Home / Arts and Entertainment / Atari's E.T. Dump: Desert Dig Unearths Gaming Legend
Atari's E.T. Dump: Desert Dig Unearths Gaming Legend
24 Sep
Summary
- Archaeologists confirmed Atari's legendary E.T. game burial in New Mexico.
- Over 1,300 cartridges, including E.T., were recovered from the landfill.
- Recovered items fetched over $100,000 for local institutions.
A persistent rumor from the early 1980s about Atari burying unsold video game cartridges in a New Mexico landfill has finally been confirmed. For decades, enthusiasts speculated about the fate of millions of returned and unsold cartridges, particularly from the failed 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' game.
In 2014, a documentary team, with support from Microsoft and others, undertook an archaeological excavation in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Guided by former Atari employee James Heller, who personally oversaw the dumping of 728,000 cartridges in 1983, the team dug over 30 feet into the trash.
Within a limited two-day window, the excavation uncovered 1,382 cartridges and other Atari hardware. The findings included boxed copies of 'E.T.' and other titles like 'Centipede' and 'Pac-Man,' solidifying the legend as fact. A significant portion of the recovered items were later auctioned, raising over $100,000 for local institutions.
Fuel Entertainment further contributed by donating a recovered 'E.T.' cartridge to the Smithsonian Institution's American History Museum. This confirmed burial site, once covered over, remains a testament to one of gaming's most enduring urban legends.
