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Session Name:

'Us vs. Them' and the LaserDisc Debacle of 1984

Overview:

With the appearance of Dragon's Lair in 1983, it seemed that LaserDisc games were poised to be the future of the arcade industry. Within months, a slew of LaserDisc-based video arcade games from multiple manufacturers flooded the market. Warren Davis, coming off the success of Q*bert, worked on one such game, Us vs. Them, intended as a kit for the hugely popular M.A.C.H. 3. But despite every indication that Us vs. Them was headed for record sales and widespread acclaim, LaserDisc games became reviled and shunnedorders were canceled, lawsuits were filed, and the arcade industry suffered a major crash. Why? What were the factors that led to this turnaround? Warren dives into the making of Us vs. Them and how the bottom fell out of the industry just as it was about to be released.

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