E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Atari 2600)

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a video game developed by Howard Scott Warshaw based on the film of the same name and released by Atari for the Atari 2600 video game system in 1982. With few exceptions, most critics and gamers alike feel that it was a poorly produced and rushed game that Atari thought would sell purely based on brand loyalty to the names of Atari and E.T.

The game did not do well commercially, and cost Atari millions of U.S. dollars. E.T. is seen by many as the death knell of Atari and is thought by some to be the worst video game ever made as well as the biggest commercial failure in video gaming history. A major contributing factor to Atari's demise, the game's failure triggered the video game crash of 1983.