Prior to the creation of Activision, third party publishers did not exist. This is not just some statement thrown out to explain this publisher’s importance, it is a literal fact. Activision, formed in October 1979, was the first ever independent publisher to exist in the video game industry.
This is very much a David vs. Goliath story, where the underdog comes out on top. As of 2007, Activision was the top publisher of video games in the United States. Modern gamers know Activision well for it’s involvement in the Call of Duty series of games. Retro gamers however view Activision fondly for it’s creative releases for early home consoles such as the Atari 2600. Activision back then meant to gamers several things: Game designers who became celebrities in the gaming community, inspired gameplay mechanics and fantastic art. Activision games were known for their colorful backgrounds and well drawn character sprites and stood out from other games on the market for the same systems. – Read the rest of the article here from Classic Console Magazine (courtesy of Old School Gamer)!
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