Atari wants everyone to game like its 1985 — just with better technology. The console maker has announced the acquisition of over 100 PC and console titles launched in the 1980s and 1990s from Accolade, Micropose and Infogrames. Atari’s ownership and catalogue have changed hands a bit since its heyday, so the purchase includes a homecoming for some of Atari’s IPs. It’s also adding Accolade’s trademark to its vault.
The newly Atari-owned games include the Demolition Racer series, Bubsy and Hardball. “Many of these titles are a part of Atari history, and fans can look forward to seeing many of these games re-released in physical and digital formats, and in some cases, even ported to modern consoles,” Wade Rosen, Atari’s CEO, said in a statement.
Atari is really gunning for a comeback, with a “multi-year effort to transform the company” and investments in IPs people care about (reimagined versions of Asteroids and Missile Command are reportedly in the works). Just last month, Atari put through deals for Nightdive Studios and the IPs of 12 Stern Electronics Arcade Classics, including Berzerk and Frenzy. At the time, Rosen called the games a “perfect fit for our strategy of commercializing classic retro IP.” The Nightdive Studios acquisition is notable not just for the games it provides, but for its technology. Nightdive specializes in remastering retro games for modern systems, while also improving their quality — exactly what Atari aims to do.
With its latest purchase, Atari says it will rerelease already existing games on modern consoles and create new adaptations of past storylines. The timeline here makes a lot of sense: Nightdive specializes in doing this, so it’s going to make that a lot easier.
Source: www.engadget.com