Shark Jaws
Shark Jaws is an action video game by Atari, Inc. Under the name of Horror Games, originally released for arcades in 1975. An unlicensed tie-in to the movie Jaws, and believed to be the first commercially released movie tie-in, it was created to be a game about sharks eating people.
Shark Jaws
- Date
- 1975
- Genre
- action game
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Documentary summary
Shark Jaws is an action video game by Atari, Inc. Under the name of Horror Games, originally released for arcades in 1975. An unlicensed tie-in to the movie Jaws, and believed to be the first commercially released movie tie-in, it was created to be a game about sharks eating people.
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wikidata · Q992485 · wikipedia · Shark Jaws
In this article
The object
The object
According to Bushnell, the game was successful enough to sell approximately two thousand units. In the game, the player controls a deep-sea diver trying to catch small fish while avoiding a great white shark that is trying to eat him. Points are scored by running over the fish to catch them.
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Shark Jaws • Developer — Horror Games (Atari, Inc.) • Platforms — Arcade • Released — September 25, 1975 • Genre — Action • Modes — Single-player
Development
Development
Atari head Nolan Bushnell originally tried to license the Jaws name, but was unable to secure a license from Universal Pictures. Deciding to go ahead with the game anyway, it was retitled Shark JAWS, with the word Shark in tiny print and JAWS in large all caps print to create greater prominence. Afraid of legal action from Universal, Atari released it under a fake name, Horror Games.
Technology
Technology
The game is housed in a custom cabinet that includes a single joystick and start button. The cabinet bezel uses blue and green colors, and portrays sharks swimming around along with a solitary swimmer. The game PCB is composed of discrete technology, and although the game was released under the name Horror Games, the PCB clearly states Atari.
Places
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Places
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- United States
Named but not plotted · 1
Shark Jaws is associated with United States.
Country
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Référence Harvard sans parenthèses Mathieu Triclot 2017 loc=La Contrebande des icônes id=Triclot2017 .
- 2.Référence Harvard sans parenthèses Alexis Blanchet 2010 loc=Chapitre I : I - L'intérêt de l'industrie cinématographique pour le secteur naissant des jeux vidéo - Le point de bascule Langue en Jaws (1975) p=69-82 id=Blanchet2010 .
- 3.Référence Harvard sans parenthèses Alexis Blanchet 2010 loc=Introduction : Penser le caractère multiple du cinéma et du jeu vidéo dans une approche historique p=30 id=Blanchet2010 .
- 4.Référence Harvard sans parenthèses Nick Montfort Ian Bogost 2009 p=125 id=MontfortBogost2009 .
- 5.Steve Fulton. The History of Atari: 1971-1977. 6 novembre 2007.
- 6.Film Adaptation: The First Film License. Kotaku. 13 novembre 2007.
- 7.Référence Harvard sans parenthèses Carly A. Kocurek 2015 loc= Langue en Marketing Controversy id=Kocurek2015 .
- 8.From Cutoffs to Pinstripes. Video Games. 1. 3. 41 lire en. Décembre 1982.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 4
- Des pixels à Hollywood. Éditions Pix'n Love. 2010. 978-2-918272-11-3.
- Coin-Operated Americans. U of Minnesota Press. 2015. 978-1-4529-4521-7.
- Racing the Beam. 2009. 978-0-262-01257-7.
- Philosophie des jeux vidéo. La Découverte. 2017. 978-2-7071-9809-9.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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