One of the major console brands of the 80s, Atari dominated the console market, so much so that a whole generation called all consoles, regardless of the brand, Atari. Since then, so much has changed, and new ones like Xbox and PlayStation have replaced the old giants of that time. Atari has been a dormant brand for a long while, but it has decided to make some significant moves lately. The latest is acquiring a dozen retro properties, including Berzerk and Frenzy.
The company announced in a press release that the move aims to expand the digital and physical distribution of the titles, create new games based on intellectual property (IP), and explore merchandising collaborations.
“Berzerk,” a classic arcade game designed by Alan McNeil, was released in 1980 as a top-down, multidirectional shooter. The game has been consistently ranked in various top 100 video game lists and is well-known for being one of the first arcade video games to feature speech synthesis. In the game, players navigate a maze of rooms facing off against armed robots and avoiding electrified walls. The ultimate goal is to escape the maze before Evil Otto catches up to them. The game was later ported to the Atari 2600 and Atari 5200, further cementing its place in video game history. The critically-acclaimed sequel, “Frenzy”, was also acquired by Atari as part of the recent acquisition.
Wade Rosen, CEO of Atari, said:
“Berzerk is one of those foundational games that so many people first encountered playing on an Atari console. Berzerk, and the other titles included in this acquisition, are a perfect fit for our strategy of commercializing classic retro IP.”
The acquisition attempts to revive the classic arcade games and cater to the increasing demand for retro games. Atari mentioned the offer in its half-year financial report, which showed losses of $5.7 million. The decline in its finances was mainly due to the Atari VCS console, and the company is reorganizing its hardware business. As a result, Atari has suspended its existing VCS manufacturing contracts while it revises its overall hardware strategy. In the meantime, the other ten properties that Atari bought are yet to be revealed.
