The news is a shock to many, mostly because gamers around the world thought the the company had died long ago.
Atari has gone through several incarnations over the years – as Atari Inc, then Atari Corp, then Atari Games, followed by Atari Interactive, now Atari, SA - and the company has been sold off many times.
But before Nintendo’s little plumber, Atari was the big dog of the video-game world. Let’s take a peek at some of the company’s notable games:
Pong:
The simplest, most addictive game ever. A 2D two-player table tennis game, Pong holds the honour of being the first video game, sports game, multiplayer game, and arcade game. A 1975 home version, Home Pong, was the first video-game console.
Space Invaders:
Released in 1978 in Japan, Space Invaders (above) was the earliest shooter game. Users controlled a cannon that moved side-to-side to shoot the invading aliens. The game was released in 1980 on the Atari 2600, the company’s most successful console, and it was the first game to sell over 1 million copies.
Asteroids:
The object of Asteroids was for the user to shoot and destory asteroids and UFO’s without colliding with the flying space rocks. The arcade version was released in 1979 and the Atari 2600 version sold 3.5 million copies. In 2009, Universal Studios bought the rights to the adapt the game into a film.
Pitfall:
Also released in 1982 for the Atari 2600, this was a masterpiece of gameplay and the first game in the platformer genre that would later include Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, and others. As Pitfall Harry, gamers could jump over scorpions, leap across ponds, and swing over crocodiles. It is considered one of the most innovative games ever made for the Atari 2600.
Frogger:
Released in an arcade version in 1981, the Atari 2600 version of Frogger (left) was highly popular. It was one of game developer Konami’s first titles and feautred a frog trying to cross traffic to hop into a river on the other side. Because Konami released several versions of the game for the Atari 2600, none have sold more than 500,000 copies.