Atari Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection

[Gregory DG]

The problem with that viewpoint is you keep reffering to them as "they". There was no one "Atari" during all this time that you can point a finger at like that. The fortunes of what company? Atari Corp? Atari Games? Midway West? Hasbro's Atari Interactive? Infogrames?

See, it's my theory that if they (Atari Corp. and Atari Games) had kept up with the classic games in the first place, there wouldn't have been so many splits, sell offs, buy outs, etc.

 

Nintendo showed how to keep up a brand. Jeez, have they come up with anything original since Pokemon?

[Retro Rogue]

See, it's my theory that if they (Atari Corp. and Atari Games) had kept up with the classic games in the first place, there wouldn't have been so many splits, sell offs, buy outs, etc.

 

Surely you can't be serious with regards to Atari Games? 720 Degrees, APB, Blasteroids, the Gauntlet series, the Hard Driving series, the San Francisco Rush series, etc., etc. They did quite well. It was the coin industry itself that was the issue with that company, and then Midway continuing to marginalize them. They wouldn't have been able to do anything with the pre-84 properties without Atari Corp.'s consent anyways. While Atari Games owned the rights to coin appearances of the pre-'84 games, they didn't own the copyrights and trademarks to the games (i.e. the game titles, characters, and audio-visuals).

[The Usotsuki]

Pokémon was created by GAME FREAK and then GAME FREAK was bought out by Nintendo, I thought?

[Gregory DG]

Surely you can't be serious with regards to Atari Games? 720 Degrees, APB, Blasteroids, the Gauntlet series, the Hard Driving series, the San Francisco Rush series, etc., etc. They did quite well.

So, you don't think Atari Games could have done anything differently to stay in business?

 

On the other hand, Atari Corp. should have been leveraging and expanding their properties from the beginning.

[Retro Rogue]

So, you don't think Atari Games could have done anything differently to stay in business?

 

As a coin-op company, no. And as part of Midway, it was Midway that didn't allow it to properly transition to a consumer company. But then, Midway didn't make that transition well themselves.

[+wood_jl]

I'm late to this party.

 

However, is there anybody who is REALLY surprised? All this company did is alienate their fan base.

 

In terms of a "technology brand," this is an old company. I mean that, by the fact that their name registers best on the minds of "middle-agers," rather than young people. One need not hire a PR firm to make that determination. One only need have grown up with a 2600 - or be smart enough to correctly evaluate others who are old enough to have grown up with a 2600. Clearly, this was beyond the abilities of "Atari SA."

 

Let us hope that the I.P. passes to someone with a clue. In all likelihood, it will not. I don't know what's so difficult about this, but evidently it is not easy.

[Clint Thompson]

I think they should make some iOS games for free targeted at 4 year olds that tout in-app purchases... oh wait, nevermind.

[carmel_andrews]

I think the only way Atari will ever make money from the games market is to revert back to it's original business plan/model (i.e. the one they had prior to deciding to produce and market/distribute coin op pong itself)

 

That is if Atari comes out the other side of administration (aka CHAPTER 11) in one piece

 

The original atari business plan/model was (from what i recall reading) is that Atari merely designs/develops the games and then licences that content out to manufacturers/producers to market/distribute etc under their own names (with atari getting a cut of each game unit sold)

[carmel_andrews]

I think the only way Atari will ever make money from the games market is to revert back to it's original business plan/model (i.e. the one they had prior to deciding to produce and market/distribute coin op pong itself)

 

That is if Atari comes out the other side of administration (aka CHAPTER 11) in one piece

 

The original atari business plan/model was (from what i recall reading) is that Atari merely designs/develops the games and then licences that content out to manufacturers/producers to market/distribute etc under their own names (with atari getting a cut of each game unit sold)

[S1500]

Nintendo evolved, Microsoft evolved. Atari did not. For anything like them to release a new console, brand new game franchises, etc, would be nearly impossible without failing hard. Their existing IP has been milked dry several times over. Sure, Nintendo relases cups, t-shirts & swag, but still releases new consoles & games.

[AtariNerd]

If they ever did do a console, make it mainly 2D, but capable of rendering and displaying video in up to 4K resolution, 1 billion colors and massive numbers of large sprites. By not having to compete on the polygon front, you save a lot of expensive chip real-estate. If they did retread old IPs, do a full presentation of each games history, have the old graphics as well as re-rendered for higher resolution, include as much archival material as possible ala something like the NAMCO museum collection.

[Keatah]

All very interesting viewpoints. Allow me to add two things.

 

I believe that anything Atari these days.. Anything.. is going to need some people that understand and have a love of classic gaming at the helm. Not just some suit claiming so in a resume, but one that already has an extensive collection or a history of loving the games since day one. Or someone (like me) that has followed the emulation scene since the 1990's. This automatically means a 45+ year old fart at the helm.

 

Someone not having those seemingly basic points is sure to fail. No? Well..

 

And anything "new Atari" might do well to offer a way or a program that allows easy sales and licensing and production of homebrews. Afterall, part of the VCS experience beginning in 1977 was about getting new games. Paging through the catalog, making a list. Building the collection. Understand that there are so many other aspects that come together to build the classic gaming experience than just gameplay.

 

I also don't understand how many of the atari game characters could be continued today. I understand the likes of Bently Bear, or Pac-Man, or the Dig-Dug dude. They can go on to star in new games with new levels. But not so with the Asteroids or Defender ships. All they can do is blow up rocks and mutants. We have Space Rocks - and that is good. But it is *NOT* Asteroids.

[Albert]

I understand the likes of Bently Bear, or Pac-Man, or the Dig-Dug dude.

 

Pac-Man and Dig Dug are Namco properties.

 

..Al

[S1500]

If they ever did do a console, make it mainly 2D, but capable of rendering and displaying video in up to 4K resolution, 1 billion colors and massive numbers of large sprites. By not having to compete on the polygon front, you save a lot of expensive chip real-estate. If they did retread old IPs, do a full presentation of each games history, have the old graphics as well as re-rendered for higher resolution, include as much archival material as possible ala something like the NAMCO museum collection.

 

I always wanted to do an Onion-like article on Atari releasing a new console. It would have specs that are way lower than a Wii's, no HD graphics, a numeric keypad and THREE buttons on the joystick(not joypad). It would use cartridges and not have any sort of complications modern gaming consoles have. Or innovations for that matter. The CEO would have a press release saying today's video game consoles are too overblown, and we need to go back to "old fashioned ways" such as cartridges, RF output(no composite even) and storage space for 1.5 controllers in the console.

 

The sad part is, you know some people would seriously buy it.

[Keatah]

Pac-Man and Dig Dug are Namco properties.

 

..Al

Ahh yes of course they are.

 

 

Well anyways, with the amount of talent amassing here at AA why not, somehow, get Atari reborn correctly, right here! Otherwise it will continue to bounce around in the hands of people that are out to make money and nothing else.

 

I also agree that today's consoles are too complicated and overblown and that there's too much micromanagement rearing its head in many ways.

Edited January 28, 2013 by Keatah

[Clint Thompson]

I was looking through some of the Lynx/Jaguar stuff and questioning why there weren't some updated games from that catalog and realized that most of the interesting ones possible for revival were actually just Epyx and then bought out by System 3, which currently make games but none of those from either platforms. I think what AA has setup here is ace but I wonder what it would be like for Atari to actually have a small division dedicated to releasing new games for any/all legacy consoles "officially" through their website. There's still a ton of people that own some variant of Atari and while I'm sure the most active people find themselves here on AA, I think the high exposure of the real Atari site itself could really significantly bring in more hits. There's probably not a lot of people that actually know new 2600/5200/7800 games are being made today and Atari has no real, direct connection with any of it. Niche or not... it's something.

Edited January 28, 2013 by Clint Thompson

[carmel_andrews]

Pac-Man and Dig Dug are Namco properties.

 

..Al

 

 

 

 

 

 

I seem to remember namco selling of the home gaming IP of Pacman, I used to work in the same building as the company that purchased the rights at that time, back in 2000...I think they were called insight design or sommat, dunno if they were buying the IP for themselves of for one of their various clients

Edited January 29, 2013 by carmel_andrews

[Amstari]

History of Atari owners webcomic:

 

http://www.virtualshackles.com/380

[Retro Rogue]

I seem to remember namco selling of the home gaming IP of Pacman, I used to work in the same building as the company that purchased the rights at that time, back in 2000...I think they were called insight design or sommat, dunno if they were buying the IP for themselves of for one of their various clients

 

NAMCO has certainly not sold off Pac-Man, that's it's mascot. You're most likely confusing it with some company licensing it from them.

[godslabrat]

Atari + OUYA? It's so crazy it just might work.

[S1500]

Atari + OUYA? It's so crazy it just might work.

 

Atari's just going to slow OUYA down.

 

You have to ask yourself: What is Atari bringing to the table here?

[akator]

Atari's just going to slow OUYA down.

 

You have to ask yourself: What is Atari bringing to the table here?

 

That's a question I've been asking for 20 years.

[solidcorp]

You have to ask yourself: What is Atari bringing to the table here?

 

Warm fuzzy nostalgia... not that I could sell that to anyone under 35yo.

 

Atari's like red LED wristwatches, or 45 rpm record inserts, or a dot matrix printer, or the little plastic whirlygig you put on the bottom of your phone so the cord won't get tangled, or a new modem or BBS, or like returning glass Coke bottles for the deposit, or a gas station that only sells leaded gas...

[yllawwally]

What IP does atari have? Most of the titles that come to mind for the 2600, were not atari, such as pitfall.

[Retro Rogue]

What IP does atari have? Most of the titles that come to mind for the 2600, were not atari, such as pitfall.

 

Everything coin, console, and computer from '72-'84, and everything console and computer from '84-'96. So there's actually a lot of IP there.