Shout Factory To Revive 80’s Video Game Show Starcade
Cool news — Shout Factory is bringing back Starcade! ….Maybe you don’t know what that is.
Starcade was one of TV’s earliest attempts to capitalize on the growing video game industry, then consisting mostly of arcade cabinets because home game technology hadn’t caught up yet. The year was 1982, Tron was in the theaters and Pac-Man was about to launch his own Saturday Morning series. The time was ripe to launch TV’s first video game-related game show.
Starcade appeared on TBS for one season, then in syndication for another. Two players took turns answering questions about games until, after three rounds, the standout performer would get the chance to play a game in the Bonus Round. If they beat the average score, they’d take home a prize. It didn’t quite cut it in the early 80’s, but it’s fascinating to watch today for the time capsule factor.
Shout Factory now owns the rights to Starcade and is bringing the show back, and now that the gaming industry has advanced so far, the possibilities are endless. At the present time, details are scant, but Shout says the new Starcade will be more competitive than the casual original, now that grown adults have made full careers out of professional gaming. They promise some of these gamers, along with esports competitors and celebrities, will be competing in Starcade.
We don’t know if Shout will also be making the episodes of the original show available, but we hope so. They haven’t been seen legitimately since a short run on the G4 channel.