Difference between revisions of "Game Factory"

From Sega Retro

m (Text replacement - "| accessoryprogramscreen= " to "")
(I maintain a list of discovered New Leaf and Game Factory cartridges. I've added this public list to the Wiki. I did not have time to embed photos for each cartridge, but they exist in my publicly shared spreadsheet that I hold as a semi-museum. The source is provided in the "External Links" section.)
Line 18: Line 18:
 
*Game Factory (32Mb - 4MB) - Blue label
 
*Game Factory (32Mb - 4MB) - Blue label
 
*New Leaf Entertainment (??MB)
 
*New Leaf Entertainment (??MB)
 +
 +
==List of known cartridges==
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable"
 +
|+ New Leaf Cartridges
 +
! Game on Cartridge
 +
! Notes
 +
|-
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
| Has a sticker on the front with Mario riding Yoshi from Super Mario World.
 +
|-
 +
| Jungle Book 
 +
| Scratch on front, diagonal from the SEGA logo, pointing toward 2 o'clock.
 +
|-
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
| Cartridge had edge wear on top of label. Bending sticker crease in the center, across the top. 
 +
|-
 +
| ''Unkown''/Jungle Book 
 +
|  Label has rippling on the front, at the bottom.  On the top-label, "Jungle Book" is written in ink.  (ROM Not verified)  Back has a sticker with the text: "Store Copy" "Not To Be Rented" "71149-001"
 +
|-
 +
| ''Unkown'' 
 +
| Discernable damage on the left-hand side of the label.  Lifting by the "G" of Genesis, also an indention on the side, between the "N" and the "E".
 +
|-
 +
| Jungle Book 
 +
| Front label has minor damage. IT appears that another sticker has been removed the top-layer of the label underneath the "TM" of the word "Entertainment".  Label wear on the edge is present for about a quarter inch under the "G" of "GENESIS" on the front of the cartridge.
 +
|-
 +
| Jungle Book 
 +
| Jungle Book on the cartridge as of 2017.  Has about a quarter-inch of label wear on the top edge, left hand side, right beside the RED Genesis stripe.  There is minor edge wear to the left of the first "E" in GENESIS on the label.
 +
|-
 +
| Jungle Book
 +
| Jungle Book on the cartridge as of 2018.  Label has a small, straight portion ripped off up the left-hand side of the label.  Also has label wear and folding in that area.  Significant label wear and bending at the top.  Spotty wear/holes along the top, folded edge of the label.
 +
|}
 +
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable"
 +
|+ Green 16Mb Cartridges
 +
! Cartridge ID
 +
! Store ID
 +
! Barcode ID #
 +
! Game on Cartridge
 +
! Notes
 +
|-
 +
| 5247 
 +
| 92512 
 +
| 39251271415247 
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
| Cartridge used on Gaming Historian video.
 +
|-
 +
| 5595 
 +
| 92581 
 +
| 39258171415595 
 +
| Monopoly 
 +
| Sitcker says "Monpoly" .
 +
|-
 +
| 5253 
 +
| 92512 
 +
| 39251271415253 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| -- 
 +
| 
 +
| 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
| Green sticker has had ID label completely removed.  Generally clean. Brown sticker residue in a line, on left-hand side of green sticker.
 +
|-
 +
| 5520 
 +
| 92581 
 +
| 39258171415520 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
| Dot Matrix Text is hard to read. "Good" written on BlockBuster label. (Data read  by barcode reader.)
 +
|-
 +
| (5?)4(61?)) 
 +
| 
 +
| 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
| White label removed.  Where the label had the details printed, white residue remained.  Parts of the serial can be spotted and read. 
 +
|-
 +
| -- 
 +
| 
 +
| 
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
| Heavy glue mottling from green label. Within label placement outline, there are two label rips that are triangle shaped.  The left one points to 1:00, and the right one points to 11:00.
 +
|-
 +
| 5298 
 +
| 92580 
 +
| 39258071415298 
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
| Originally found and purchased from Blockbuster near Flint, MI.
 +
|-
 +
| 5301 
 +
| 92512 
 +
| 39251271415301 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 5328 
 +
| 92555 
 +
| 39255571415328 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
| White label has "Pitfall" written in pencil.
 +
|-
 +
| 5388 
 +
| 92557 
 +
| 392557771415388 
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
| Good condition.  Other sticker residue under the white label, right under the cartridge ID.
 +
|-
 +
| 5210 
 +
| 92554 
 +
| 39255471415210 
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
| Clean cartridge.  Appears to be small ripple on the top of the cart.
 +
|-
 +
| -- 
 +
| 
 +
| 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
| White label has been removed.  On the left-hand side where the white label was there is removal of the green label.
 +
|-
 +
| 5387 
 +
| 12149 
 +
| 31214971415387 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 5254 
 +
| 92577 
 +
| 39257771415254 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 5461 
 +
| 92578 
 +
| 39257871415461 
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 5209 
 +
| 92561 
 +
| 39256171415209 
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 5430 
 +
| 92580 
 +
| 39258071415430 
 +
| Power Rangers 
 +
| Says "Power Rangers" on the cover.  (Game ROM unverified.)
 +
|-
 +
| 5274 
 +
| 92554 
 +
| 39255471415274 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 5384 
 +
| 92581 
 +
| 39258171415384 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 5324
 +
| 92554
 +
| 39255471415324
 +
| ''Unknown''
 +
|
 +
|}
 +
 +
 +
{| class="wikitable sortable"
 +
|+ Blue 32Mb Cartridges
 +
! Cartridge ID
 +
! Store ID
 +
! Blockbuster ID #
 +
! Game on Cartridge
 +
! Notes
 +
|-
 +
| 6387 
 +
| 92580 
 +
| 39258071416387 
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
| Cartridge used on Gaming Historian video.
 +
|-
 +
| -- 
 +
| 
 +
| 
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
| Blue sticker was poorly placed and rippled.  ID label removed.
 +
|-
 +
| -- 
 +
| 
 +
| 
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
|  ID label ripped off and significantly damaged blue label. Long, wide scrape down the right-side of blue label.
 +
|-
 +
| -- 
 +
| 
 +
| 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
| "Worm Jim" written on front and top. Otherwise, a clean blue label.
 +
|-
 +
| -- 
 +
| 
 +
| 
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
| Scratched with sticker residue. Right side, glue mottling. Hole in sticker over the 'P" in "Place label here!" message.
 +
|-
 +
| 6458 
 +
| 92578 
 +
| 39257871416458 
 +
| Jungle Book 
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 6403 
 +
| 92784 
 +
| 39278471416403 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 6247 
 +
| 92512 
 +
| 39251271416247 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
| On the white label there is a smudge in the middle of the barcode. Mostly excellent shape.
 +
|-
 +
| 6493 
 +
| 92581 
 +
| 39258171416493 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 6508 
 +
| 92580 
 +
| 39258071416508 
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 6322 
 +
| 12149 
 +
| 31214971416322 
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
| Drilled holes over the ID, but the ID can be found by the longer ID number below "GENESIS-BLUE CARTRIDGE" text.
 +
|-
 +
| -- 
 +
| 
 +
| 
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
| Label removed but residue remains.  Orangish mottling underneath.  The blue label has apparent water damage and is quite worn and wrinkly.
 +
|-
 +
| 6289 
 +
| 92578 
 +
| 39257871416289 
 +
| ''Blank''
 +
| Has a partial label, but has a copyright of Disney, 1994.  Label is torn, with "Lion King" written on it. Also has a Rev-D board. Back silk screen has been updated, reversing the test and is dated "Sept 1994".
 +
|-
 +
| -- 
 +
| 
 +
| 
 +
| Lion King 
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 6296 
 +
| 92554 
 +
| 39255471416296 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 6350 
 +
| 92512 
 +
| 39251271416350 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 6349 
 +
| 92784 
 +
| 39278471416349 
 +
| ''Unknown'' 
 +
|
 +
|-
 +
| 6374
 +
| 92554
 +
| 39255471416374
 +
| ''Unknown''
 +
|
 +
|}
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
Line 73: Line 357:
 
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrUWIHasHPQ Game Factory: Blockbuster & Sega's On-Demand Game Rentals]'' video essay by Gaming Historian at [https://www.youtube.com YouTube]
 
*''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrUWIHasHPQ Game Factory: Blockbuster & Sega's On-Demand Game Rentals]'' video essay by Gaming Historian at [https://www.youtube.com YouTube]
 
*''[https://hackaday.com/2018/10/01/remember-when-blockbuster-video-tried-burning-game-cartridges-on-demand/ Remember When Blockbuster Video Tried Burning Game Cartridges On Demand?]'' article by Drew Littrell at ''[https://hackaday.com/ Hackaday]''
 
*''[https://hackaday.com/2018/10/01/remember-when-blockbuster-video-tried-burning-game-cartridges-on-demand/ Remember When Blockbuster Video Tried Burning Game Cartridges On Demand?]'' article by Drew Littrell at ''[https://hackaday.com/ Hackaday]''
 +
*''[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pOsHrcfrjqzgSbIXidj0JfLqgWX-ftIczHX0VcPUcV0/edit?usp=sharing Public list of discovered and tracked New Leaf and Game Factory cartridges (with galleries)]'' maintained by user [https://segaretro.org/User:RLH RLH]
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references/>
 
<references/>

Revision as of 11:30, 20 January 2023

GameFactory logo.png
Game Factory
Made for: Sega Mega Drive
Manufacturer: New Leaf Entertainment
Licensor: Blockbuster
Type: Backup tool
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
US

This teeny-tiny article needs some work. You can help us by expanding it.

Game Factory was a rewritable Sega Mega Drive cartridge service run by Blockbuster around late 1994, developed through a joint venture between Sega of America and New Leaf Entertainment. A novel idea in the world of home rentals, the service was highly ambitious and critically well-received, but suffered from a number of problems and had its subsequent nationwide rollout eventually cancelled.

Service

List of cartridges

Manufactured by New Leaf Entertainment subsidiary Fairway Technologies[1], three different cartridges were available for users to rent games through.

  • Game Factory (16Mb - 2MB) - Green label
  • Game Factory (32Mb - 4MB) - Blue label
  • New Leaf Entertainment (??MB)

List of known cartridges

New Leaf Cartridges
Game on Cartridge Notes
Blank Has a sticker on the front with Mario riding Yoshi from Super Mario World.
Jungle Book Scratch on front, diagonal from the SEGA logo, pointing toward 2 o'clock.
Blank Cartridge had edge wear on top of label. Bending sticker crease in the center, across the top.
Unkown/Jungle Book Label has rippling on the front, at the bottom. On the top-label, "Jungle Book" is written in ink. (ROM Not verified) Back has a sticker with the text: "Store Copy" "Not To Be Rented" "71149-001"
Unkown Discernable damage on the left-hand side of the label. Lifting by the "G" of Genesis, also an indention on the side, between the "N" and the "E".
Jungle Book Front label has minor damage. IT appears that another sticker has been removed the top-layer of the label underneath the "TM" of the word "Entertainment". Label wear on the edge is present for about a quarter inch under the "G" of "GENESIS" on the front of the cartridge.
Jungle Book Jungle Book on the cartridge as of 2017. Has about a quarter-inch of label wear on the top edge, left hand side, right beside the RED Genesis stripe. There is minor edge wear to the left of the first "E" in GENESIS on the label.
Jungle Book Jungle Book on the cartridge as of 2018. Label has a small, straight portion ripped off up the left-hand side of the label. Also has label wear and folding in that area. Significant label wear and bending at the top. Spotty wear/holes along the top, folded edge of the label.
Green 16Mb Cartridges
Cartridge ID Store ID Barcode ID # Game on Cartridge Notes
5247 92512 39251271415247 Blank Cartridge used on Gaming Historian video.
5595 92581 39258171415595 Monopoly Sitcker says "Monpoly" .
5253 92512 39251271415253 Unknown
-- Unknown Green sticker has had ID label completely removed. Generally clean. Brown sticker residue in a line, on left-hand side of green sticker.
5520 92581 39258171415520 Unknown Dot Matrix Text is hard to read. "Good" written on BlockBuster label. (Data read by barcode reader.)
(5?)4(61?)) Unknown White label removed. Where the label had the details printed, white residue remained. Parts of the serial can be spotted and read.
-- Blank Heavy glue mottling from green label. Within label placement outline, there are two label rips that are triangle shaped. The left one points to 1:00, and the right one points to 11:00.
5298 92580 39258071415298 Blank Originally found and purchased from Blockbuster near Flint, MI.
5301 92512 39251271415301 Unknown
5328 92555 39255571415328 Unknown White label has "Pitfall" written in pencil.
5388 92557 392557771415388 Blank Good condition. Other sticker residue under the white label, right under the cartridge ID.
5210 92554 39255471415210 Blank Clean cartridge. Appears to be small ripple on the top of the cart.
-- Unknown White label has been removed. On the left-hand side where the white label was there is removal of the green label.
5387 12149 31214971415387 Unknown
5254 92577 39257771415254 Unknown
5461 92578 39257871415461 Blank
5209 92561 39256171415209 Blank
5430 92580 39258071415430 Power Rangers Says "Power Rangers" on the cover. (Game ROM unverified.)
5274 92554 39255471415274 Unknown
5384 92581 39258171415384 Unknown
5324 92554 39255471415324 Unknown


Blue 32Mb Cartridges
Cartridge ID Store ID Blockbuster ID # Game on Cartridge Notes
6387 92580 39258071416387 Blank Cartridge used on Gaming Historian video.
-- Blank Blue sticker was poorly placed and rippled. ID label removed.
-- Blank ID label ripped off and significantly damaged blue label. Long, wide scrape down the right-side of blue label.
-- Unknown "Worm Jim" written on front and top. Otherwise, a clean blue label.
-- Blank Scratched with sticker residue. Right side, glue mottling. Hole in sticker over the 'P" in "Place label here!" message.
6458 92578 39257871416458 Jungle Book
6403 92784 39278471416403 Unknown
6247 92512 39251271416247 Unknown On the white label there is a smudge in the middle of the barcode. Mostly excellent shape.
6493 92581 39258171416493 Unknown
6508 92580 39258071416508 Blank
6322 12149 31214971416322 Blank Drilled holes over the ID, but the ID can be found by the longer ID number below "GENESIS-BLUE CARTRIDGE" text.
-- Blank Label removed but residue remains. Orangish mottling underneath. The blue label has apparent water damage and is quite worn and wrinkly.
6289 92578 39257871416289 Blank Has a partial label, but has a copyright of Disney, 1994. Label is torn, with "Lion King" written on it. Also has a Rev-D board. Back silk screen has been updated, reversing the test and is dated "Sept 1994".
-- Lion King
6296 92554 39255471416296 Unknown
6350 92512 39251271416350 Unknown
6349 92784 39278471416349 Unknown
6374 92554 39255471416374 Unknown

History

Background

The concept involved customers renting Sega Mega Drive video games stored on reprogrammable flash cartridges. Avoiding the need to stock potentially hundreds, if not thousands of official video game cartridges for rent, Blockbuster could instead use a Game Factory cartridge, flash the contents of a ROM image onto the memory inside, and distribute that instead. When the customer had finished borrowing the game, the cartridge could then be flashed with another ROM image and be recycled for further use[1].

Launch

The Mega Drive Game Factory was the first of its kind (though the concept of using reprogrammable cartridges is as old as the game cartridge itself, as it is a vital tool for cartridge game development), and was initially offered between the 10th and 15th of August 1994[1] to ten Blockbuster stores in Columbia, South Carolina. The real plan, however, was to gauge interest in whether the concept would be feasible with the upcoming generation of consoles, namely the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. A Sega Game Gear variant was planned[1], but does not appear to have made it to consumers.

Blockbuster had also tried (and failed) to secure deals for other forms of entertainment, such as VHS videos and music CDs, however despite developing the equipment, big publishers were uneasy with the practise and chose not to license their libraries. Some of these fears were mitigated, however, by Viacom's takeover of Blockbuster in 1993.

Reportedly the entire system originated from reverse-engineering Mega Drive cartridges, as Sega wouldn't put their name to it until a proof of concept was created.

The process of reprogramming a cartridge took roughly 45 seconds on hardware built specifically for Blockbuster. Two types of cartridge were offered; a "green" cartridge which could store up to 16 megabits (2MB) and a "blue" cartridge which could hold 32 megabits (4MB), both using similar plastic shells as normal retail games. The cartridge also devotes an area for a printed label, so that Blockbuster staff could easily keep track of their stock.

Decline

Though apparently a success, the Game Factory service was not rolled out nationwide, nor to other regions of the world where Blockbuster operated. Aside from the fact that Mega Drive sales were on the decline by the end of 1995, Blockbuster and New Leaf had a hard time keeping up with the demands of new games, which often included extra features that the Game Factory cartridges couldn't accommodate.

For example, having successfully built and tested 16 megabit carts, the firm was hit with the news that Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage, a game Blockbuster had signed up to promote, would be released on a 32 megabit cartridge. Other games like Sonic & Knuckles and Virtua Racing were likely skipped entirely, and it is not known if there was compatibility with games which required a battery for saving.

Blockbuster also had trouble signing deals with third-party publishers, and so could initially only offer the service for first-party Sega games[1].

The move to optical media and the security features surrounding Saturn and PlayStation video games proved too much of a challenge for the firm, and the service was quietly discontinued at some point in 1995. It is not fully understood what happened to the Game Factory inventory - cartridges have been spotted on online auction sites, and development cartridges have also been seen. Judging by labels the cartridges may have been sold off in the late 1990s, presumably with a specific game flashed into memory.

Legacy

Game Factory cartridges appear to use CR2032 batteries to hold onto data. Should these batteries have died in the last twenty years or more, the cartridge's contents may have been wiped, rendering them unusable.

Magazine articles

Main article: Game Factory/Magazine articles.

Physical scans

Mega Drive, US (16Mb)

GameFactory MD Cart Top Green.jpg
GameFactory MD Cart Back Green.jpgGameFactory MD Cart Green.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, US (32Mb)

Mega Drive, US (New Leaf Entertainment)

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 EGM², "July 1994" (US; 1994-07-19), page 28
Retrieved from "https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=Game_Factory&oldid=846812"