Steve Ross and the Creation of Time Warner| pages=[https://archive.org/details/masterofgamestev00bruc/page/179 179]–180| publisher = [[Penguin Books]]| year = 1995| isbn = 0-14-024454-9| url-access = registration| url = https://archive.org/details/masterofgamestev00bruc}}</ref> Despite sales figures, the quantity of unsold merchandise, coupled with the expensive film license and the large number of returns, made ''E.T.'' a major financial failure for Atari.<ref name="polygon 2014">{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2014/6/3/5775026/e-t-myth-worst-game-ever | title = Why E.T. wasn't the worst game in history | first = Tracey | last = Lien | date = June 3, 2014 | accessdate = April 1, 2023 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] | archive-date = June 5, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140605223544/http://www.polygon.com/2014/6/3/5775026/e-t-myth-worst-game-ever | url-status = live }}</ref>

=== Critical response ===
While reviews of the [[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial|film]] were acclaimed, the game was largely received negatively  by critics, with common complaints focused on the gameplay and visuals. In contemporary reviews, [[New York (magazine)|''New York'']]'s [[Nicholas Pileggi]] described it as a loser when compared to other games Atari could have released during the time period, such as ''[[Donkey Kong (arcade game)|Donkey Kong]]'' and ''[[Frogger]]'',<ref name="NY-Pileggi"/> and ''Video Games'' called it "really for kids (the littler ones)".<ref name="wiswell198303">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/Video_Games_Volume_1_Number_06_1983-03_Pumpkin_Press_US#page/n67/mode/2up | title=New Games From Well-Known Names | work=Video Games | date=March 1983 | access-date=May 26, 2014 | last=Wiswell | first=Phil | pages=69 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705010619/https://archive.org/stream/Video_Games_Volume_1_Number_06_1983-03_Pumpkin_Press_US#page/n67/mode/2up | archive-date=July 5, 2015 | url-status=live }}</ref> In 1984, ''[[Softline (magazine)|Softline]]'' readers named the game the second-worst Atari program of 1983, after ''[[Congo Bongo]]''.<ref name="stgame19840304">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1984&pub=6&id=16 | title=The Best and the Rest | magazine=St.Game ([[Softline (magazine)|Softline]]) | date=Mar–Apr 1984 | volume=3 | number=3 | issn=0745-4988 | access-date=July 28, 2014 | pages=49 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729222422/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1984&pub=6&id=16 | archive-date=July 29, 2014 | url-status=live }}</ref>

Nevertheless, the game received some positive contemporary reviews. An editor for ''[[The Miami Herald]]'' described it as a difficult game to learn to play, but believed it was worth dedicating the time.<ref>{{cite news|last=Vogt|first=Rick|newspaper=[[The Miami Herald]]|title=E.T. Game is Extra-Tough But Worth The Effort|date=March 5, 1983|page=3C|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118202868/the-miami-herald/|access-date=February 8, 2023|archive-date=February 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208050609/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/118202868/the-miami-herald/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Vidiot]]''{{'}}s Kevin Christopher criticized the protagonist's repeated falling down back into holes, but considered it "about the only flaw with an otherwise A-1 game."<ref>{{cite magazine | title=ET Phones Home for the Holidays | last=Christopher | first=Kevin | date=February–March 1983 | magazine=[[Vidiot]] | url=https://archive.org/stream/Vidiot_Vol_1_No_2_1983-03_CREEM_Magazine_US#page/n39/mode/2up | pages=41–43 | volume=1 | number=2 | access-date=May 31, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316092741/https://archive.org/stream/Vidiot_Vol_1_No_2_1983-03_CREEM_Magazine_US#page/n39/mode/2up | archive-date=March 16, 2016 | url-status=live}}</ref> ''Arcade Express'' scored it six out of ten in December 1982.<ref name="Arcade Express #10">{{cite magazine | magazine=Arcade Express | volume=1 | issue=10 | issn=0733-6039 | title=E.T./Videogame Cartridge (for Atari VCS)/Atari | date=December 19, 1982 | page=7 | url=http://www.digitpress.com/library/newsletters/arcadeexpress/arcade_express_v1n10.pdf#page=7 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006014350/http://www.digitpress.com/library/newsletters/arcadeexpress/arcade_express_v1n10.pdf#page=7 | archive-date=October 6, 2016 | access-date=October 18, 2017}}</ref> Len Albin of ''[[TV Guide (magazine)|TV Guide]]'' wrote that "after seeing the motion picture ''E.T.'' 14 times, there's no more suspense left—unless you bring home this one-player cartridge", adding that "it’s certain that your patience won't run out—if you're a kid. (Adults may prefer to wait for a game based on ''[[My Dinner with Andre]]''.)"<ref>{{cite magazine | title=A Holiday Shopping Guide: The Best Video Games of 1982 | last=Albin | first=Len | date=December 4, 1982 | magazine=[[TV Guide (magazine)|TV Guide]] | url=https://archive.org/details/tvguidev30n491549dec41982exciter/page/n159/mode/2up | page=54 | volume=30 | number=49 | access-date=February 7, 2023 }}</ref>

{{quote box|width = 40%| quote= People worry I might be sensitive about the ''E.T.'' debacle, but the fact is I'm always happy to discuss it. After all, it was the fastest game ever done, it was a million seller, and of the thousands of 2600 games, how many others are still a topic? Another thing I like to think about is having done ''E.T.'' (consistently rated among the worst games of all time) and ''Yars{{'}} Revenge'' (consistently rated as one of the best) I figure I have the unique distinction of having the greatest range of any game designer in history.| source = —Howard Scott Warshaw on ''E.T.''{{'}}s reception<ref name="onceupon">{{cite web |last1=Warshaw |first1=Howard Scott |title=Two questions I face constantly are... |url=http://www.onceuponatari.com/archives/gamestm/070912.html |website=onceuponatari.com |access-date=17 July 2020 |archive-date=November 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106035140/http://www.onceuponatari.com/archives/gamestm/070912.html |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

In much later reviews, Kevin Bowen of [[GameSpy]]'s Classic Gaming called the gameplay "convoluted and inane", also criticizing its story for departing from the serious tone of the film,<ref name="CG" /> and author Steven Kent described the game as "infamous" within the industry, citing "primitive" graphics, "dull" gameplay, and a "disappointing story".<ref name="quoteable"/> Modern critics have also bemoaned the gameplay's repetitive use of falling down holes.<ref name="quoteable"/><ref name="PC World"/> Emru Townsend of ''[[PC World (magazine)|PC World]]'' discussed the game with a group, and found a universal dislike for the pits that E.T. falls into, describing it as "monotonous".<ref name="PC World"/> Writer [[Seanbaby|Sean "Seanbaby" Reiley]] also criticized the pits, claiming that they are "time-consuming" and "difficult to leave without falling back in".<ref name="Seanbaby"/> Trent Ward, a former ''[[Next Generation Magazine|Next Generation]]'' reviewer, commented that this element prompted him to immediately return the game for a refund after purchasing it in his youth,<ref name="NG-40">{{cite magazine | author=''Next Generation'' Staff | date=April 1998 | title=What the hell happened? | magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] | publisher=[[Imagine Media]] | issn=1078-9693 | volume=4 | number=40 | page=[https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_40/page/n48 47] | url=https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_40}}</ref> and the children who found games in the [[#Atari video game burial|New Mexico landfill]] gave the ''E.T.'' cartridges away because, as one later said, the "game sucked ... you couldn't finish it".<ref name="cnet">{{cite web | url=http://www.cnet.com/news/success-atari-e-t-games-found-in-new-mexico-dump/ | first=Daniel | last=Terdiman | title=Success! Atari E.T. games found in New Mexico dump | website=[[CNET]] | date=April 26, 2014 | access-date=April 27, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427030105/http://www.cnet.com/news/success-atari-e-t-games-found-in-new-mexico-dump/ | archive-date=April 27, 2014 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="statejournal">{{cite news|url=http://www.state-journal.com/ap%20general%20news/2014/04/26/diggers-begin-quest-to-unearth-atari-s-e-t-games |first=Juan Carlos |last=Llorca |title=Diggers begin quest to unearth Atari's E.T. games |work=[[The State Journal (Frankfort)|The State Journal]] |agency=Associated Press |date=April 26, 2014 |access-date=April 27, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427015354/http://www.state-journal.com/ap%20general%20news/2014/04/26/diggers-begin-quest-to-unearth-atari-s-e-t-games |archive-date=April 27, 2014 }}</ref> Classic Gaming argued that despite the negative reception, the game can be enjoyable after the player has learned to navigate the pits.<ref name="CG-Museum-2"/>

In published materials written more than a decade after its initial release, ''E.T.'' has been universally panned by critics and is frequently listed as the worst video game ever made. Reiley ranked it number one in a list of the 20 worst games of all time in ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]''{{'}}s 150th issue.<ref name="Seanbaby">{{cite magazine| last = Reiley| first = Sean| author-link = Seanbaby| url = http://www.seanbaby.com/nes/nes/egm01.htm| title = Seanbaby's EGM's Crapstravaganza: The 20 Worst Video Games of All Time. - #1: ET, The Extra Terrestrial (2600)| magazine = Electronic Gaming Monthly| access-date = March 4, 2017| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170127084422/http://www.seanbaby.com/nes/nes/egm01.htm| archive-date = January 27, 2017| url-status = live}}</ref> Michael Dolan, deputy editor of ''[[FHM]]'' magazine, said it was the worst video game of all time.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/history/best-n-worst.html| title = History of Gaming: The Best and Worst Video Games of All Time| publisher = [[Public Broadcasting Service]]| access-date = September 25, 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111103220450/http://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/history/best-n-worst.html| archive-date = November 3, 2011| url-status = live}}</ref> Townsend placed ''E.T.'' at the top of his list of worst video games, and said that "about a third of the people I quizzed came up with this title almost instantly, and it's not hard to see why."<ref name="PC World">{{cite web| last = Townsend| first = Emru| date = October 23, 2006| url = http://www.pcworld.com/article/127579-2/the_10_worst_games_of_all_time.html| title = The 10 Worst Games of All Time| work = PC World| access-date = January 24, 2007| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110906113825/http://www.pcworld.com/article/127579-2/the_10_worst_games_of_all_time.html| archive-date = September 6, 2011| url-status = live}}</ref> [[GameTrailers]] ranked it second worst on their "Top Ten Best and Worst Games of All Time" list.<ref name="GT-BestWorst">{{cite web| url = http://www.gametrailers.com/video/top-ten-gt-countdown/15147| title = GT Countdown: Top Ten Best and Worst Games of All Time| date = November 17, 2006| publisher = [[GameTrailers]]| access-date = September 25, 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110606050950/http://www.gametrailers.com/video/top-ten-gt-countdown/15147| archive-date = June 6, 2011| url-status = live}}</ref>

Critics often attribute the poor quality to the short development time.<ref name="GP-Secrets">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/30666/secrets-lies/|title=Secrets & Lies|magazine=[[GamePro]]|first=Dan|last=Elektro|date=August 8, 2003|access-date=September 29, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607150749/http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/30666/secrets-lies/|archive-date=June 7, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Racing-2"/> Townsend commented that the rushed development was very apparent.<ref name="PC World"/> Warshaw's contributions have been met with mixed responses. Classic Gaming called the game poorly designed, while ''[[IGN]]'''s Levi Buchanan stated the "impossibly tight schedule" given to Warshaw absolves him of blame.<ref name="retroign-tas">{{cite web | last = Buchanan | first = Levi | url = http://retro.ign.com/articles/903/903024p1.html | title = IGN: Top 10 Best-Selling Atari 2600 Games | website = IGN | date = August 26, 2008 | access-date = September 21, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110726161836/http://retro.ign.com/articles/903/903024p1.html | archive-date = July 26, 2011 | url-status = live }}</ref> Warshaw does not express regret for his part in ''E.T.'', and believes he created a good game given the time available to him.<ref name="AVinterview"/><ref name="DP" />

== Impact ==
''E.T.'' is often cited as one of the most important video games.<ref>{{cite book| last1 = Montfort| first1 = Nick| last2 = Bogost| first2 = Ian| year = 2009| title = Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System| url = https://archive.org/details/racingbeamatariv00mont_656| url-access = limited| publisher = [[MIT Press]]| isbn = 978-0-262-01257-7| page=[https://archive.org/details/racingbeamatariv00mont_656/page/n106 94]}}</ref><ref name="GP-Important">{{cite magazine |url= http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/110028/the-52-most-important-video-games-of-all-time/ |title=The 52 Most Important Video Games of All Time |date=April 25, 2007 |magazine=[[GamePro]] |access-date=September 27, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912054936/http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/110028/the-52-most-important-video-games-of-all-time/ |archive-date=September 12, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="1UP">{{cite web |last=Parish |first=Jeremy |url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3124081&did=1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120524102531/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3124081&did=1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 24, 2012 |title=The Most Important Games Ever Made: #13: E.T. |website=1UP.com |access-date=July 1, 2006 }}</ref> ''[[GamePro]]'', GameTrailers and Bowen cite the game as the first poor quality-film–video-game [[tie-in]].<ref name="CG"/><ref name="GT-BestWorst"/><ref name="GP-10worst">{{cite magazine |url= http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/36530/10-to-1-the-worst-movie-games-ever/ |title=10 to 1: The Worst Movie Games Ever |first=Alan |last=Smithee |date=July 1, 2004 |magazine=[[GamePro]] |access-date=September 28, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525230638/http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/36530/10-to-1-the-worst-movie-games-ever/ |archive-date=May 25, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Patrick O'Luanaigh of [[Square Enix Europe|SCi Games]] called it the most famous disaster story among film-inspired video games as well as within the industry.<ref name="ArtGame">{{cite book| last = Morris| first = Dave| title = The Art of Game Worlds| publisher = [[HarperCollins]]| isbn = 0-06-072430-7| year = 2004 | page = 126}}</ref> GamePro publication named it second-worst movie game ever, citing it as an example of how poor gameplay can bring negative reception to strong licenses.<ref name="GP-10worst"/>

===Effect on Atari===
{{Further|Video game crash of 1983}}
{{Quote box
|width=25%
|quote=[Y]ou are probably used to hearing the words "[[List of video games notable for negative reception|worst game ever]]". Personally I dislike the phrase, because my first response is always: "Really? Did it cause the [[Video game crash of 1983|crash of the entire western games industry]]? No? Well, then E.T. for the Atari 2600 remains the worst game ever."
|source=—[[The Escapist (magazine)|''The Escapist'']]'s [[Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw]] on the game's infamy.<ref>{{cite web |last=Croshaw |first=Ben "Yahtzee" |author-link=Yahtzee Croshaw |date=2014-08-06<!--Original publication date on the Escapist; published one week later on YouTube--> |title=E.T. "The Worst Game Ever" |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8APwHQUHwY |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=[[YouTube]] |publisher=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]] |archive-date=August 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810225804/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8APwHQUHwY |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
As early as January 1983, after Atari admitted that the game had sold poorly, an industry executive said that "the lesson of ''E.T.'' has not been lost on the industry".<ref name="harmetz19830115" /> The game is associated as a cause of the [[Video game crash of 1983|video game industry crisis of 1983]].<ref name="InfoWorld">{{cite magazine |first1=John C |last1=Dvorak |date=August 12, 1985 |title=Is the PCJr Doomed To Be Landfill? |magazine=[[InfoWorld]] |volume=7 |issue=32 |page=64 |issn=0199-6649 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ai8EAAAAMBAJ&q=atari+landfill&pg=RA1-PA64 |access-date=September 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801133617/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ai8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA64&dq=atari+landfill#v=onepage&q=atari%20landfill&f=false |archive-date=August 1, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="PCAdvisor">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/tablets/3298074/hp-touchpads-to-be-dumped-in-landfill/ |title=HP TouchPads to be dumped in landfill? |first=Simon |last=Jary |magazine=[[PC Advisor]] |date=August 19, 2011 |access-date=September 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108045640/http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/tablets/3298074/hp-touchpads-to-be-dumped-in-landfill/ |archive-date=November 8, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="WSJ">{{cite web |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904006104576502744235853146?mod=googlenews_wsj |title=Book Review: Super Mario |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |first=James |last=Kennedy |date=August 20, 2011 |access-date=September 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906225910/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904006104576502744235853146?mod=googlenews_wsj |archive-date=September 6, 2017 |url-status=live | url-access=subscription}}</ref> ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' magazine's Earl Paige reported that the large number of unsold ''E.T.'' games, along with an increase in competition, prompted retailers to demand official return programs from video game manufacturers.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|volume=95|issue=1|issn=0006-2510|publisher=[[Nielsen Company|Nielsen Business Media, Inc]]|date=January 8, 1983|first=Earl|last=Paige|title=Video Game Firms Ready Formal Returns Policies|pages=1, 21|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PSQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT20}}<!-- Titled "Video Game Firms Ready Formal Returns Policies" on page 1 (which is also the cover), and "Dealers Await Formal Video Games Returns Policy" when it continues on page 21 --></ref> However, even before ''E.T'' was released, the industry was in an overall economic downturn from multiple factors, and ''E.T'' itself did not contribute greatly to the collapse, outside of Atari, by mid-1983. The release timing led to the game gaining the reputation of being responsible for the 1983 crash.<ref name="polygon 2014"/>

By the end of 1982, Atari had begun to lose dominance as more competitors entered the market.<ref name="NYT-Toys"/><ref name="harmetz19830115" /> GameSpy's Classic Gaming called ''E.T.'' Atari's biggest mistake, as well as the largest financial failure in the industry.<ref name="CG-Museum-2">{{cite web|url=http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=ConsoleMuseum.Detail&id=10&game=4 |title=ClassicGaming.com's Museum: Five Must-See 2600 Games |publisher=[[GameSpy]] |access-date=September 25, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005015015/http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=ConsoleMuseum.Detail&id=10&game=4 |archive-date=October 5, 2008 }}</ref><ref name="CG-Museum">{{cite web|url=http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=ConsoleMuseum.Detail&id=8 |title=ClassicGaming.com's Museum: Atari 2600 - 1977-1984 |publisher=[[GameSpy]] |access-date=September 25, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611220419/http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=ConsoleMuseum.Detail&id=8 |archive-date=June 11, 2009 }}</ref> Reiley commented that the game's poor quality was responsible for ending the product life of the Atari 2600.<ref name="Seanbaby"/> Occurring soon after [[Pac-Man (Atari 2600 video game)|''Pac-Man''{{'}}s negative critical response on the Atari 2600]], ''E.T.''{{'}}s poor reception was attributed by Kent to have had a negative impact on Atari's reputation and profitability.<ref name="quoteable"/> Authors Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost echoed similar comments about ''Pac-Man'' and ''E.T.''{{'}}s combined effect on the company's reputation and the industry's reaction.<ref>{{cite book| last1 = Montfort| first1 = Nick| last2 = Bogost| first2 = Ian| year = 2009| title = Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System| url = https://archive.org/details/racingbeamatariv00mont_656| url-access = limited| publisher = [[MIT Press]]| isbn = 978-0-262-01257-7| page  =[https://archive.org/details/racingbeamatariv00mont_656/page/n88 76]}}</ref> Buchanan also cited the game as a factor in Atari and the industry's crash. He stated that the large amount of unsold merchandise was a financial burden to Atari, which pushed the company into debt.<ref name="retroign-tas"/>

==Legacy==
=== Atari video game burial ===
{{further|Atari video game burial}}
[[File:Atari E.T. Dig- Alamogordo, New Mexico (14036097792).jpg|thumb|Evidence of ''E.T.'', ''Centipede'' and other Atari materials uncovered during the excavation]]
In September 1983, the ''Alamogordo Daily News'' of [[Alamogordo, New Mexico]], reported in a series of articles that between ten and twenty<ref>'''Quote: '''"The number of actual trucks which have dumped locally was not known. Local BFI officials put it at 10. However, corporate spokesmen in Houston say it was closer to 20; and city officials say it is actually 14."<br />McQuiddy, "City cementing ban on dumping."</ref> [[semi-trailer]] truckloads of Atari boxes, cartridges, and systems from an Atari storehouse in [[El Paso, Texas]], were crushed and buried at the landfill within the city, which was covered with concrete.<ref>{{cite news|date=September 28, 1983|title=Atari Parts Are Dumped|page=D4|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/28/business/atari-parts-are-dumped.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515044525/https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/28/business/atari-parts-are-dumped.html|archive-date=May 15, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> It was Atari's first dealings with the landfill, which was chosen because no scavenging was allowed and its garbage was crushed and buried nightly. Atari officials and others gave differing reports of what was buried,<ref>McQuiddy, "Dump here utilized."</ref><ref>McQuiddy, "City cementing ban on dumping."</ref><ref name="City to Atari">McQuiddy, "City to Atari."</ref> but it has been speculated that most unsold copies of ''E.T.'' are buried in this landfill, crushed and encased in cement.<ref name="titanic">Smith, "Raising Alamogordo's legendary Atari 'Titanic'"</ref><!--ref name="GT-BestWorst"/--><!--ref name="PriceGuide"/--> The story of the buried cartridges was erroneously regarded by some as an [[urban legend]], with skeptics—including Warshaw—disregarding the official accounts.<ref name="AVinterview"/><ref name="Racing-2">{{cite book| last1 = Montfort| first1 = Nick| last2 = Bogost| first2 = Ian| year = 2009| title = Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System| url = https://archive.org/details/racingbeamatariv00mont_656| url-access = limited| publisher = [[MIT Press]]| isbn = 978-0-262-01257-7| page = [https://archive.org/details/racingbeamatariv00mont_656/page/n139 127]}}</ref><ref name="ArtGame"/>

On May 28, 2013, the [[Alamogordo City Commission]] approved [[Fuel Industries]], an [[Ottawa]]-based entertainment company, for six months of landfill access both to create a documentary about the legend and to excavate the burial site.<ref name="Fuel Industries access" /> On April 26, 2014, remnants of ''E.T.'' and other Atari games were discovered in the early hours of the excavation.<ref name="abcnews1"/><ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/04/26/e-t-atari-cartridge-landfill-excavation-uncovers-fabled-cache.aspx | title = E.T. Atari Cartridge Landfill Excavation Uncovers Fabled Cache | first = Kyle | last = Hilliard | date = April 26, 2014 | access-date = April 26, 2014 | magazine = [[Game Informer]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140427011107/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2014/04/26/e-t-atari-cartridge-landfill-excavation-uncovers-fabled-cache.aspx | archive-date = April 27, 2014 | url-status = live }}</ref> The burial of the E.T. cartridges was also the basis for the independent 2014 science fiction comedy ''[[Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie]]'', based on the [[The Angry Video Game Nerd|webseries]] of the same name,<ref>Truitt, Brian. (September 2, 2014). {{Cite web|url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2014/09/02/angry-video-game-nerd-the-movie-exclusive-clip/14986761/|title='Angry Video Game Nerd' tackles Atari cartridge legend|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112033440/https://eu.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2014/09/02/angry-video-game-nerd-the-movie-exclusive-clip/14986761/|url-status=live}} USA Today. ''[[USA Today]]''</ref> and featured Howard Scott Warshaw.<ref>Lowe, Justin. (5:11 PM PDT July 25, 2014). {{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/angry-video-game-nerd-fantasia-721357|title='Angry Video Game Nerd': Fantasia Review|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=July 25, 2014|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=February 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225090136/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/angry-video-game-nerd-fantasia-721357|url-status=live}} ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]''</ref>

In December 2014, the [[Smithsonian Institution]] added an excavated cartridge of ''E.T.'' to their collection.<ref name="smithsonian">{{cite web|url=https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/landfill-smithsonian-collections-et-extra-terrestrial-atari-2600-game|title=From landfill to Smithsonian collections: "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" Atari 2600 game|last=Robarge|first=Drew|date=December 15, 2014|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]|access-date=December 17, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141218111854/http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/landfill-smithsonian-collections-et-extra-terrestrial-atari-2600-game|archive-date=December 18, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite episode|title=The Worst Video Game Ever?|series=Sidedoor|publisher=[[Smithsonian Institution]]|url=https://www.si.edu/sidedoor/ep-2-worst-video-game-ever|date=June 26, 2019<!-- stated in re-run episode 15 in the same season -->|minutes=23|season=4|number=2<!-- re-ran as 15 -->|type=Podcast|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200515042048/https://www.si.edu/sidedoor/ep-2-worst-video-game-ever|archive-date=May 15, 2020|url-status=live|transcript=PDF transcript|transcript-url=https://www.si.edu/sites/default/files/sidedoor/sidedoor-et-script-final-transcription.pdf}}<!-- Transcript archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20200515042303/https://www.si.edu/sites/default/files/sidedoor/sidedoor-et-script-final-transcription.pdf Audio archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20200515042131/https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/dovetail.prxu.org/sidedoor/bcd8d2df-3ea6-4a51-a566-748913860312/SidedoorS4_Ep2_Seg1_ET_the_Video_Game.mp3 --></ref> In 2015, [[The Henry Ford]] museum added several excavated cartridges and a video touchpad, a sample of landfill dirt taken from the site of the burial, and items of clothing worn by the excavation team to their  collection. A selection of these items are on permanent display.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Unearthing the Atari Tomb: How E.T. Found a Home at The Henry Ford|url = http://blog.thehenryford.org/2015/07/atari-tomb/|website = The Henry Ford Blog|access-date = 2016-01-14|language = en-US|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160224202746/http://blog.thehenryford.org/2015/07/atari-tomb/|archive-date = February 24, 2016|url-status = live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = Digital Collections - Atari Video Game Burial, 1983|url = https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/search-results#advancedSearch=1&tab=artifact-results&s.0.in=keywords&s.0.for=Atari+Video+Game+Burial%2c+1983&years=0-0&perPage=10&pageNum=1&sortBy=relevance|website = [[The Henry Ford]]|access-date = May 14, 2020<!-- this page does not archive properly; as of May 14, 2020, the items on the search results are of form https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/artifact/403644 and have IDs 403644-403662, 403751-403758, 403777-403779, 412374, and 412380 -->|archive-date = May 16, 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190516090803/https://www.thehenryford.org/collections-and-research/digital-collections/search-results#advancedSearch=1&tab=artifact-results&s.0.in=keywords&s.0.for=Atari+Video+Game+Burial%2c+1983&years=0-0&perPage=10&pageNum=1&sortBy=relevance|url-status = live}}</ref> [[The Centre for Computing History]] in Cambridge, England, also received some artefacts from the desert, which are on permanent display in the museum gallery.<ref>{{cite web |title=E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial (Alamogordo Atari Dig) |url=http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/42478/E.T.-The-Extra-Terrestrial-(Alamogordo-Atari-Dig)/ |website=computinghistory.org.uk |access-date=3 February 2021 |archive-date=March 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303024538/http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/42478/E.T.-The-Extra-Terrestrial-(Alamogordo-Atari-Dig)/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Attempts to improve the game ===
In 2006, Dennis Debro [[disassembler|disassembled]] ''E.T.'', added comments to the generated [[source code]], and released it to the public.<ref name="ITworld">{{cite web |url=https://www.itworld.com/article/2698883/disaster-recovery/digging-up-e-t--s-source-code.html |title=Digging up E.T.'s source code |first=Phil |last=Johnson |date=May 6, 2014 |website=[[ITworld]] |access-date=September 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902220628/https://www.itworld.com/article/2698883/disaster-recovery/digging-up-e-t--s-source-code.html |archive-date=September 2, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> In January 2013, programmer David Richardson released several [[Unofficial patch|unofficial fixes]] for the game.<ref name="ITworld" /><ref name="PCworld">{{cite web |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/2032869/how-hacking-fixed-the-worst-video-game-of-all-time.html |title=How hacking fixed the worst video game of all time |first=Alex |last=Cocilova |date=April 16, 2013 |website=[[PCWorld]] |access-date=September 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508201629/https://www.pcworld.com/article/2032869/how-hacking-fixed-the-worst-video-game-of-all-time.html |archive-date=May 8, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Richardson">{{cite web |url=http://www.neocomputer.org/projects/et/ |title=Fixing E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial for the Atari 2600 |first=David |last=Richardson |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902174712/http://www.neocomputer.org/projects/et/ |archive-date=2018-09-02 |url-status=live }}</ref> Patches included the removal of pixel-perfect [[collision detection]], which caused E.T. to fall into a pit every time his [[Sprite (computer graphics)|sprite]] touched a pit entry.<ref name="PCworld" />

== See also ==
{{Portal|Video games|1980s}}
* [[List of Atari 2600 games]]
{{-}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
===Periodicals===
{{refbegin|2}}
* {{cite news|last=McQuiddy|first=Marian E.|date=September 25, 1983|title=Tons of Atari Games Buried; Dump here utilized|work=[[Alamogordo Daily News]]|page=1|url=http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/66637-ataris-landfill-adventures-i-now-have-the-proof-its-true/page__st__150#entry829066|access-date=July 26, 2012|archive-date=August 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815072429/http://atariage.com/forums/topic/66637-ataris-landfill-adventures-i-now-have-the-proof-its-true/page__st__150#entry829066|url-status=live}} Archived 2005-04-01.
* {{cite news|author=McQuiddy, Marian E.|date=September 27, 1983|title=City to Atari: 'E.T.' trash go home|work=[[Alamogordo Daily News]]|url=http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/66637-ataris-landfill-adventures-i-now-have-the-proof-its-true/page__st__150#entry829066|access-date=July 26, 2012|archive-date=August 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130815072429/http://atariage.com/forums/topic/66637-ataris-landfill-adventures-i-now-have-the-proof-its-true/page__st__150#entry829066|url-status=live}} Archived 2005-04-01.
* {{cite news|author=McQuiddy, Marian E.|date=September 28, 1983|title=City cementing ban on dumping: Landfill won't house any more 'Atari rejects'|work=[[Alamogordo Daily News]]}}
* {{cite news|author=Smith, Shelley|date=April 12, 2005|title=Raising Alamogordo's legendary Atari 'Titanic'|work=[[Alamogordo Daily News]]}}
* {{cite journal|last=Warshaw|first=Howard Scott|date=November 2007|title=Core Memory|journal=[[GamesTM]]|issue=63|pages=140–141|url=http://www.onceuponatari.com/archives/gamestm/070912.html|access-date=September 26, 2009|archive-date=November 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106035140/http://www.onceuponatari.com/archives/gamestm/070912.html|url-status=live}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons-inline}}
* {{atarimania|id=7300}}
* [https://archive.org/details/E.T._The_Extra-Terrestrial_1982_Atari ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial''] manual at archive.org
* {{IAg|E.T._The_Extra-Terrestrial_1982_Atari_NTSC}}

{{E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial}}
{{Atari 2600}}

[[Category:1980s science fiction works]]
[[Category:1982 video games]]
[[Category:Adventure games]]
[[Category:Atari 2600 games]]
[[Category:Atari 2600-only games]]
[[Category:Atari games]]
[[Category:Cancelled Atari 5200 games]]
[[Category:E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial video games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Top-down video games]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]
[[Category:Video games designed by Howard Scott Warshaw]]
[[Category:Video games set in California]]