Atari

Atari is a brand that has been owned by multiple companies since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a subsidiary of the holding i> French Atari SA.

The first company Atari Inc. was founded in Sunnyvale, California in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, pioneering arcade games, home video game consoles, and home computers. The company's products, such as Pong and the Atari 2600, helped define the electronic entertainment industry from the 1970s to the mid-1980s.

In 1984, as a result of the video game crash of 1983, Atari Inc.'s home console and computer divisions were sold and the company was renamed Atari Games Inc. Atari Games received the rights to use the logo and the brand with the text "Games" (in Spanish, Juegos) attached to the arcade games, as well as the rights derived from the operation with coins and original hardware from 1972-1984. Atari's Consumer Electronics Division properties were in turn sold to Jack Tramiel's Tramel Technology Ltd., which later changed its name to Atari Corporation. In 1996, Atari Corporation reverse-merged with drive manufacturer JT Storage (JTS), becoming a division within the company. In 1998, Hasbro Interactive acquired all Atari Corporation-related properties from JTS, creating a new subsidiary, Atari Interactive.

Until the 1990s, Atari established itself as one of the leading console manufacturers in the world market, competing with Nintendo and Sega. However, the little success of the Atari Jaguar, released in 1993, led to the bankruptcy of the company, which would be sold again and again over the years. The company that currently bears the Atari name was founded in 1993 under the name of GT Interactive. GT Interactive was acquired by IESA in 1999 and changed its name to Infogrames Inc. Infogrames acquired the Atari brand, buying it from Hasbro Interactive.

Infogrames, Inc. occasionally used the Atari name as a brand, for special titles, before IESA officially changed its name to Atari, Inc. in 2003.

The original Atari company pioneered arcade games, home video games, consoles, and personal microcomputers, and its dominance in these areas kept it a major force in the computer and entertainment industry through the early to mid-1990s. the 1980s. The brand was also used several times by Atari Games, a division of the company in 1984.

The company has announced, through Fred Chesnais (CEO of the company), its return to the world of game consoles. "We return to the world of hardware". He has also ensured that the design of the new console is being worked on and that it will have an architecture based on that of the PC. The company showed in a YouTube video that the new console would be called Atari VCS and that the project is currently "in development".

The company also announced its interest in the cryptocurrency market by presenting "Atari Token" and "Pong Token". As mentioned, Atari could introduce its virtual currencies both from the purchase of digital games to its use for video games and online casinos.

History

Atari has been around since the early days of arcade machines, Atari was the creator of home consoles, such as the Atari 2600 (originally called the VCS "Video Computer System " Video Computer System); produced a series of 8-bit computers (Atari 400/800 and the XL/XE series); entered the 16-bit market with the Atari ST; created the Atari Jaguar 64-bit console, revolutionary for its time; and released a portable game console, the Atari Lynx. In the 70s, Atari was conceived as the most valued video game company in the business market. Beginning its elaboration based on a hierarchical work group, it indicated the points where the objectives of the company would be marked. Nolan Bushnell formed diversified work projects to cover the largest number of players.

Competing with Nintendo or Sega, Atari headed the list of production companies, mainly in the United States, since the Japanese market would be able to take commercial revenge with a unified work model.

1970s: The Birth of the Video Game Empire

Founded in the United States in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, Atari can be considered the founder of the video game industry, thanks to PONG. The home version of PONG, which plugged into a television, was one of the first video game consoles.

Atari was originally called Syzygy, an astronomical term. However, that name had already been registered by another company, Bushnell wrote some words from the game Go, and chose the word Atari which in Japanese means "that a tile or a group of tiles is in danger of being captured by your opponent". The name "Atari" it was chosen for the attractiveness of its origin, Japan, plus it is easy to memorize, in terms of pronunciation and writing, in most markets.

In 1973, Atari secretly creates a "competitor" called Kee Games, managed by Joe Keenan. The relationship was discovered in 1974, Joe Keenan did such a good job that he was promoted to president of Atari that same year.

Bushnell sold Atari to Warner Communications in 1976 for an estimated $28–32 million, using some of this money to buy the Folgers mansion. He left the division in 1979. While owned by Warner, Atari achieved its greatest successes, selling millions of Atari 2600 consoles (VCS). At its peak, Atari produced a third of the revenue of the Warner Company, and became one of the fastest growing companies in the United States.

1980s

Atari ST.

Although Atari almost completely dominated the home video game console market, it experienced its first fierce competition in 1980 with Mattel's Intellivision console, which advertised its higher graphics capabilities compared to the Atari 2600. Despite this, the 2600 remained the industry standard given its superiority in caches, gameplay and best games on the market, as well as the number of titles available for your console.

In the 1980s, the division of home computers, video games and arcade machines (those typical coin-operated games that are put in public places), operated independently within the company and rarely cooperated with each other. Faced with stiff competition and a price war in the computer and console markets, Atari was never able to continue the success of the 2600. In 1982, Atari released disappointing versions of two highly publicized games, such as Pac -Man and E.T, causing a mountain of unsold material, driving prices to the ground. Also in 1982, Atari brought a lawsuit against Activision, a competitor in game development, made up mostly of former Atari employees, which eventually opened up the market to independent game development companies. The market quickly became saturated, driving prices even lower. In addition, in December 1982, Atari executives Ray Kassar and Dennis Groth were investigated for insider trading. Later it would be known that this information was unfounded.

On the other hand, Larry Emmons, a top employee who had retired in 1982, led research and development for a small group of talented engineers in Grass Valley, California. The Atari 5200 console, was released as the next generation of 2600 consoles. Although it was based on the Atari 800 computers, they were not compatible with the cartridges of that machine. Its sales did not live up to the company's expectations.

Nevertheless, Atari held an enviable position in the global video game market. They were the number one producer in all markets except Japan, whose market was dominated by Nintendo, which in 1983 had released its first game console, the Famicom (known to the rest of the world as the NES). The system grew rapidly, and Nintendo began to look at other markets. They approached Atari and offered a licensing deal: Atari could make and sell the Famicom system, paying a royalty to Nintendo. The deal had a chance of going forward and the two companies would reportedly sign the deal at the Consumer Eelectronics S fair. >how CES from the summer of 1983. Unfortunately at the same time Coleco was showing off his new Adam computer running Nintendo's Donkey Kong game, but Atari had the rights to publish Donkey Kong, and one of the top executives Atari's Ray Kassar accused Nintendo of double-dealing with the Donkey Kong license.The following month Ray Kassar was forced out of Atari and the executives involved in the deal with Nintendo were forced to start over from scratch.

These problems were followed by the crash of the video game market in 1983, which caused losses of more than half a billion dollars to the industry. Warner's stock price fell from $60 to $20 and Warner began looking for a buyer for its troubled division (ATARI).

In 1983 Atari had several million copies of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which had become one of the biggest commercial failures in video game history, and the Atari 2600 version of Pac-Man, which had been commercially successful but met with harsh criticism.

In July 1984, Warner sold its personal computer and video game divisions to Jack Tramiel, founder of Atari's direct competitor Commodore International, under the name Atari Corporation for $240 million. Warner retained the arcade games division, under the Atari Games name, and eventually sold it to Namco in 1985.

Under Tramiel's management, Atari Corp. used stocks of computers and consoles to keep the company afloat while they finished development of their 16-bit system, the Atari ST. In 1985 they release the update for 8-bit systems, the XE series, as well as the 16-bit ST line. Later, in 1986, Atari released two consoles designed at Warner's time, the Atari 2600jr and the 7800 Prosystem (which had a limited release in 1984). The coffers grew, having profits of $25,000,000 that year. The ST series had a very good reception in the European market, although not so much in the United States. It was an especially popular system with musicians, because all models included built-in MIDI ports. Atari also released a series of inexpensive IBM PC-compatible computers and a pocket computer (PDA), the Atari Portfolio.

In 1989, Atari released the color handheld game console, the Atari Lynx. However, it could not be successfully released in the 1989 Christmas season, giving a huge advantage to its competitor, the Nintendo Game Boy. Also in 1989, Atari Corp. sued Nintendo for $250 million, alleging monopoly, Atari lost the lawsuit.

1990s

While the dividends of the IBM clones and the ST line, consoles and programs were running out, they were once again the main course of Atari. In 1993, Atari released the "JAGUAR", its last console, which was the first of the 64-bit generation. After a period of relative success, sales fell short of expectations. It was not as publicized as the Sony PlayStation or Sega Saturn and lacked support from third-party game developers; thus its Japanese competitors easily dominated the market.

In 1996, a series of lawsuits followed by profit from their investigations left Atari with several million dollars in cash, but the resounding failure of the Atari Lynx and Jaguar, had the company without products to offer. In addition, Tramiel and his family left the business, resulting in a rapid change of owners. In July 1996, Atari merged with JTS Inc., a relatively new company that produced hard drives, to become JTS Corp. The role of the Atari brand in the new company was of little consequence, so it virtually disappeared from the market..

21st century

Atari is currently owned by Infogrames (now called Atari SA). Its games are published in the United States under its own Atari label, while in Europe it does so under the name of Namco Bandai Games (which owns 34% of the shares). Its main activity is currently focused on online games (MMO) with franchises such as Star Trek and Champions Online. According to its official website, the company owns the following studios on its property: Cryptic Studios, Atari London Studio, Eden Studios (develops the Test Drive Unlimited game), Atari Interactive, Inc. and Atari, Inc.

In May 2009, Infogrames Entertainment, SA, the parent company of Atari Inc. and Atari Interactive Inc., announced that it would change the company's name to Atari, SA. In April 2010, board member David Gardner resigned. His replacement is Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell.

On January 21, 2013, the companies Atari Inc.; Atari Interactive, Inc.; California U.S. Holdings, Inc.; and Humongous, Inc., North American subsidiaries of the Atari SA company, declare bankruptcy. With the intention of separating from its parent company, Atari SA, sell its assets (intellectual property rights over the most famous games of the brand) and get enough capital, or a buyer, to pursue the generation of digital games on mobile platforms. Atari had financial problems since the early 2000s, and it got worse after Infogrames bought it in 2003 and acquired all Atari's North American assets in 2008. Atari SA was not a profitable company for the next decade, but the American subsidiary did improve nonetheless.

In 2015, Atari announced a change in strategy that would focus on republishing Atari's catalog of video games. The strategy focuses on "downloadable games, MMO games, mobile games, and licensing activities, with priority around traditional franchises."

Other strategies were explored for several years, such as targeting the LGTBI public and casinos.

Projects currently in production or included in the change strategy include:

• Alone in the Dark: Illumination for PC (adventure and action video game for one or more players), in which players will face Eldricht hordes using supernatural lighting powers to defend themselves, survive and complete the adventure. After the launch, the video game had a negative reception.
• RollerCoaster Tycoon World for PC (videogame for a player or online multiplayer), which allows players to create original theme parks with amazing attractions. This is the sequel to RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 for PC.
• Pridefest, a mobile social simulation video game with LGBT theme, which allows players to manage their cities and design their own parades while creating a network of friends.
• Lunar Lander for mobile devices, a lunar landing simulation video game that helped build the success of ATARI in the past in the video game sector.

A short video was posted on June 8, 2017, promoting a new product; and the following week Atari SA CEO Fred Chesnais confirmed that the company was developing a new video game console; the hardware was based on PC technology, and was still in development. In mid-July 2017, an Atari press release confirmed the existence of new hardware, dubbed the Ataribox. The case design was inspired by early Atari designs (for example, the Atari 2600) with a ribbed top surface and a rise in the back of the console; Two versions were announced, one with a traditional wood veneer front and one with a glass front. Connectivity options included HDMI, USB (x4) and SD card: the console was mentioned to support classic and current video games. According to an official statement from the company on June 22, 2017, the product was initially released through a crowdfunding campaign in order to minimize financial risk for the parent company.

Hardware

Atari Pong.

Consoles

• Atari Pong: Atari's first console.
• Atari 2600: Also known as VCS.
• Atari 5200: Successor of the 2600. Unsuccessful.
• Atari 7800: Successor of the 5200. Unsuccessful.
• Atari XEGS: Console based on the Atari 65XE microcomputer.
• Atari Lynx: Portable console similar to Sega Game Gear. He had two versions.
• Atari Jaguar: "64-bit" console. Last console of Atari.
• Atari Cosmos: It started its project in 1978, wanting it to have 3D system.

Atari 2600.

• Atari VCS (2020): Hybrid between Console and PC launched on December 11, 2020. This marks Atari's return to hardware.

8 Bit Microcomputers

Part of the Atari 8-bit family.

• Atari 400: Microcomputer.
• Atari 800: Microcomputer.
• Atari 600XL: Microcomputer.
• Atari 800XL: Microcomputer.
• Atari 1200XL: Microcomputer.
• Atari 65XE: Microcomputer.
• Atari 800XE: Microcomputer.
• Atari 130XE: Microcomputer.

Atari XEGS.

16 Bit Computers

• Atari Portfolio: The first PC XT compatible PDA.
• Atari ST: Computer based on Motorola 68000.

32-Bit Computers

• Atari TT030: Computer based on Motorola 68030.
• Atari Falcon: Computer based on Motorola 68030 and DSP.

Arcade boards

• MOS Technology 6502 based plates: Black and white versions, vectors and color.
• Motorola-based plates 68000.
• Atari System: There are two versions.

Software

Featured Video Games

This is a small list of the most famous games developed for the Atari 2600 console. These games are important in the history of the video game and the company.

Historicals

• Pong
• Asteroids
• Pac-man
• Defender
• Millipede
• Pitfall!
• Galaxian
• River Raid
• Enduro
• Centipede
• Montezuma
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3

Atari currently develops or distributes games such as