Atari has been a well-known brand since video games were in their infancy, with original titles like Pong and Space Race breaking ground in the now booming industry.
Though the company just celebrated its 50th anniversary, the established console and game manufacturer has been widely slept on over the more recent years. Assumed to be a relic of the past, Atari surprised industry pros and fans alike when it acquired classic game restoration studio Digital Eclipse.
Atari Purchases Digital Eclipse in the Wake of 50th Anniversary Celebration. (Source: Atari 50)
But, this merger is not even the most surprising part of the news. What’s amazing is that Atari made this purchase with cash. In fact, Atari is reported to have paid almost $6 million in cash and stocks, and promises that this merger will earn an additional $13.5 million over the next decade.
The video game industry is deep into its era of mergers and acquisitions, but this one stands out as something unique that could benefit fans of retro and classic games. It’s a breath of fresh air for those following the industry’s patterns of layoffs (a Games Industry analysis says there have been more than 6,000 layoffs in 2023 alone, with more to come) that this change did not come at the cost of anyone’s job. In fact, this merger makes a lot of sense, as a classic gaming studio and a retro games restoration company go hand in hand.
Digital Eclipse fans express their opinions about the acquisition. (Source: Twitter)
So far, news of the acquisition has received mixed, but mostly positive, comments. Fans of Digital Eclipse are looking forward to the impact that this merger can have now that the smaller studio has access to some of the biggest resources in the industry. Others worry that this is just another corporate acquisition doomed to fail, as is the case with many other mergers in the recent past.
Digital Eclipse “strives to set the gold standard for classic game re-releases”. (Source: Digital Eclipse)
Digital Eclipse contains a team of passionate gamers who work on several parts of the industry, including making and restoring video games. Atari, a king in the realm of classic games, will seemingly fund the smaller studio’s passion projects to make nostalgic ideas come to life. The studio is very excited about this acquisition and expresses high hopes for the bigger and better things they will be able to produce now that they are a part of the Atari family.
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