A second prototype was completed near the end of 1978, with only about eight rooms, a single

dragon, and two objects. Robinett recognized that it demonstrated his design goals, but was boring.
He put the game aside for a few months and came back with additional ideas, finishing it by June
1979.[9][22] Two changes were the possibility of being eaten by the dragon and resetting the avatar,
and the addition of the sword object with which to kill the dragon. Robinett found that the various
possibilities that arose from this combination of elements improved the excitement of the game, and
subsequently made three dragons, reusing the same source code for the behavior of all three. The
magnet was created to work around a potential situation where the player could irretrievably drop an
object into a wall space.[9]
To develop the plot for the game, Robinett worked with Steve Harding, the author for nearly all Atari
2600 game manuals at that time. Harding developed most of the plot after playing the game, with
Robinett revising elements where he saw fit. Robinett states that he had come up with the names for
the three dragons and offered a friend's suggestion for naming the bat "Knubberrub". [9]
Robinett submitted the source code for Adventure to Atari management in June 1979[24] and soon left
Atari.[12][25] Atari released the game in early 1980.[26
Further information: Easter egg (media)

The Adventure Easter egg: "Created by Warren Robinett"

In the Atari Classics 10-in-1 TV Games by Jakks Pacific, the creator's name was removed and replaced with
"TEXT?"

Generally defined as a "message, trick, or unusual behavior hidden inside a computer program by its
creator", the Easter egg concept was popularized by Adventure, influenced by the corporate culture
at Atari. After Atari's acquisition by Warner Communications in 1976, there was a culture clash
between the executives from New York, and the Californian programmers who were more laid back.
[27]
 Atari removed the names of game developers from their products, as a means to prevent
competitors from identifying and recruiting Atari's programmers. [28][21] This also was used as a means
to deny the developers a bargaining chip in any negotiations they may have with management,
according to Robinett.[29] These attitudes led to the departure of several programmers; notably, David
Crane, Larry Kaplan, Alan Miller, and Bob Whitehead all left Atari due to lack of recognition
and royalty payments, and formed Activision as a third-party 2600 developer, making many hit
games in competition with Atari.[30]
Unknown to anyone else, Robinett embedded his name in his game in the form of a hidden and
virtually inaccessible room displaying the text "Created by Warren Robinett", [23] inspired by popular
rumors that The Beatles had hidden messages in songs.[21] In 2015, Robinett recalled the message
as a means of self-promotion, noting that Atari had paid him only around US$22,000 (equivalent to
$78,000 in 2020) per year without any royalties, while Atari would sell one million units of a game
at US$25 (equivalent to $79 in 2020) apiece.[12] This secret is one of the earliest known Easter eggs
in a video game.[16