The New Zork Times/The Status Line
Infocom's Quarterly Newsletter
In 1982, the Zork User's Group began irregularly publishing a newsletter featuring Infocom news and product
announcements, together with puzzles, contests, cartoons, and a healthy dose of patented Implementor humor.
ZUG published four issues before Infocom took over, turning it into a regular quarterly publication sent free
to all registered users of Infocom products. Publication ceased in 1989.
In 1986, following a threatening (there's another kind?) legal letter from a similarly-named east coast newspaper, the New Zork Times was forced to change its name. Thus was born The Status Line, which continued for another three years. In 1989 it was announced that The Status Line would be retired in favor of a new publication, called either Escape or ZQ (Zork Quarterly?). But, though TSL publication ceased, no new publication was forthcoming.
In all, twenty four issues of NZT/TSL were published, four by ZUG, and twenty by Infocom. At its height, it had a circulation of over 200,000. Today, it is nearly as sought-after a collector's item as are the games themselves.
In 1986, following a threatening (there's another kind?) legal letter from a similarly-named east coast newspaper, the New Zork Times was forced to change its name. Thus was born The Status Line, which continued for another three years. In 1989 it was announced that The Status Line would be retired in favor of a new publication, called either Escape or ZQ (Zork Quarterly?). But, though TSL publication ceased, no new publication was forthcoming.
In all, twenty four issues of NZT/TSL were published, four by ZUG, and twenty by Infocom. At its height, it had a circulation of over 200,000. Today, it is nearly as sought-after a collector's item as are the games themselves.