At conception phase of the Swordquest competition which began with Earthworld, the video game market was still like having a money printer in the basement. Then came 1983… and the troubles associated with that year may have been partially related to the sort of hubris which this series was a product of. Suddenly, costs needed to be cut, and a large-scale competition dishing out major prizes was not among Atari's priorities anymore. Their lawyers insisted, however, that the Waterworld competition be held, as it had been announced.