Yesterday, Atari announced that it had acquired the rights to more than 100 PC and console titles from the 80s and 90s (as spotted via GlobeNewsWire). This includes games from developers Accolade, Infogrames, and Microprose.
The complete list sadly isn't available yet — we've sent a message to try and acquire something more complete — but we know that it includes titles from the Bubsy, Hardball, and Demolition Racer series, as well as the 1942: Pacific Air War, F-117A, and F-14 air combat series.
Atari stated in the release that in the future it will seek to expand digital and physical distribution of these titles, alongside pursuing new projects based on the IP as well as merchandising and brand collaborations. In addition to acquiring this collection of games, Atari also made the announcement that it had bought the trademarks for both the Accolade and GTI brands.
Atari CEO Wade Rosen said in a statement about this most recent round of acquisitions:
“This is a deep catalog that includes groundbreaking and award-winning titles from Accolade, Infogrames and Microprose. 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.”
The news comes just one month after Atari announced that it had acquired 12 Stern Electronics arcade games, as well as the studio Night Dive, which was responsible for remasters of Quake, Doom 64, and System Shock. This seems to be part of a new plan to turn around the negative perception of the company that developed under its previous leaders.
Rosen recently gave an interview with Axios Gaming's Stephen Totilo, where he acknowledged people's long-term disappointment in the Atari brand but was optimistic about his third year as CEO of the company.
He told Totilo:
"I view 2023 as the opportunity to do interesting, innovative, genre-moving things, specifically in the innovative retro space."
Of course, only time will tell if the company ends up being successful in its mission, but these recent announcements will no doubt get people's imaginations going over what might be on the horizon.