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Tag Archives: Activision

David Crane Interview: Pitfall!, Activision, and Programming the Atari 2600

Retro Replay interview cover featuring David Crane, Pitfall!, Activision, and A Boy and His Blob.

David Crane put his name on a game box because he was willing to stake his reputation on what was inside. Players have since told him they would buy one of his games knowing who made it, much as a reader reaches for a favorite author’s next book. That connection was something he and his fellow Activision founders deliberately built. The programmer, artist, and designer behind a cartridge deserved a credit, and… Read more

The History of Pitfall!: Building a Jungle in 4K

The History of Pitfall Building a Jungle in 4K cover with original box art Atari 2600 gameplay and a Pitfall II cartridge board

To get Pitfall Harry running properly, David Crane tried the movements himself. He would walk around the lab, stop in a pose, and sketch the position of his leg. Then came the awkward part: making that pose look like a person when the figure was only eight pixels wide. Years later, describing those experiments to Game Informer, Crane could trace Harry back through several projects. He would work on the little runner,… Read more