Blockbuster
From Sega Retro
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| Blockbuster | ||
|---|---|---|
| Founded: 1985-10-19[1] | ||
| Defunct: 2014-01-12 | ||
Headquarters:
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Blockbuster, LLC., also known as Blockbuster Video and simply Blockbuster, was a popular American chain of movie and game rental stores. Operating in both the United States and Canada, the chain collaborated with Sega of America on a number of promotions, exclusive rentals, and even the ambitious Game Factory rewritable cartridge service.
Contents
Company
File:EGM2 US 05.pdf One of the largest names on the home rental industry, Blockbuster capitalized on America's Nintendo Entertainment System boom by branching out into video game rentals. Strongly opposed by Nintendo (from a combination of their concern over lost profits, and coming from a country which outlawed game rentals), Sega took a different approach and instead worked closely with Blockbuster, collaborating on a number of video game promotions and relevant advertising throughout most of the 1990s.
Blockbuster also offered specific games to rent before they hit store shelves, such as Fighters Megamix being available 11 days before officially going on sale[3], and additionally held a series of game tournaments across the United States, the Blockbuster World Video Game Championships. The chain also featured a single Sega Mega Drive game exclusive to its rental stores - John Madden Football: Championship Edition, an enhanced update to the earlier John Madden Football '93.
Blockbuster World Video Game Championships
- Main article: Blockbuster World Video Game Championship II.
Game Factory
- Main article: Game Factory.
Promotional material
Television advertisements
External links
- Game Factory: Blockbuster & Sega's On-Demand Game Rentals video essay by Gaming Historian at YouTube
- Remember When Blockbuster Video Tried Burning Game Cartridges On Demand? article by Drew Littrell at Hackaday