Introducing: The Legend of SwordQuest

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
In nineteen eighty two, Atari players across the country settled
into their shag carpeting. Homework went by the wayside, and
so did sleep. These gamers only had one thing on
their minds sword Quest. This wasn't just a new game.
Epic and ambitious. The company promised one hundred and fifty

(00:21):
thousand dollars in prizes to four finalists, with the Sword
of Ultimate Sorcery going to the grand prize winner.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
And I could believe it. Theatrics from mom. You know,
she starts crying. You know, there wasn't too much work
at the time, and I just got this, you know,
three dollars and thirty five cent an hour minimum wage
JAB And next thing, you know, I got just pick
in twenty five thousand dollars prize.

Speaker 1 (00:42):
But what started as a video game promotion would become
one of the most controversial moments in eighties pop culture,
with broken promises, urban myths, payoffs, and a central mystery
that's consumed fans for decades.

Speaker 3 (00:56):
I never ended up seeing these prizes in person.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
As Atari ran into financial woes. It wasn't long before
sword Quest spun out of control, which leads us to
the biggest question of all, how did all of those prizes,
valued at one hundred and fifty thousand dollars become something
of a lost treasure?

Speaker 4 (01:16):
So I had heard stories about these amazing things. I
saw a picture of them here and there. I can
honestly say that in my entire experience, in my life
so far, I have never actually been in the same
room with any of these items.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
But he melted down part of it to pay for college.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
I'm Jamie Loftus. Join us for the Legend of sword Quest,
a podcast about the fall of Atari and the disappearing
sword Quest prizes. You'll hear from the legends of Atari,
video game historians, and the sword Quest competitors. We'll follow
the quest for missing treasure across four decades.

Speaker 3 (01:56):
There was a letter envelope just tucked in the side
of a shoebox, and I opened it and I found
those photos, so I knew what this was. There's no
obvious security, right, it's just laying on the table.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
Probably millions.

Speaker 3 (02:08):
I would think somebody would pay for it. It's almost
like a metaphor for the industry and Atari itself in
a way.

Speaker 1 (02:15):
Listen to the Legend of sword Quest starting September twelfth
on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get
your podcasts.