Shark Jaws

About

Shark Jaws is a 1975 arcade title from Atari that pits you against a relentless great white shark. You control a deep-sea diver swimming through a confined underwater area. Your goal is to collect small fish by running over them while avoiding collisions with the shark. If the shark bites you, it’s game over. The challenge lies in balancing speed with caution as the shark grows more aggressive over time. The game’s history is as sharp as its antagonist. Atari founder Nolan Bushnell tried to license the Jaws name but failed, so he rebranded it as Shark JAWS, making the “JAWS” part huge and the “Shark” in tiny print. To avoid Universal’s legal team, he set up a fake subsidiary called Horror Games. These behind-the-scenes shenanigans highlight its place as a quirky relic of early arcade innovation.