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Extraordinary archive of original development material for the groundbreaking Star Wars arcade games Star Wars (1983) and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1985). Deriving from the personal collection of mechanical engineer Mike Hally, Atari’s project leader for the Star Wars series, the archive provides a unique and comprehensive look into one of the most important licensed video game series of the 1980s. Containing hand-drawn schematics, early project drafts, and incredible arcade cabinet concept artwork, the archive details the intensive and determined approach to emulate the cinematic Star Wars experience at the dawn of 3D vector graphics gaming.
Highlights include:
Original hand-painted concept artwork for the Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back arcade cabinets, accomplished in mixed media on sheets 12 x 22 or 22 x 12, which includes designs for the “Side Panel,” “Control Panel,” and “Attraction Glass”; the side panel artwork was ultimately used for the final side panel design of the Empire cabinet, and elements from both the side panel and attraction glass artwork were incorporated into the Star Wars cabinet and promotional materials, as evidenced by an included original color 8.5 x 11 Atari flyer for “Star Wars: The Coin Video Experience” and glossy 8 x 10 photo of The Empire Strikes Back arcade cabinet.
Original Focus 4 multi-cel color key proof for a promotional poster or advertisement for the Star Wars arcade game, 23 x 18.25, featuring iconic Star Wars imagery used for both arcade cabinets, with legend below reading: “Client: Atari, I.D.: Star Wars/Tab, Date: 5/17, F4 No. 2910.”
Group of 14 original Atari schematics for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, each 22 x 17, featuring hand-drawn technical and wireframe designs for screen and level layouts, 3D models, the title screen, and explosion effect sequences, all of which show the impressive evolution of the vector graphics system; all but one of the schematics are undated.
The balance of the archive can be divided between documentation related to the Star Wars arcade game and its successor, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the former of which contains extensive typed and manuscript material chronicling the game’s full evolution from idea to reality. The Star Wars documents are as follows:
- One-page DS signed by Hally, dated September 27, 1982, which finds Hally acknowledging receipt and responsibility “for the Lucasfilm Ltd. still photographs to be used as reference material with regard to product development.” The stills include images of Y-Wing, X-Wing, and Tie Fighters, the Death Star, the Millenium Falcon, the Imperial Star Destroyer, and Vader’s TIE Fighter.
- ‘Report on the Atari Star Wars Arcade Game,’ issued by the Lucasfilm Games Department on December 15, 1982, which is accompanied by a two-page letter from Hally to Rita Dodson of Lucasfilm Ltd., January 4, 1983, responding to her comments and concerns
- Letter from a Lucasfilm representative postmarked January 10, 1983, in full: “I don’t know the Star Wars game plan but I just thought you might be interested in seeing these animated graphics. I have made polaprints to get them to you quickly and have labeled each on the back.” Seven color glossy 4.25 x 3.25 Polacolor photos are included, with each focusing on ‘targeting device’ animations.
- Five pages of early hand-drawn designs for “Concepts of Explosions,” signed by Hally and dated February 15, 1983
- Three-page manuscript ‘gameplay’ packet headed “Star Wars, Per Lyle,” detailing ending and level options, and concluding with a ‘to-do’ list that includes “Call Lucas”
- Stapled four-page typed ‘Gameplay’ guide for the Star Wars arcade game
- Six-page summary of the Star Wars arcade game, with sections for General (hardware, cabinet, controls, graphic artwork, music and voice), Game Overview (player perspective, player input, kill zone, attackers, auto shield, scoring, etc.), and Star Wars Game Description (name presentation, text mode, play mode, and high score mode)
- Early typed drafts of the Star Wars ‘Data Sheet’ script, including a four-page hand-edited ‘Revised’ draft from May 17, 1983, and a five-page revised draft dated May 19, 1983, with memo at top reading “First draft of proposed script.”
- Two-page hand-edited ‘to-do’ list for various aspects of the Star Wars game, including “Explosions,” “Transitions,” “Darth,” TIE Fighters,” “Thumb Buttons,” and more, which is accompanied by its original manuscript version
- Eight-page typed ‘Star Wars Project Outline,” which details the story, gameplay, game options, scoring, messages, voice commands, and sound effects.
- Atari ‘Inter Office Memo’ from January 31, 1983, with the subject line, “Star Wars Focus Group Results,” which contains “Considerations for Game Direction,” “Recommendations for Improvement,” and “Other Considerations.” The opening summary reads: “On Monday, January 24 three focus groups were conducted on the STAR WARS game. Groups one, two, and three consisted of 15-19 year-old males, 20-35 year-old males, and females 17-30 years of age, respectively.”
- Four Atari ‘Inter Office Memo’ letters dated between December 1982 and August 1983, regarding the licensing of Star Wars to Namco in Japan, the use of a speech synthesis chip, and a negative reaction to the “Wells Gardner Medium Resolution Color XY monitor.”
- One-page invitation letter from Lucasfilm to Hally, dated May 4, 1983, inviting him to attend “a screening of Return of the Jedi,” either at 3 PM or 7 PM on May 22nd at the Cinema I Theatre in Corte Madera, California; Hally has circled the 3 PM showing.
The Empire Strikes Back portion of the archive, while less extensive, is also considerably fascinating, and includes: a hand-drawn 11 x 8.5 grid layout of the game’s title screen; a hand-drawn 10.75 x 8.5 screen layout for the game’s “Shield Collision” sequence; a handwritten list of ‘Empire’ items to bring to a ‘Field Test’; a two-page draft for “Empire Strikes Back Sound Effects”; and a 21-page handwritten “Atari Project Initiation” for ‘Empire Strikes Back,’ issued as Draft No. 2 on May 15, 1984, which is accompanied by a typed version of the second draft. In overall fine condition.
An amazing archive from a pivotal moment in both classic gaming and Star Wars history, serving as both an invaluable resource for early 1980s arcade game development and an unprecedented behind-the-scenes peek into the creation of one of the most beloved gaming series of all time.
