* ColbertBump: The WebVideo/AngryVideoGameNerd's review of the games brought knowledge of the series and the contest to modern viewers.
* {{Defictionalization}}: Sort of. It's an odd example of an early AlternateRealityGame.
* {{Feelies}}: The very in-depth instruction manuals, as well as the comic books, whose panels contained the clues.
* PermanentPlaceholder: The "clues" in ''Fireworld'' were supposed to help the player win the associated real-life contest, but they were never coded, so it just displays numbers from 00 to 09.
* SavedFromDevelopmentHell: ''Airworld'' was never finished at the time of the contest, which was itself quietly cancelled due to UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983. Then in 2022, almost ''40 years later'', the ''Swordquest'' rights found their ways into the hands of indie developer Digital Eclipse, who -- as part of a CompilationRerelease titled ''Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration'' -- additionally developed six lost games, one of which was ''Airworld'', using retro Atari graphics/sound and with the original ideas by series creator Tod Frye.
* SimilarlyNamedWorks: No, the game ''Waterworld'' has nothing to do with the [[Film/{{Waterworld}} Kevin Costner movie]].
* {{Vaporware}}: ''[[{{Pun}} Air]]world'' was never released, and it's unknown if any copies of it still exist to this day. [[SavedFromDevelopmentHell A version of the game was eventually developed]] by Creator/DigitalEclipse as part of ''Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration''.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: One of the most infamous examples in video game history. Had it not been for UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983, ''Waterworld'' would've had another full length contest, ''Airworld'' would've been made and the winners of each would have come together and complete the quest.
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