Data Age was a California-based video game company that developed and

published Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

titles for the

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600, initially branded as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) from its release until November 1982, is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977, it popularized microprocessor- ...

platform in the mid-1980s. Among their more well-known titles were ''

Journey Escape ''Journey Escape'' is a video game developed and manufactured by Data Age in San Jose, California for the Atari 2600 console, and released in 1982. It stars the rock band Journey, one of the world's most popular acts at the time, and is based on ...

'' (a tie-in with the band

Journey Journey or journeying may refer to: * Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations ** Day's journey, a measurement of distance ** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road Animals * Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...

) and ''

Frankenstein's Monster Frankenstein's monster or Frankenstein's creature, often referred to as simply "Frankenstein", is a fictional character who first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. Shelley's title thus compares ...

'', both published in 1982. The company was founded by Martin Meeker and four other designers. The employed 35 people by December 1982.

Games

Data Age released fewer than a dozen games, generally to mixed reception. ''Frankenstein's Monster'' has been cited as a standout among Atari 2600 games by several game reviewers, while ''

Sssnake ''Sssnake'' is a video game for the Atari 2600 produced by Data Age in 1982. Its gameplay is similar to '' Centipede'', except the player moves in the center of the screen and fires towards the top, bottom and sides. Reception In 1991, ''Digital ...

'' and ''Warplock'' (both 1982) were included on a list of the ten worst games for the 2600. ''Journey Escape'' also received poor reviews and weak sales, despite a $4.5 million marketing campaign, which combined with heavy licensing fees helped lead to the company's failure. Other games released by Data Age are ''

Airlock An airlock, air-lock or air lock, often abbreviated to just lock, is a compartment with doors which can be sealed against pressure which permits the passage of people and objects between environments of differing pressure or atmospheric compo ...

'', ''Bermuda Triangle'', ''Encounter at L-5'', and ''Bugs''–all from 1982. ''Secret Agent'', ''Mr. Bill's Neighborhood'', ''Smokey Bear'', and ''Mr. T'' were unreleased. A prototype of ''Secret Agent'' has been found.

References

Atari 2600 Video game companies established in 1982 Defunct video game companies of the United States {{US-videogame-company-stub