1970s
Atari Football
1977 · Sports · Arcade
Overview
Atari Football is a classic 1970s sports game developed by Atari for Arcade.
Deep Dive
Atari Football is a classic 1970s sports game developed by Atari for Arcade.
Developer Story
Atari Football was designed by Dave Stubben and released by Atari in 1977. It was the first arcade game to use a trackball controller, allowing players to scroll the field and move players with speed and precision impossible with a joystick. The trackball became so associated with sports arcade games that it appeared in Baseball, Bowling, and countless other titles. The cabinet featured a large overhead LED scoreboard display.
Did You Know?
- Atari Football introduced the trackball controller to arcade gaming — a format that became standard for sports games for over a decade.
- The game was one of the first to scroll the play field, with the camera following the ball carrier down the field.
- Trackballs in Atari Football units wore out extremely quickly from heavy use, and replacement parts became a significant business for Atari.
- The game's success led directly to Atari's Centipede and Missile Command, both of which also used trackball controllers.
