Atari is going mobile. But before you go jumping up and down in excitement, do take heed first. The former game giant won’t be bringing its latest catalog to Android and iOS devices. Though that may happen too, it will start by traveling back through time to bring its oldest titles to smartphones and tablets.
That new old era will start with Asteroids, the 1979 game that catapulted Atari to popularity. No gaming history treatment will be complete or even credible without the mention of this title. As expected, Atari will first be bringing it to iPhones and iPads and even iPod Touch devices sometime “later this year”. But fret not fellow lovers of the little green robot, for Android tablets and smartphones have also been mentioned, though sadly no clue as to when.
Atari, who has seen its name slowly drop out of consciousness the past years, has been emboldened by its relatively successful run with Minimum on Steam Early Access. Perhaps seeing keen interest in retro-style gaming, retro-style artwork, and even retro games itself, the company has decided to make what it calls a “Corporate Comeback” by appealing to this gaming renaissance on mobile. Though perhaps they should have called it a Corporate Throwback, but we’re not really going to complain. It’s Asteroids, after all.
Perhaps a certain troubled gaming company (Nintendo) should also take a cue and look to mobile for salvation. Or if they’re pride can’t take it, just a boost. Of course, the context of the two companies can’t be more different, but if Atari’s epiphany is any indication, mobile gaming is a phenomenon, not to mention a possibly lucrative market, that gaming companies just cannot afford to ignore anymore.
VIA: SlashGear
I think Nintendo is doing much better now w/ it’s big title catalog now hitting the Wii-U.
I’m gathering u being funny..lol
This was a fine article until you threw in the Nintendo bit. We get it, you want Mario on Android and aren’t content with emulating it; misrepresenting the facts, however, isn’t helping your case.
Their most successful platform right now (which is, indeed, a success) is a handheld gaming device- their issue is with hardware sales for home consoles; putting games on mobile devices isn’t going to fix that.
I mean, look at Square Enix, they’ve got stuck reinventing the wheel so they can rake in cash with their mobile ports of Final Fantasy games, meanwhile their big budget console games are, objectively, uninspired more-of-the-same-thing-but-the-graphics-are-better junk.
You can’t stop a leaky pipe by spinning the bolt in place, you have to actually take the effort to screw it together.
The tech industry and the video game industry aren’t one in the same.
In what way is Nintendo “troubled?” Out of the big 3 game companies, they are doing the best. They don’t need to put their games on phones.
Asteroids has clones already on iOS and Android, and some of the game’s ports can be played in mobile emulators.