The fall and further fall of Atari via its horrible E.T. game, based on the Steven Spielberg film of the same name, can finally be watched on Xbox Live. Atari: Game Over chronicles the development of E.T. for the Atari 2600 and the decline of the publisher after its launch. It can be viewed on either Xbox One or Xbox 360 via the Xbox Video app by those with a Gold membership.
The documentary will also seek to answer the myth as to whether tons of E.T. cartridges were actually buried in the New Mexico Desert following its massive failure (spoiler: they were). Director Zak Penn stated that, “A documentary is a search for the story whereas I’m used to trying to preserve the story I’ve created.”
Interviews with Atari founder Nolan Bushnell and E.T. programmer/designer Howard Scott Warshaw are also included and you’ll have a front row seat to what became the big video game crash of the 1980s.
