Game Factory

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Blockbuster Game Factory was a service offered starting 1994(?) by Sega of America and the American video rental chain Blockbuster. Blockbuster would offer consumers the Sega Mega Drive games of their choice, which they would flash over dial-up onto a reprogrammable cartridge. The idea behind the service was that Blockbuster would have the entire Mega Drive software library available to rent, ending the problem of not being able to find a game to rent because someone else already rented it. The service was successful at first, but the combination of slow speed of dial-up (causing consumer satisfaction to drop) and issues licensing games for release caused the service was discontinued.

The service is known to have been introduced after July 1994; the first issue of EGM2 (July 1994, page 28) discusses the then upcoming service.

It is unknown if the service had any exclusive games, alternate revisions of existing games, was available outside the United States, or covered other consoles. It is also unknown if the cartridges had any data on them before being flashed with a game.

Gallery

• 

  Blue cartridge

• BGF Green1.jpg

  Green cartridge

• BGF Green2.jpg

  Green cartridge

• BGF Green3.jpg

  Green cartridge

External links

• ASSEMbler Games forum thread discussing the cartridges
• Digital Press forum thread discussing the technology

http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?18291-Blockbuster-Game-Factory-Green-Game