Overview
The SwordQuest franchise was an ambitious series of four fantasy-adventure titles for the Atari 2600 tied to an elaborate contest with prizes worth tens of thousands of dollars. Each game was released with a tie-in comic book published by DC Comics that, in conjunction with hints revealed by playing the game, would reveal clues to the solution that players sent in to Atari. The winning players were then given a trip to Atari headquarters, where they competed against each other in a special competitive version of the games, and the winner would take home a trophy made of actual gold, platinum, and jewels valued at $25,000 each. The players that won each of the four contests would then compete in one final challenge for the ultimate prize; a jewel-encrusted sword said to be worth $50,000.
The winner of EarthWorld received a golden talisman. The winner of FireWorld received a chalice made of gold and platinum. However, the release of WaterWorld coincided with the video game crash of 1983. The game was released in limited quantities, and the contest for it was never completed. The fourth and final game planned, AirWorld, was never released, and no authentic copy of the game is known to exist. The prizes planned for these games were a crown and philosopher's stone, respectively.
There is evidence that the crown, philospher's stone, and the grand prize sword were all produced. However, the whereabouts of these items are not known. It is rumored that all three items entered the possession of then-Atari CEO Jack Tramiel.
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