Early Video Game Pre-Orders: From Space Invaders to Dragon's Lair

Pinpointing the very first video game pre-order is difficult—the practice predates systematic industry tracking. However, we can identify notable early examples that show how pre-orders emerged organically to manage hype and secure supply.

Notable Early Pre-Order Cases

• Space Invaders (1978): Some arcade operators took deposits from location owners before cabinets shipped, reflecting unprecedented demand.
• Pac-Man (1980): Distributors accepted pre-orders from arcade operators to allocate limited initial stock.
• Dragon's Lair (1983): This laserdisc arcade game was marketed with a formal pre-order campaign—a strategy that later became standard for home console releases.

How Early Pre-Orders Differed from Today

These early pre-orders were purely about securing inventory and gauging demand. They didn't offer exclusive bonuses, early access, or digital pre-loads—concepts that arrived decades later with online retail and digital distribution.

The exact "first" is likely lost to history, but these titles illustrate the concept's roots in arcade distribution before it migrated to home consoles.