The Legend of SwordQuest
iHeartPodcasts
Show overview
The Legend of SwordQuest has been publishing since 2024, and across the 2 years since has built a catalogue of 16 episodes, alongside 2 trailers or bonus episodes. That works out to roughly 9 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a roughly quarterly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 33 min and 43 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-US-language Society & Culture show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 2 weeks ago, with 5 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2024, with 10 episodes published. Published by iHeartPodcasts.
From the publisher
What started as a promotion for a new Atari game would become one of the most controversial moments in ‘80s pop culture, with a central mystery that’s consumed fans for decades: what happened to the missing SwordQuest prizes? To unlock the biggest mystery in video game history, host Jamie Loftus is going on a treasure hunt 40 years in the making.
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Bonus Episode: The Landfill
bonusA waste management specialist unearths thousands of Atari games buried in a New Mexico landfill. As gaming historians rejoice, he plots to turn Atari’s unwanted trash into cash.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S1 Ep 88: Endgame
After decades of speculation, a mysterious source emerges that may solve the mystery of the missing SwordQuest treasures once and for all.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S1 Ep 77: The Swordsman
The trail to find the missing SwordQuest treasures leads back to one of the most controversial figures in Atari history.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S1 Ep 66: Plunder
An unreleased SwordQuest game suddenly surfaces online; the fate of the missing prizes undergoes fresh scrutiny by gaming historians.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S1 Ep 55: Stay Gold
Years after SwordQuest came to an abrupt and disappointing end, a gamer makes a surprising discovery in a Brooklyn thrift shop.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S1 Ep 44: Descent Into Darkness
Atari’s financial problems force the company to issue an ultimatum to SwordQuest players—one that may involve a top-secret gaming tournament closed to the public.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S1 Ep 33: The Chalice
SwordQuest players discover that being video game rock stars comes at a price. Meanwhile, delays in the contest raise suspicions among contestants that Atari may not intend to see it through to the end—and that the prizes may not even exist at all.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S1 Ep 22: Gentlemen, Start Your Joysticks
Expert gamers are invited to an all-expenses paid trip to California for the first round of Atari’s SwordQuest contest and a chance at the first treasure: a $25,000 medallion. The problem? Solving the game’s central puzzle will prove nearly impossible. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
S1 Ep 11: The Sword and the Stoned
In the early 1980s, Atari is one of the biggest entertainment brands in the world and seeks to promote the biggest video game contest to date, promising $150,000 in prizes. But what starts out as a promising adventure quickly devolves into chaos.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Introducing: The Legend of SwordQuest
trailerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.