RETURN OF THE BORDERS: IN THE VIRTUAL REALM OF HIGH-TECH PIXEL WORLDS

Dean Guadagno
Aug 22
1 min read

Microzeit

RETURN OF THE BORDERS explores the turbulent final years of Atari and the demoscene that refused to fade away. This 400-page hardback documents the rise and fall of the Falcon and Jaguar, exposing more than 35 Falcon demos, Eclipse’s contributions to the Jaguar, detailed sales histories, technical debates on “64-bit” systems, and the last days of Atari Corp. A 45-page interview appendix and comparison tables further enrich this chronicle of ambition and decline.

With a foreword by Marc Rosocha (Eclipse Software, Iron Soldier), the book captures the optimism of Silicon Valley in the mid-’90s as Atari proclaimed a new 64-bit era. Scene veterans poured their expertise into the Falcon while indie teams pushed the ST/E, and Eclipse eyed the U.S. market. Former Thalion members regrouped at Blue Byte, while homebrew developers and clubs kept the Atari spirit alive through fairs, new TOS-compatible machines, and grassroots creativity.

RETURN OF THE BORDERS portrays a fractured scene battling fading relevance, a company on its last legs, and a community that transformed adversity into innovation. It’s a vivid account of the 16/32-bit legacy colliding with the harsh realities of a changing games industry.

PUBLICATION DETAILS

LANGUAGE	BINDING	EDITION	ISBN	YEAR	PAGES
English	Hardcover		N/A	2022	400

OTHER NAMES

RETURN OF THE BORDERS: 1994–1997 – The Atari ST and The Creative People Vol. 3