Atari Acquires Chris Sawyers’ Transport Tycoon !

[JPF997]

An unexpected surprise but a welcome one for sure.

 

https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/11/01/2973467/0/en/Atari-Acquires-Chris-Sawyers-Transport-Tycoon.html

Edited November 1 by JPF997

[JPF997]

 

[CapitanClassic]

Chris Sawyer's Rollercoaster Tycoon and Eric Barone's Stardew Valley are the last single developer games i can think of that sold multimillions of copies. I know Atari already has the publishing rights to Chris Sawyer's RC Tycoon, I don't know if Transport Tycoon is that big of a win. Do people really still play this? (it seems to have higher concurrent users than RC Tycoon)

 

I wonder what the next single developer classic game reimmagined will hit a million+ copies sold.

• StarFlight 
• Star Control
• X-Com / UFO
• Civilization 
• Sim City / Populous/ Black & White
• Diablo / Rogue
• Command & Conquer/ Starcraft
• Castles II / Lords of the Realm
• Doom / Boomer Shooter
• Pirates / Uncharted Waters

[zzip]

Transport Tycoon was an amazing game for its time,  but let me guess..    Atari didn't get the much better Deluxe version?

 

But there's been an open source OpenTTD game for decades now that far surpasses the features of the original, so I'm not sure this really means much.   Maybe if they produced a much more modern version?

[+jeremiahjt]

Did Atari buy everything, or just get the publishing rights a la RollerCoaster Tycoon?

 

My guess is this might have been done simply because of the preexisting relationship between Atari and Chris Sawyer.

[Lord Mushroom]

19 hours ago, jeremiahjt said:

Did Atari buy everything, or just get the publishing rights a la RollerCoaster Tycoon?

The article says they will potentially make new titles, and collaborate on merchandise, so it suggests they bought everything.

Edited November 2 by Lord Mushroom

[CharlesEChuck]

On 11/1/2024 at 6:48 PM, zzip said:

But there's been an open source OpenTTD game for decades now that far surpasses the features of the original, so I'm not sure this really means much.   Maybe if they produced a much more modern version?

This is exactly what I don't understand. I get that it's a great game which neatly fits into what Atari does and stands for. But whatever new game they make with this IP, there will always be this hardcore community, much like for RCT, that will hate on Atari just for the sake of hating and tell everyone to "just get the better OpenTTD for free". Even worse would be if Atari tries to get OpenTTD down, though I don't think they will. They can surely sell a few copies of the original, port it to additional platforms and make some nice merch. But in the grand scheme why buy yourself into competition with a free and very successful version of the game?

 

I'm probably missing something, but I sure hope Atari has a good plan for this.

Edited November 2 by CharlesEChuck

[Giles N]

On 11/1/2024 at 6:43 PM, CapitanClassic said:

still play this? (it seems to have higher concurrent users than RC Tycoon)

Where do you see this?

 

[JPF997]

12 minutes ago, CharlesEChuck said:

This is exactly what I don't understand. I get that it's a great game which neatly fits into what Atari does and stands for. But whatever new game they make with this IP, there will always be this hardcore community, much like for RTC, that will hate on Atari just for the sake of hating and tell everyone to "just get the better OpenTTD for free". Even worse would be if Atari tries to get OpenTTD down, though I don't think they will. They can surely sell a few copies of the original, port it to additional platforms and make some nice merch. But in the grand scheme why buy yourself into competition with a free and very successful version of the game?

 

I'm probably missing something, but I sure hope Atari has a good plan for this.

They could do something similar to what Sega did with Streets of Rage 4 and Sonic Mania, give a bunch of passionate indie devs the chance to make the next big game in the franchise and then just sit back  relax and collect the  license fees.

Edited November 2 by JPF997

[Giles N]

7 minutes ago, CharlesEChuck said:

But in the grand scheme why buy yourself into competition with a free and very successful version of the game?

 

I'm probably missing something, but I sure hope Atari has a good plan for this.

Perhaps the price for the IP then was relatively low, and they felt it was worth it for sake of completion as to ‘Tycoon-stuff’ in addition to being on the watchout for commercialization possibilities…?
 

Possibilities would include:

- involving DE …(…again! …?? ..?…)

- port it to platforms not being open-source, guess ‘consoles’

- try to download user-made stuff, and subtly change the content and sell it…?

- just expand and continue to expand the game-machincs and playfields and number of in-game elements/objects, so people buying Ataris version always will be fed a steady diet of new things to do, see, try, hear, achieve… 

- In A.D. 2050 we will finally see all Tycoon things merge to create a digital vortex ripping open a fabric unbeknownst to men, between time-space and a dimension of zero-one information of which comes ‘The World Of Tycoon’ Massive Multiplayer Online game with 3rd person swashbuckling and gun-shootouts while you, in a top-down playfield -,  strategically build your transport systems; a net unfathomable … far, far into Outer Space … (and beyond…?) and into digital realms built of code manifested in thoughts (…and deeper…?)

[zzip]

On 11/2/2024 at 2:13 PM, CharlesEChuck said:

This is exactly what I don't understand. I get that it's a great game which neatly fits into what Atari does and stands for. But whatever new game they make with this IP, there will always be this hardcore community, much like for RCT, that will hate on Atari just for the sake of hating and tell everyone to "just get the better OpenTTD for free". Even worse would be if Atari tries to get OpenTTD down, though I don't think they will. They can surely sell a few copies of the original, port it to additional platforms and make some nice merch. But in the grand scheme why buy yourself into competition with a free and very successful version of the game?

 

I'm probably missing something, but I sure hope Atari has a good plan for this.

I would be happy if they made a modern version.   OpenTTD still has the 90's style graphics, maybe slightly upgraded.  Chris Sawyer's sequel "Locomotion" updated the graphics, but made the gameplay worse (Does Atari own Locomotion?  They published it BITD).   

 

There's a game I play called Transport Fever 2 that is kind of a modern remake of RRD game with realistic 3D graphics, but it's still missing some features of the original, like no AI competitors for a start.  

 

If Atari produced a version with updated graphics but kept most of the game logic intact (maybe add some improvements from OpenTTD and improve the competitor AI),  I would be thrilled.

Edited November 4 by zzip

[TopDrawer]

Atari should join forces and hire the OpenTTD team (kind of the same way they essencially bought this forum tbh) and help them fund upgrades/console ports/etc.

Maybe even hand them the TT and RCT franchises and let the team handle those franchises. They're clearly passionate about it.