In 1982 Atari started a contest to promote the release of four new games for their Atari 2600 Console entitled Swordquest. Each game was based on one of the four classic Greek elements (i.e. Earthworld, Fireworld) as well as having a room structure for each based on classical theological elements (The Zodiac, The Tree of Life, etc.) . The concept was that if players were smart enough to decipher the clues in each game they would be eligible for a prize that was custom made by Franklin Mint and valued at $25,000 in 1982 USD. The Earthworld contest had a prize of the"Talisman of Penultimate Truth". Fireworld's prize was "The Chalice of Light". Waterworld's prize was to be the "Crown of Life" and the last game, Airworld, was to have the prize of "The Philosopher's Stone". After these four contests were completed, the champion of each game would compete for "The Sword of Ultimate Sorcery".
Earthworld was released in October of 1982. it came with a gaming manual, cartridge, poster and comic book by DC Comics. Players were to solve the riddles in the game, find the associated clue in the comic book, submit their entry into the contest and pray that Atari would select them to be in the final competition. The final competition consisted of a variated version of Earthworld that the players would have to solve in 90 minutes. The final winner, Steven Bell, was given the Talisman of Penultimate Truth.
The second game, Fireworld, was released in February of 1983. Atari again had the contest but now had many more contestants this time around, so they held a secondary elimination round before Michael Rideout claimed the second treasure, The Chalice of Light.
Fate intervened before the third game's contest came to fruition however. The Video Game Crash of 1983 cause Atari to cancel the tournament at the last minute and the Crown of Life went unclaimed. Similarly, with the whole contest cancelled, The Philosopher's Stone and The Sword of Ultimate Sorcery faded into the echoes of Obscurity. $100,000 worth of treasure, lost for the ages.
Many people have wondered what became of the Lost Treasure of Swordquest. Some say it rests gathering dust in the basement of Atari. An undated picture floating around the internet seems to lead credence to this theory:
Another, more sinister theory stems from Atari's CEO Jack Tramiel.
Born in Poland in the 1920's, Tramiel spent his time during World War II in a garment Factory under German occupation. After being liberated, he emigrated to the US 1947, where he purchased a typewriter company in 1953. From this company he made various connections and founded Commodore Business Machine, which would eventually evolve into the computer producing company the name is known for. After sparking a price war that would leave some of his competitors bankrupt, Tramiel stepped down from Commodore, started his own company (again) and then purchased Atari Inc from Warner Communications. Tremiel decided to pull focus away from marketing and game budgeting leading to the downward spiral of Atari in the light of other consoles, such as the Nintendo Entertainment System. Some employees say that the work environment during this era was volatile and even go so far as to say their careers have been ruined by Tramiel and his sons.
The treasures of Swordquest is most likely in the possession of Jack Tremiel and his sons. But if they aren't, where are they? Are the original two treasures still in the hands of the winners? Have the five items of the trove ever been reunited since they were pulled from the forge in the early 1980's? Have they merely been melted down into a new toilet for Jack Tamiel?
These questions will haunt the original participants and subsequent gaming generations alike. Will we ever know the answers? Someone needs to find the truth. Someone needs to launch a NEW Swordquest...
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