EA Humbled - Buy 2, Get 1 Free

The mid-1980's industry crash took a lot of video and computer game companies with it.  Electronic Arts was one of the few that survived -- but even the mighty EA had to do a little bowing and scraping in the bargain bin to get through it, as evidenced by this 1985 ad in Electronic Games magazine:

Tossed onto the bonfire of the humilities were certifiable classics like M.U.L.E., Archon, Bill Budge's Pinball Construction Kit and One on One.  But EA had the right attitude for the long term -- founder Trip Hawkins was indeed one  who still believes in the potential of personal computers, and he was absolutely right in his steadfast faith that interactive entertainment would still be a growth industry over the long term.

So EA made it through the downturn, and continued to take chances and produce innovative new titles deserving of the scarce mid-1980's gaming dollar.

(Mind you, the lean and hungry years would eventually end, but at the time this ad was running,  Touchdown Football, which gave birth to Madden Football and sequels ad infinitum, was still a few years off.)