February 2, 1990
Another lackluster month for Apple POP sales: 600-odd units. This in a month when Karateka sold 200, Wings of Fury 400, and Ancient Art of War 700 – in short, it’s selling no better than the old, established, dying Apple II games that came out a few years ago.
In the same month, the Apple version of Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego? sold 15,000 units.
It’s frustrating. The reviews all say it’s the greatest Apple game in the history of the world. Where are the 15,000 Apple owners who bought Carmen Time this month? Do they read those magazines? Do they even know this game exists?
Patience, Mechner. It took seven months after release for Karateka to have its first big month (June 1985, 12,000 units). POP has only had four.
(But POP sold in at 3,000 units. This means the stores haven’t been reordering. Why not? I can’t shake this fear that something terrible is happening –- that it’s going to die.)
Relax. The IBM version is on its way. What happens with the Apple II version won’t matter so much.
God, I want this game to be a hit so badly. It’s the best game I know how to make. As far as I can see, I’ve done everything right. If it doesn’t become a hit, I don’t want to be in this business any more.
At least I’ve applied to NYU. But if POP isn’t a hit, how am I going to pay for it? $13,000 bucks a year! And the cost of living in the city…
The IBM version isn’t going to ship till April. Three months. I’ve got to get my mind off this somehow.
Like, by finishing my next screenplay.
By the time Deathbounce died, I’d already forgotten it. Four months after Karateka shipped, when it was looking like a dud, I felt only mild disappointment – I was concentrating on my schoolwork.
If Prince of Persia fails, it’s going to take the heart right out of me.
I want to travel to foreign countries. Someplace exotic and romantic that’s completely different from the USA. India maybe. China. Russia. If I don’t do it now I’ll never be able to do it again – not the way you travel when you’re young: looking for answers in everything, hoping to fall in love.
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In retrospect, it seems pretty obvious to me that “Where In Time” probably sold really well because of the educational market, since by 1990, schools were basically the only place Apple IIs were still being heavily used.
Yep. Funnily enough, I just had dinner with Broderbund founders Doug and Gary Carlston, reminiscing about the origins of Carmen Sandiego.