Summary
Despite its undeniable influence on the gaming scene,Atarihas had a rocky history. Though many gamers see the company as a relic, one with games that are treated more as collector’s items than treasured virtual experiences,Atarihas been making some moves that are starting to turn heads in the industry.
Atari’s role in the videogame crash of 1983has been an unfortunate stain on its legacy. The release ofE.T. the Extra-Terrestrialon the Atari 2600 has often been cited as the straw that broke the camel’s back, giving way to the crash. In the aftermath, a whole host of console brands were swept from relevance while Nintendo ascended to the gaming throne with the power of the NES. Atari was certainly among this assortment; the consoles it released after the 2600 often flopped (particularly hardware like the 5200 and the Jaguar), knocking the brand out of the console wars.
Atari’s Acquisition Of Intellivision Brings Old Rivals Together
On the subject of consoles that have fallen by the wayside, the Intellivision was one of Atari’s chief rivals back during those wars of yore. Mattel’s ‘Intelligent Television’ drew Atari’s ire with a massive library and the best graphics in the industry, provoking the creation of the ill-fated 5200 to compete. However, though it had many strengths, the Intellivision brand has been far less successful when compared to Atari, leading it to its burial in relative obscurity. Luckily for fans of retro games,Atari’s recent purchase of Intellivisioncould be a major boon for archival and abandoned Intellivision projects.
Atari’s Archival Moves Would Be Great For Intellivision
Gaming is facing a massive archival issue, with evenmajor platforms like the SNES having library gaps. If that’s the case for the systems that have surged into the pop-cultural psyche, older hardware has a rough time ahead of it. There are certainly more than a few Intellivision titles that have met the fate of falling through the cracks—and the march of time will only expedite this erosion.
Fortunately, Atari has been taking steps in the right direction—taking measures to keep old games in circulation. In particular,the recent Atari 2600+release saw Atari beat out other ‘classic’ console releases (such as the PlayStation Classic or NES Mini) by being compatible with genuine 2600 and 7800 cartridges. Moreover, Atari’s statement on the acquisition asserts that the company ‘will seek to expand digital and physical distribution of legacy Intellivision games’, which will be great for the purposes of keeping retro titles in modern hands.
The acquisition of the Intellivision brand and 200 Intellivision titles is good news for archival work; the potential for ‘digital and physical’ re-releases of retro games will be of incredible value to gamers new and old. Keeping retro games in circulation gives developers of today more colors to paint with, maintaining a strong base of key influences. Furthermore, it could help keep the prices of retro games down, somethingthat’s particularly affected Atari titles. Many commentators have noted the retro market to be beyond inflated, and it’s always best that fewer games are entirely locked behind the auction paywall.
The Amico Is Being Left In The Dust, And That’s Good
Atari bought the Intellivision brand and the console’s IPs instead of Intellivision LLC as a whole, with that company being left to rebrand. More pressingly, Intellivision LLC has been left with the Amico, a console trapped in development hell that still hasn’t hit shelves – and afterthe abandonment of the Intellivision Amico trademark, likely never well. The Amico, a family-friendly console marketed for its lack of online functionality, has been in limbo for years; it’s good for Intellivision to get out of its perpetual rut.
Atari
Originally founded in 1972, Atari began as a company that created arcade games, home video game consoles, and computers. The brand was very popular in the 1970s and 1980s, producing games like Pong and consoles like the Atari 2600. The video game crash of 1983 tanked the company, selling the computer and game console divisions to Jack Tramiel, and split the company into Atari Games and Atari Corporation.Since then, Atari has changed hands numerous times before eventually merging with IESA in 2008 and eventually filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2013. However, the company announced the new corporate strategy, releasing new products, software, developing hotels, as well as a new console named the Atari VCS.
