The nostalgia peddlers at Shout! Factory will be bringing back Starcade, the world’s first-ever video game arcade show which ran for three seasons from 1982 to 1983. “Starcade is a classic game show from the ’80s and is pure nostalgic fun. We couldn’t be more excited to work with the original show creators to ‘retro-boot’ Starcade for a new generation of fans,” Shout! Factory says in a statement.
Starcade was created by James Caruso and Mavis E. Arthur and ran on Ted Turner’s cable station, WTBS, for 130 episodes. In the show’s original format, contestants would answer questions about classic arcade games and were given a minute or less to get as high of a score as possible on free-standing cabinets in the studio.
The original pilot is arguably a perfect early ‘80s time capsule: It’s hosted by Mike Eruzione—left wing for the 1980 Winter Olympics United States Hockey Team that put the hurt on the Soviets—and featuring celebrity guest Larry Wilcox playing winner David Dyche in the then brand-new Donkey Kong.
“We’re thrilled to be part of this Starcade revival,” explain original creators Caruso and Arthur in a press release. “We look forward to bringing the show back for all those avid Starcaders who have been waiting for years, as well as a new class of gaming heroes.”