Atari Acquires AtariAge

[intric8]

As many of you know, AtariAge is one of the biggest retro-communities on the planet. In fact it is so big that over the past 25 years it has spread well beyond the borders of Atari and covers just about everything you can imagine, from classic consoles to competing 8-bit computers all the way up to modern gaming and events. The community there is enormous, and the AtariAge brand is very strong indeed.

In a surprise announcement the founder of AtariAge, Albert Yarusso, revealed they'd agreed to be acquired by Atari.

AI:

Atari is now taking its retro-related IP seriously and is creating a wide array of hardware and software based on that IP, while also creating new, original content. It is very exciting to see Atari release the 2600+, a new 2600 you can feed actual cartridges, and without giving anything specific away, this is just the beginning of what we're going to see from Atari going forward. Atari, for the first time in years, is targeting and embracing enthusiasts like ourselves, while also making products that appeal to those who grew up with Atari and have a fond nostalgia of the brand, but aren't steeped in retro gaming as we are.

I have to admit I'm leaning on the edge of my seat to see what comes next. And frankly I wish there was a comparable cohesive Commodore company on par with what Atari is currently doing. The chance of that, we all know, is nil.

When Atari originally announced the VCS I was very excited by the exterior design but baffled by the product itself. I never pulled the trigger as a result and I wondered if the new Atari would survive this seemingly dead-on-arrival hardware.

But since then they really seem to have solidified their product strategy and fully embraced their past IP with solid design. I’ve personally been sucked in and look forward to what they come up with. Two years ago I would have never said this.

[Zippy Zapp]

I wonder what this will mean for AtariAge? Specifically the files hosted there, the repro and multi-carts that they sell, the open community, etc.

I am not sure how I feel about this from a community perspective.

What do you guys think?

[intric8]

I think there are definite pros and cons.

One of the cons for some, for example, would be how all of the ROM downloads on AtariAge now 404.
Try any of these titles to see for yourself. That being said, if you want Atari ROMs they are super easy to find elsewhere. Heck, even on archive.org at this point.

[intric8]

That being said, someone claims to have scoured the wayback machine and discovered those pages to have been broken since 2019, so perhaps there's nothing mysterious going on.

[Zippy Zapp]

Yeah Pros and Cons, 100% agree with that.

They have apparently already stopped selling repros that were based on existing IP, which I guess makes sense from an Atari perspective but were a staple for Atari fans. Really only time will tell.

Atari has promised no interference and to improve their less then stellar relationship with the community that they have had for some years.

We shall see.

[intric8]

[AtariAge] have apparently already stopped selling repros that were based on existing IP, which I guess makes sense from an Atari perspective but were a staple for Atari fans.

Perhaps those will return soon in Atari's store. It seems Atari would want to build on that revenue stream, not shut it down. But they might want the carts to come from their current molds, update the stickers, etc. The new Atari has a really strong design sense. I have to think they'd want to have products be consistent.

You know, like carts from the late 70s for $60 a pop!

[Zippy Zapp]

You know, like carts from the late 70s for $60 a pop!

Exactly. That is what I hope doesn't happen. The repros were all in the $20 - $25 range on AtariAge. Hopefully Atari will add a box and new stuff to go with it for the inevitable price increase that I am sure will follow. Actually, I noticed on their website that you can pre-order a couple of the carts (Berzerk and some other) that were sold on AtariAge. I think they are now $50-$60 like you said.

[obitus1990]

The modern "atari" is just another bunch of IP trolls that have nothing to do with the original company, from what I understand. They simply bought the rights because now there's money to be made off video game nostalgia.

[McTrinsic]

Gotta give them some credit.

It’s not like they throw cheap stuff around with some label smashed on it.

Nice, very well done physical release that cater to the collector in us.

It could be worse

[Zippy Zapp]

It could be worse

100% true. Remember the new Commodore?

It is much worse...

"Commodore" Phone