M Network was a video game division of Mattel that, in the 1980s, produced games in cartridge format for the Atari 2600 video game system.

History

In the early 1980s, Mattel's

Intellivision The Intellivision is a home video game console released by Mattel, Mattel Electronics in 1979. The name is a portmanteau of "intelligent television". Development began in 1977, the same year as the launch of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. I ...

video game console was a direct competitor to

Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French publisher Atari SA through a subsidiary named Atari Interactive. The original Atari, Inc. (1972–1992), Atari, Inc., ...

's Video Computer System (VCS), better known as the Atari 2600. Although Mattel designed and produced video game cartridges for their own system, the company surprised the industry by also releasing simplified versions of its games for the 2600 under the M Network label. M Network produced home ports of popular arcade games, including ''

BurgerTime originally released as in Japan, is a 1982 arcade game developed by Data East initially for its DECO Cassette System. The player is chef Peter Pepper, who must walk over hamburger ingredients located across a maze of platforms while avoiding c ...

'', ''

Bump 'n' Jump ''Bump 'n' Jump'' is an overhead-view vehicular combat game developed by Data East and originally released in Japan as . The arcade version was available as both a dedicated board and as part of Data East's DECO Cassette System. It was distribu ...

'' and '' Lock 'n' Chase'' (all 1982) as well as original titles such as '' Tron: Deadly Discs'' (1982 – based on the Disney movie) and '' Kool-Aid Man'' (1983), one of the earliest "

promogame Advertising in video games is the integration of advertising into video games to promote products, organizations, or viewpoints. There are two major categories of advertising in video games: in-game advertising and advergames. In-game advertisin ...

s", originally available only via mail order by sending in UPC symbols from Kool-Aid containers. Mattel programmers (named by '' TV Guide'' as the "

Blue Sky Rangers The Blue Sky Rangers is a group of Intellivision game programmers who previously worked for Mattel in the early 1980s. When the Intellivision first came out in 1978, its games were all developed by an outside firm, APh Technological Consulting. R ...

") were also encouraged to develop video game tie-ins with other Mattel properties; games such as '' Masters of the Universe: The Power of He-Man'' (1983), leveraging Mattel's

Masters of the Universe ''Masters of the Universe'' (sometimes referred to as the ''He-Man'' or ''She-Ra'' series) is a sword and planet-themed media franchise created by Mattel. The main premise revolves around the conflict between He-Man (the alter ego of Prince Ada ...

media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...

, were released. M Network cartridges made for the 2600 were physically similar to Intellivision cartridges, but with a base designed to fit the 2600's larger cartridge slot. Most of the names were changed for the 2600 version; ''

Astrosmash ''Astrosmash'' is a fixed shooter video game for the Intellivision console, designed by John Sohl, and released by Mattel Electronics in 1981. The player uses a laser cannon to destroy falling meteors, bombs, and other targets.''Astrosmash'', Ma ...

'' was, for example, renamed ''Astroblast''. Although Mattel, through M Network, released cartridges for Atari consoles, they balked at allowing Atari to release cartridges for the Intellivision: in the early 1980s the company filed a lawsuit against Atari alleging that Atari had stolen Mattel's trade secrets when it hired former Mattel employees to develop a line of Intellivision-compatible cartridges.

References

{{Mattel Mattel Atari 2600 Defunct video game companies of the United States