Restructuring of Atari to focus on premium games, downsizing free-to-play and mobile development

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Atari announced that the company was going through some big changes in April when it appointed a new CEO and essentially split the entire company into two separate companies, the Atari Gaming and Atari Blockchain divisions. Now, this decision is coming to a head on the gaming front, as Atari CEO Wade J. Rosen has revealed the decision to refocus on premium game development.

This move means that Atari, which previously moved away from working on bigger games and instead released mobile and free-to-play titles, will now move to a new strategy focused on developing premium games for both the console and console market. for that of PCs.

“Our intent with any gaming experience is to provide accessible and joyful moments of meaningful play,” Rosen told gamesindustry.biz. This is the core of Atari and what binds our history to our future. To that end, we believe premium gaming best represents this type of gaming experience and the Atari DNA. “

Rosen noted that this decision stemmed from research into how the current gaming market is weighing on the free-to-play business model, which prompted Atari to change its approach to game development moving forward.

Atari now plans to “build a solid pipeline of premium games across all platforms,” ​​with an initial plan to launch the titles by the end of March 2022. The plan is to bring the software to market and also strengthen the PC / console of the company. hybrid, the Atari VCS, which has just been released.

This change does not mean that the company will completely abandon all aspects of free-to-play or mobile development. Instead, Atari will continue to evaluate its options on a case-by-case basis, optimizing its approach to those markets and focusing on supporting successful titles with sustainable player bases.

Rosen told gamesindustry.biz that some specific titles like Roller Coaster Tycoon Stories, Crystal Castles, Castles & Catapults, Ninja Golf and Atari Combat: Tank Fury will be closed or sold. Additionally, Atari will exit its Atari Casino business in Africa and curtail its TV program production efforts.

According to the gamesindustry.biz report, Atari expects to suffer losses of just under $ 6 million with this pivot.

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