It’s been fifty years sinceAtariwas founded, and, through the many ups and downs, the brand has managed to maintain at least some kind of relevance in the fast-paced and ever-evolving video game industry. Despite releasing the Atari VCS console in 2021,Atari’s most recognizable contributions to the industry harken back to the earliest days of in-home gaming. To commemorate those classic games and everything that has come since, Atari is set to launchAtari 50: The Anniversary Celebrationin November.
A set of over ninety seminal titles spanning the Atari 2600 to the Atari Jaguar, this collection looks to be a must-have for fans of retro gaming. The stylish trailer includes snippets from interviews with pioneering devs like Howard Scott Warshaw and Jerry Jessop and shows off both classic and re-imagined versions of well-known Atari games. Boasting a selection ofrare and in-demand Atari titleslikeCybermoprhandAtari Karts, this looks to be a promising package for fans of everything old-school.
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Of particular note are six apparently all-new games developed by Digital Eclipse, the studio behind the collection. In reality, the term “new” may be a bit of a stretch, as Atari’s website confirms them to be remastered variants of games likeYar’s Revenge,Quadratank,Haunted House, and, interestingly enough, the ultra-rareSwordQuest: AirWorld. On top of thelong-lost Atari Jaguar game that was found in January, 2022 is shaping up to be quite a year for Atari fans.
That said, Atari has also been in hot water as of late. The Atari VCS has courted controversy in the past as a result of its crowdfunding campaign, a slew of newAtari NFTs have both fans and investors wary, and the brand itself bears almost no semblance of its roots, having changed hands multiple times over the past five decades.Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebrationcould be a perfect celebration of Atari’s contributions to the gaming space, but, as it stands, there is certainly cause for skepticism.
Still, retro game preservation is an oft-discussed topic these days. AsNintendo continues to shut down its older digital storefrontsand do away with the convenience of virtual console releases, many retro gamers are justifiably worried that some of their favorite old-school games will no longer be accessible in the not-too-distant future. Imperfect though it may be, those behind the Atari brand seem committed to keeping the popular home console titles of yesteryear from fading into total obscurity.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebrationwill be available in November 2022 for Atari VCS, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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