Upon graduating from college, David Snider decided to try writing software for the Apple ][ before finding regular employment. After seeing the success of Bill Budge's Raster Blaster, Snider felt that was a game he could also develop; rather than taking his chances with an original table, he decided to copy the playfield design from Steve Ritchie's Black Knight instead. He completed the game in about eight months, signing a distribution deal with Brøderbund halfway through development. Midnight Magic was an instant hit when it was released, and some players considered it superior to Raster Blaster.
In 1986, Atari released Midnight Magic, an adaptation for the Atari 2600. Programmed by Glenn Axworthy, it bears little resemblance to the original, but is considered one of the most advanced pinball games for the console.
David's Midnight Magic demonstrates the following tropes:
- Alternate Company Equivalent: To Black Knight.
- No Plot? No Problem!: It's a pinball game; it doesn't need a plot.
- In Name Only: The Atari 2600 port is this to the original, due to the Atari 2600's inability to create asymmetrical playfields.
- Serial Numbers Filed Off: Invoked; the playfield for David's Midnight Magic is a near-exact copy of the one for the arcade pinball game Black Knight.
- Title Confusion: Occurs twice — not only is the name of the Atari 2600 version shortened to Midnight Magic, but the in-game title is misspelled as Midnite Magic.
- Top-Down View
