Atari's New Mexico Burial Ground Exhumed
Atari's infamous collapse in the early 1980s has long been shrouded in urban legend, but an archaeological excavation backed by Microsoft and others finally put the myth to rest. The story claimed that Atari had dumped thousands of unsold game cartridges into a New Mexico landfill, with some estimates suggesting as many as millions were buried.
The excavation, which took place in 2014, was granted permission to dig through four acres of the site's 300-acre expanse for just two days. The team, led by archaeologists and assisted by James Heller, a former Atari employee who oversaw the disposal of cartridges, uncovered over 1,382 game cartridges, including E.T., Centipede, and Pac-Man.
Heller recalled that in 1983, he personally oversaw 12 truckloads carrying a total of 728,000 cartridges, all dumped into an area roughly 50 by 100 feet in size. He estimated that 95% of the cartridges dumped were new, spanning a wide range of game titles.
The discovery was significant not only because it confirmed the urban legend but also because it provided a unique glimpse into Atari's past and its impact on the gaming industry. The excavated items were carefully catalogued and preserved for further study.