Not so fast , Atari historian says : E.T . `` E.T '' was rushed to stores in time for Christmas 1982 , hobbled not only by its short development time but by a license and royalty agreement that promised the film 's director , Steven Spielberg , $ 21 million , Vendel said . copies may not be the bulk of the dump . Film crew unearths long-lost Atari game `` E.T . '' The film was made in 1979 and is based on a novel by Philip K. Dick that came out two years earlier. The company dumped truckloads of the flop during a 1983 slump . `` Something that I did 32 years ago is still creating joy , '' designer says .
Not so fast , Atari historian says : E.T . copies may not be the bulk of the dump . Film crew unearths long-lost Atari game `` E.T . '' The film was made in 1979 and is based on a novel by Philip K. Dick that came out two years earlier. The company dumped truckloads of the flop during a 1983 slump . `` Something that I did 32 years ago is still creating joy , '' designer says .