On Nov. 29, 1972, Atari previewed the first coin-op version of its legendary Pong, which went on to become the first commercially successful video game. (The game wouldn’t go into full production until the following March.)
A website detailing the history of the iconic game and its makers, said Atari went on to sell over 19,000 games, helping launch what the website says is now the “largest entertainment industry in the world.” (Software sales on the consumer side of the video game industry are expected to reach $98 billion by 2020, excluding revenues earned from hardware components necessary to play most games.)
A recent Forbes write-up about the historic day also detailed the company behind Pong, Atari, and one if its most famous early employees: Steve Jobs. To hear more about his connection to Atari (and his role in the creation of Breakout), click here.