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Greetings! I have an important announcement to make to the AtariAge community, and I'll cut right to the chase: AtariAge has agreed to be acquired by Atari, and I have come on as a full-time employee at Atari. This won't be a surprise to some of you, given the speculation I've seen over the past month. The first thing I'd like to say is that this is not a decision I made lightly! If you asked me 20 years ago if I would have considered working for Atari (much less selling AtariAge to Atari), I would have said no. But fast forward to the present, and this is the first version of Atari I've seen since the 1980s that is taking many positive steps to restore the magic that we all associated with the original company, the Atari that left so many of us with enduring memories of experiencing the Atari 2600 for the first time, learning how to program on an Atari 800, or pumping quarters into the amazing arcade games produced by Atari in the heyday of arcades. Atari is now taking its retro-related IP seriously and is creating a wide array of hardware and software based on that IP, while also creating new, original content. It is very exciting to see Atari release the 2600+, a new 2600 you can feed actual cartridges, and without giving anything specific away, this is just the beginning of what we're going to see from Atari going forward. Atari, for the first time in years, is targeting and embracing enthusiasts like ourselves, while also making products that appeal to those who grew up with Atari and have a fond nostalgia of the brand, but aren't steeped in retro gaming as we are. I am very excited to be working for Atari, and with Atari's resources I will be able to make significant improvements to AtariAge over time. This also opens up many new opportunities for homebrew developers, where original games created by the amazingly talented community at AtariAge will have a much broader audience. My role at Atari will be multifaceted, but my primary tasks, especially early on, will be to operate AtariAge as I have been doing for the past two decades. This includes managing the forums and the AtariAge Store. Longer term, I will have more time to significantly update the games database, something I've wanted to do for some time, but simply have not had the bandwidth for. And I will be moving the store early in the new year to a new ecommerce platform, something I’ve wanted to accomplish for a while now. Since AtariAge’s modest beginnings in April, 2001, AtariAge has grown significantly. The early version of the site only contained the games database and forum, with the store coming later with a handful of titles. Fast forward to 2023, and I've published hundreds of games for a variety of consoles, and that shows no signs of slowing down. There is an incredible community of talented developers, consisting of programmers, pixel artists, musicians, sound engineers, artists and designers all weaving their magic to create amazing games with stunning packaging. It is remarkable the talent that is involved in creating these new games, as well as new hardware, and I am honored that so many have allowed me to publish their games in physical form in the AtariAge Store over the years. And the store has allowed AtariAge to exist without placing advertising on the site, and we intend to maintain that ad-free policy going forward. While I have greatly enjoyed running AtariAge and the amazing community that has evolved throughout this journey over the past two decades, it's taken an increasingly large amount of my time to manage. I had come to a point where I needed to make some sort of change, and I began scheming on ideas that would help reduce the amount of time it takes me to build and ship games. And I really have not been happy that the games database has languished over the years, as that was always an enjoyable area of the site for me to work on. Early last year, Atari approached me about the possibility of working more closely together. Talks were slow at first, but they accelerated at the beginning of this year, and after months of going back and forth, we finally worked out a deal that benefits both parties. What does this mean? Short-term, nothing is going to change. I will continue running the entire AtariAge website, including the forums and the store. Nothing is going to be neutered in the forums, and Atari will not have access to personal conversations, private forums and clubs, and so forth. No content is going to be removed from the forum, and those posting content will be liable for anything they post (which was already the case). I will also be running the store, building games, shipping games, and publishing new games for the store. In fact, I am currently working on releasing over 20 new games on a variety of platforms for the upcoming Portland Retro Gaming Expo. Over time, and with Atari’s help, I will be able to more efficiently produce and ship these games, without sacrificing quality (which is very important to me). This will free up more of my time to make improvements to other areas of AtariAge, as well as embark on new and exciting projects. Working with Atari was one of several possible solutions to bring some sanity back to my life. Other possibilities included shutting the site down and walking away, taking the store down and leaving the forum and games database, or some combination of the above. Or I could have just sold the site to some entity, whether it be Atari or another company or individual, without further involvement from me. However, it was very important to me to find a solution that allowed me to keep the forums and store running with my involvement. Working with Atari was the best way to do so while working towards the goal of reducing the hours I am working every week, while opening up new and interesting ways for Atari and AtariAge to work together that weren’t available previously. AtariAge will still have a large, 45' x 30' booth at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo this year, which is 50% larger than any booth we've had in the past. And I expect this to continue each year going forward, with the possibility of attending additional events during the year rather than just PRGE each year. One fun thing we're going to do this year with this extra space is have several Atari 2600+ consoles on display, complete with a large assortment of games to play on them, including homebrew games. As I mentioned above, this does open up some new avenues for homebrew authors. For instance, Atari is interested in bringing more content to their VCS platform, and a few homebrew authors have already been working with Atari to sell their games on the VCS (such as with Amoeba Jump and Tower of Rubble). And such arrangements don’t affect the AtariAge Store. I still plan on offering digital downloads in the store once I get the store moved to new software, which will be a primary focus of mine once I get through several other major tasks (such as surviving this year's PRGE). There's also the possibility of original homebrew games being released in physical form under the Atari label if they do well in the AtariAge Store. With the new 2600+ console, Atari is certainly interested in compelling, original content to augment that platform, and of course the XP line will continue along as well. And I anticipate many other interesting possibilities over time as well. I feel this will greatly benefit the homebrew community, homebrew authors, and everyone who loves seeing new games for the Atari 2600 and other classic systems. I want to thank all the homebrew developers who have allowed me to publish their games in the AtariAge Store over the years. You are a very important reason why AtariAge still exists and has thrived, and why AtariAge remains a free and ad-free website. It’s very rewarding to help authors realize their games in physical form with beautiful packaging, and your creations have helped keep the Atari 2600 and many other classic consoles and computers fresh in our minds. I look forward to working with all of you to further expand the library of amazing games for our favorite classic consoles and computers. I also want to express my extreme gratitude to the moderators who have helped maintain some semblance of sanity over the forums all this time, especially the global moderators who have purview over the entire forum. I greatly appreciate the time you have put into the forum, as it's impossible for me to see everything that is posted. Without you, the AtariAge forums would likely not still exist! Here’s to another 20 years of discussing a wide variety of retrogaming topics on AtariAge! Thank you for reading and take care, ..Al

Please ask any questions related to the sale of AtariAge to Atari here, and we (myself and Atari) will do our best to answer them for you. Here are a few questions and answers to get things going. As more are asked and answered in this thread, I will also add them to this post. Will Albert Yarusso continue to be involved in AtariAge? Albert Yarusso will continue to oversee AtariAge on a day-to-day basis and manage the forums, supported by volunteer global and individual forum moderators. In addition, Al will become Atari’s new internal historian, and will continue to work with homebrew developers seeking to bring new titles to market. Is Atari planning any significant changes to the AtariAge site, forums or mission? Atari has no plans to change the AtariAge site or its mission. The only near-term change that users will experience is the roll-out of a new ecommerce infrastructure, an effort initiated by Albert Yarusso that precedes Atari’s involvement. How does Atari view the AtariAge forums and the community it supports? Atari views AtariAge as an invaluable resource to the community of fans and developers who have supported the brand for 50 years, and to Atari as a brand and a company. The AtariAge community has contributed to the long-term resilience of Atari, the documentation of the company’s games, and sustained interest in Atari’s legacy hardware and software platforms. Will Atari censor speech within the forums, including criticism of Atari? The content of the forums is ruled by the posted rules of conduct, and enforced by the site’s moderators. Atari has no intention of censoring speech or restricting topics of conversation. Also, please read my public announcement, in case you haven't done so:

I'm curious - with this arrangement, are there any plans for long-term preservation of the forums? Cuz there's a *ton* of vital knowledge and community (and Atari!) history on here. Knowing how capricious new ownership can be - looking at the Nintendoage site - I'd sleep better knowing that there is something in the works to make sure that everything posted here over the past 20 odd years doesn't get lost deliberately or accidentally.

I can't think of anyone better than Al as a historian and consultant for new projects. After all, his name starts with "Yar"!

Messing around with Pac-Man graphics in hi-res. Limited in color, but the pixel accuracy helps a lot.

It might be beneficial if Atari employees had some sort of indicator within or near the profile picture of their posts, stating that they are Atari employees.

Is there a way out of this if Atari should be taken over by the wrong people again?

I already have a 2600+ and will be testing many of the games that are currently listed as "Untested", and of course I will test as many homebrew games as I can over time to build up a compabitily list for homebrew titles. I haven't had time to dive into that just yet, but I do know that Melody-based games will not run. I love the new joysticks and paddles, both of which I've tried on original hardware. Having brand new, jitter-free paddles is amazing! ..Al

Yes, I'm going to do that today. ..Al

Hmm I wonder if Atari has a Knight Rider license.

Hey there, Trogdar from Atari. It is a fair question, we all know that Atari has had its ups and downs and that some chapters in the company's history have been less than ideal. What I can say is that team at Atari today is committed to ensuring Atari remains a relevant brand in gaming and pop culture 50 years from now, long after we have all moved on. We understand that we are caretakers to something very special. And we recognize that the fan base and homebrew community has played an outsized role in the sustained popularity of the Atari brand and our legacy software and hardware platforms. In teaming up Atari and AtariAge our intent is to provide that same kind of long-term stability for the site and the community.

I trust you, @Albert, far more than I trust Atari. I think you are uniquely qualified to be an Atari historian, my gut says there is corporate shenanigans behind this and I am highly dubious of Atari Corp's good intentions beyond the eventual milking a long-established and strong community which has, IMNSHO, kept the Atari name alive far beyond nostalgia. No offense meant to @TrogdarRobusto or his expressed intentions: corporate machination is the dragon all people involved must stand against at some point. I know you will do Atari and the Atari-faithful proud and I wish you godspeed. I just have some of my own predictions about which I hope to be proven very, very wrong. (Although, in the meantime, you think you can get Atari legal to slap Spring around for yeeting my store for having "AtariAge Member Exclusive" products?) Like @Lord Thag, I hope this means something wonderful for our talented homebrew developers. I hope it does not mean forcing them into onerous contracts and NDA, but rather Atari acts as a shield against such draconian requirements. The spice must flow, and a heavy-handed approach will not entice hobbyists. Could there be an opportunity here for employment or well-paid contracts? Are we going to see a min-rebirth of the Golden Era? Stay tuned to find out! I will continue to serve the TI-99/4A community here at AtariaAge, helping to keep our corner of the forum active, vibrant, and friendly in my own gruff style, and I thank you for that opportunity, the support, and friendship. Postscript: I have had the pleasure to meet @Albert and hang out with him at an event, shoot-the-feces, talk about new tech (he loves his car,) and wax nostalgically on many things GenX. I would bleed for this man long before I would bleed for a corporate entity. He is the genuine article, and anyone with doubts about him personally should take into consideration that we have always been sitting precariously on Atari intellectual property, and this absorption into Atari is a much better outcome than what could have happened, which could have been the complete and total destruction of our communities and the loss of two decades of knowledge. I saw clearly in person, and we all have seen clearly evidenced, his dedication to all of us, and the open communities of technology enthusiasts (seriously, we have a TI-99/4A forum... who would do that?) (Now, I still have several pages to read through in this thread.)

All we can do is ask you to keep an open mind and give us time to prove you wrong. When we acquired MobyGames a year and a half ago we heard a lot of the same things. What we have done is give Jeremiah, who runs MobyGames, more resources to invest in improving the site and left the day-to-day management in his hands, and in the hands of his volunteer admins. And of course, just keep asking Al how things are going because the site will remain in his very capable hands.

This guy is asking the real questions.

No, I was not working a full-time non-AtariAge job before I took this position at Atari. AtariAge was effectively my full-time job leading up to this. ..Al

Which is very likely to happen eventually. No iteration of Atari has lasted even close to the 20 years of AtariAge.

Hire Bob Decrescenzo as a fulltime programmer. You will be very happy with his services and so will we. The numbers speak for themselves and with the cooperate push and backing, I don't see how Atari could loose on such a hire.

No. ..Al

There is also one additional point that I feel needs to be mentioned, and it's a sensitive one. None of this should be construed as antagonism; it's concern. Many of us have been AtariAge subscribers because we want to contribute financially towards the upkeep of the site. People (not necessarily subscribers) also purchase items from the store in part because it's a way to support further hardware and software development. On a purely personal (but related) note, I do not wish to give my money to Atari, SA at this time. Will there be a separation of revenue streams between Atari, SA and AtariAge? If Atari, SA will be contributing towards the financial upkeep of the site, how does this reshape the traditional subscriber benefits? Again, not asking this to be antagonistic, and I realise that the details of financial agreements may not be 100% open to inspection. That's clearly understood. But addressing how subscribers and customers may be affected would be appreciated.

Alright, that's funny, and I never really thought about that before. And Yars' Revenge is one of my favorite 2600 games! ..Al

I've setup a Questions and Answers thread here: Please use this thread to ask questions, thank you. ..Al

What is the new Atari’s official stance on its age old rival, Intellivision? too soon? too soon?

They can't remove the tacos.

Priority one should now be getting Brad Koda on board and hiring @BIGHMW as the official commercial spokesperson!!

It was a great community and a pleasure to be here. I'm not optimistic knowing how corporations work. What often starts as idea for non-direct monetization, sooner or later brings questions about ROI, profitability and how to improve some KPIs like Average Revenue Per Active User. Time to create an alternative non-commercial international community?

I'm not sure what we will do with subscriptions going forward. But the site will continue to remain free of commercial advertising (obviously things like the banner for the Portland Retro Gaming Expo on the front page I will continue to do). ..Al

That's absolutely one of the goals, is whittling down the amount of time I have to spend on physical production and shipping, so I can focus more energy working on publishing games, making improvements to AtariAge, and working on other fun projects I cannot talk about right now. ..Al

No changes are going to be made to the forum, and certainly I'm not going to remove sub-forums that aren't related to Atari. This also goes for discussions about hardware that migth cmopete with Atari or Atari-licensed products. ..Al

My thoughts exactly.

This news is mind-blowing. Really, I heard the rumors, but didn't expect it to be true. It does not come without its share of concerns, though, and I think the primary question on my mind is, what will happen to the AtariAge site should this iteration of Atari fold?

This is an interesting development I had a feeling that things might be going this way, but that was really nothing more than a suspicion on my behalf. Regarding one of the above points: And, in relation to that, from the announcement thread: This is something that I truly hope is able to be maintained into the future. Keeping the status quo after a major shift such as this one can be difficult. One concern I do have is borne out from my experiences in attempting to communicate directly with Atari: none of it was what could be described as pleasant, or even neutral. If anything, Atari's replies to my points were dismissive and condescending, and failed to address questions which I had raised. Note that this took place after they had hired someone to act as a community liaison of sorts, and he had invited commentary regarding the frustrations many of us have had with the company. The impression that I received was that a great deal of lip service was being paid to being interested in what the community thought, but that in practice the expectation was that if you weren't 100% in lock step with the 'everything Atari is awesome' mentality, your invited opinion had no merit. The reason why I bring this up is concern for the longer term. I realise that in the short term nothing will change, but influence ends to creep in over time. What in the way of safeguards will be in place to ensure that Atari doesn't censor content (or members) who may be critical of them as a company? I'm all for people loving their VCS, 2600+, etc., but there's also legitimate criticism that needs to have a place to be aired without fear of reprisal or being sent down the memory hole.

When Magnavox Odyssey2 ripped off the Outlaw concept, they called it “SHOWDOWN IN 2100 A.D.!” if you wanted an idea that would use some small text on a label. Well put (except for the Fake part — the Wade Rosen Atari regime has been benevolent). Atari bought MobyGames and left them alone, and it’s reasonable to expect the same for AtariAge. With how many times Atari has changed hands and died and come back, it seems to me like Atari needs Albert more than Albert needs Atari. This site is a wealth of historical information that can only augment the brand. Having more resources for the site should be a positive development and should shore up the site in ways that a single person might not have been able to support. It’s also quite the feather in Albert’s cap to be recognized and rewarded in this way. Congratulations @Albert!

Yes, I'm going to, I've just been furiously responding to posts here, on social media, and emails and private messages. I'll get that done soon. ..Al

If we can acquire the IP or license them, certainly! I am hopeful in this department. ..Al

Yes, an Evercade cartridge featuring homebrew games is something I've wanted to do for a long time, but lack of bandwidth has kept me from doing that (along with many other cool things). As I make this transition and am able to reduce the amount of time I presently spend on building and shipping games, there are a lot of cool projects like this I will be able to focus on. ..Al

While I'm obviously happy for you Albert, I have my concerns about Atari owning the forums: - The "value" in the forums is community contributed, thus although you provide the platform, the content in a "socialist" way belongs to the people who contributed it. That is (was) the implied understanding. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in thinking this. So not comfortable with any attempts to "own" the content and further, monetise it. - Still very wary of the "new" Atari. Then I also have the concerns about Atari censoring homebrews, rom hacks, dev documents, and any "property" they feel they own.

Thank you! Yes, you do still own your game and can sell it independently if you'd like. Once I get the store on new software, I will be offering digital purchases on AtariAge as well. The current store has very poor mechanisms to do this, which is why I haven't offered them yet. ..Al

I feel the same way, I much prefer forums to Discord for longer-term conversations, and development-type discussions. ..Al

So now it's Al's fault the 2600+ sucks? Got it.

Albert… I suspect it’s safe to say the entire Classic Gaming Community is ecstatic FOR YOU about the opportunities this brings to your world, not to mention relief from having to do SO MUCH on your own. You have become highly respected, rightfully so, for the development of this site since the early days of The Atari 2600 Nexus and for your steadfast dedication to all things Atari, including but not limited to open and honest communication. AtariAge has earned a fair amount of reverence, and concern for the possibility of that diminishing is instinctive within such a close-knit group as this community has become over these 20 plus years. Chief among these concerns seems to be, what happens to this well-established entity (AtariAge) if/when the LESS well-established entity (Atari) changes the arrangement? I envision the need for something similar to a pre-nup, granting retention of original ownership in the event of a parting of the ways, amicable or not. In any case, I hope the community can be, at worst, cautiously optimistic about this for your sake, Al. It is my view that this can be a great thing for you and, therefore, for the community by extension! “Congratulations” doesn’t NEARLY express my excitement for you, especially considering how long it took you to carefully hammer this out with Atari. And I must add my appreciation for the thoughtful and comprehensive message you posted to all of us. You could not have been more reassuring. Thank you! Finally, and this may sound morbid because of where I am in life right now, dealing with wills and the recent deaths of loved ones, does there exist a contingency for management of the site were something to happen to you? Or would total control simply fall to Atari? It is a legitimate question albeit a personal one, I’m sure. I mention it here only as a nudge to encourage you to address it if you haven’t already. Looking forward to all that can be accomplished and shared by the combination of two institutions we all love and admire!

Yeah, the name could probably be changed, that's something I will explore, as Gunfight is a great homebrew, and one of the earlier games in the store. ..Al

I very much want to add more Atari 8-bit games to the store, as I've stated numerous times in the past, my first computer was an 800XL, which I used extensively (along with a 130XE) for years, so they are very dear to my heart. And there's an incredible number of amazing, original games and other software members of the community have created over time. As as well as all the fantastic hardware that's been developed. ..Al

<CAPITALIST_DISCLAIMER> Al started and owned AtariAge and has the right to have done anything he wanted with it. I have no delusions of entitlement where that is concerned. </CAPITALIST_DISCLAIMER> <MELANCHOLY_RESIGNATION> I don't know. I don't think this latest iteration of Atari has yet EARNED the right to own AtariAge. I don't know them. And because of that, I don't trust them. It's an arranged marriage. Call me a romantic, but instead of just showing up and paying the dowry, they should have dated us for a while: introduced themselves, chatted us up, contributed something. Instead, here we go; shipped off to live with our new master. I know it's the kind of romantic pessimism that borders on delusion. But Atari has always been an incredibly important part of what is right and dependable in my world. AtariAge is that distant land through the shimmering portal to which I escape. I just don't trust the new owner to let it be the thing I love and need so much. </MELANCHOLY_RESIGNATION>

I mean, the Atari Flashback 2, released nearly twenty years ago, didn't use emulation, it was a genuine Atari 2600 hardware on a chip. Curt Vendel (whose company made that chip) is sadly no longer with us, but surely Atari has the resources to bring back the 2600-on-a-chip from the Flashback 2, and create a 7800-on-a-chip to go with it? Surely the technology to do so hasn't gotten *worse* in 20 years?

Well, I gotta say I thought something like this was behind the Last Chance Sale but I take no pleasure in being more or less correct. As a lifelong “Atari kid” and fan, and as an engineer with a LOT of vintage Atari hardware and software across the entire 8-bit era, AtariAge has been an amazing resource - history, documentation, photos, schematics, source code, binary files … you name, AtariAge has had it. More than that, it has been a true grassroots community and home to many of us - we have found “our people” here from across the entire world. As a fan, I desperately do not want to see that change. However, as an attorney with decades of experience watching business operate in the world, I’m desperately afraid it will - intentionally or not.

I've have a lot of conversations with members of the community over the last year, some online, some at shows. I spoke with so many core fans at Gamescom, Play NYC and especially PAX West in the last 30 days. What I hear from everyone is cautious optimism. A lot of "thanks for listening to us, it feels like you are on the right path." That sentiment is the direct result of how we have behaved over the last three years, starting when Wade Rosen became Chairman of Atari and accelerating when he took over as CEO. We are committed to rebuilding our relationship with the community, and I 100% acknowledge that the community has been instrumental in keeping the Atari brand alive, especially during the periods when management at Atari was .. distracted by other things perhaps. How are we going to repair the relationship? Probably just being honest and present, and focusing on rebuilding Atari as a game-centric brand and company. And we are open to suggestions as to how best to engage with and support the community. It is a two-relationship ... a dialogue. Anyone who wants to discuss this face to face at Portland Retro ... I'll see you there. Looking forward to it.

No. It's possible, where it might make sense to do so. The opposite is also true. ..Al

Will homebrew arcade roms still be allowed to be posted in the forums ?

I wonder who owes us developers our royalties (etc.) now?

Someone on AA (can't recall) said it best in a single sentence. "The 400/800 was Atari's last good decision and it appears to have been a complete accident" Someone, maybe Ray Kassar, made the fateful decision to change direction and make the 2600 follow-on a home computer to compete with Apple. Incredibly smart and gifted people made an amazing machine ahead of its time. ANTIC and GTIA were the predecessor to video cards (Nvidia and AMD) POKEY was the predecessor to sound boards (Sound Blaster) SIO was the predecessor to USB. First plug and play. Atari got there in ~1978!! Had those same people (i.e. Jay Miner and company) been allowed to develop the next big thing, I think we would have seen something even more amazing (i.e. Amiga like or better). With Warner's management, Atari Corporate and the Tramiels, Atari didn't stand a chance. If Warner hadn't bought Atari, there might have never been a home computer, just a 5200. We'll never know. One thing is for sure, something magical happened in Sunnyvale in the late 70's. A group of the right people at the right place and at the right time made an amazing home computer using 1970's tech.