New software anyone?¢--------------------¢¢Here is an EXACT copy of the letters I¢received from Atlantis Software and¢Zeppelin Games regarding new software¢for the Atari 8-bit...¢*¢Dear John,¢¢Many thanks for your letter regarding¢new releases for the 8 bit Atari.¢¢Unfortunately the demand for 8 bit¢Atari games has dropped to such a low¢level that it is doubtful that we will¢ever be releasing any new titles for¢this computer. It is a great shame¢because I know there are quite a few of¢the old Ataris still in use, but the¢problem is that the wholesalers and¢retailers are giving over so much of¢their shelf space to more popular¢formats that there is no room left for¢the likes of Atari, Electron or¢Commodore 16.¢¢There is another company that have¢released quite a few Atari titles, so¢why not contact them:-¢BYTEBACK, 46 Main Street, Middleton,¢Leics, LE16 8YU.¢They may be able to help you.¢¢Good luck!¢Kind Regards,¢¢Michael Cole, Managing Director.¢¢[Atlantis]¢*¢Dear John,¢¢Thank you for you letter dated 2nd June¢1992, regarding new releases for the¢Atari 8-bit computer.¢¢Unfortunately, we have no plans to¢release any further XL/XE titles.¢However, we may consider adding Atari¢releases to our Zeppelin 4x4 label,¢where 4 games are put onto one pack¢for #3.99.¢¢As regards to getting Atari releases¢onto the EDOS system, I will discuss¢this with the representatives of¢Software on Demand the next time I¢speak to them. However, I believe that¢the long tape lengths required for¢Atari games may be the reason why the¢computer has not been introduced to the¢system at this time.¢¢May I take this oppurtunity of¢thanking you for your interest in¢Zeppelin Games.¢¢Yours sincerely,¢¢Darren Jobling, Operations Director.¢¢[Zeppelin]¢*¢Well, you know how bad it is getting¢when long-time Atari 8-bit supporters¢like Zeppelin and Atlantis have no¢plans for our computer. I'd like to¢take this oppurtunity to thank both¢Atlantis and Zeppelin for their support¢of the Atari in the last couple of¢years.¢Zeppelin have released some all time¢classics and although Atlantis games¢haven't been up to the standard of¢Zeppelin, they have still released a¢couple of good programs like Titan and¢Crack-Up.¢It certainly looks like the only way¢we will get new software is from¢abroad, unfortunately postage costs¢pump the price of a program up to such¢an extent that you could be paying¢double the amount you'd pay 'over the¢counter'. An example of this is the¢KE-Soft range of programs, I thought¢that #6 was quite reasonable, but you¢have to add another #4 for postage and¢then another #2 if you send a cheque!¢Your #6 program now costs #12! Too¢expensive for me and, I suspect, many¢other 'recession-hit' Atarians in this¢country.¢Of course there are things like the¢'Mega Magazine', which only costs #3¢an issue and that is including the¢postage, I am going to buy every issue¢because ripping off Atari supporters¢is pretty silly as we all know with the¢Zeppelin/Atlantis plans. If every¢Atari 8-bitter in the country had gone¢out and bought one cassette every two¢weeks then I'm sure that the¢aforementioned would still be¢supporting our computer.¢It's times like this when you see¢hackers and crackers in their true¢light. It is sad that people like¢'The Burton Bandit' have become Atari¢legends due to ripping off software¢companies. I do not hide, I have done¢it also, but then there is a bit of¢prat in us all.¢¢John E. (TEBSF)¢
