Product Code Database
M Network was the brand name used by Mattel in 1982 and 1983, to publish video games for the Atari 2600, IBM PC, and Apple II.
M Network produced home ports of popular arcade games, including BurgerTime, Bump 'n' Jump and Lock 'n' Chase (all 1982), as well as original titles such as (1982 – based on Tron) and Kool-Aid Man (1983), one of the earliest "", originally available only via mail order by sending in UPC symbols from Kool-Aid containers.
Mattel programmers (named by TV Guide as the "Blue Sky Rangers") were also encouraged to develop video game tie-ins with other Mattel properties; games such as (1983), leveraging Mattel's Masters of the Universe media franchise, were released.
M Network cartridges made for the 2600 were physically similar to Intellivision cartridges, but with a base designed to fit the 2600's larger cartridge slot. Most of the names were changed for the 2600 version; Astrosmash was, for example, renamed Astroblast.
Although Mattel, through M Network, released cartridges for Atari consoles, they balked at allowing Atari to release cartridges for the Intellivision: in the early 1980s, the company filed a lawsuit against Atari, alleging that Atari had stolen Mattel's trade secrets when it hired former Mattel employees to develop a line of Intellivision-compatible cartridges.
In May 2023, Atari SA obtained rights for over a dozen M Network games, including Armor Ambush, Astroblast, and Star Strike. A selection of M Network games were announced for release in October 2024 as downloadable content for the Atari 50 (2022) video game compilation.
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