Destructoid posted this awesome little news article announcing that Atari (the company that got me started in the gaming industry) is not only bringing back two titles from the past, but adding a few to their arsenal as well. While the article focuses on Alone in the Dark and Haunted House (which will hopefully give us all the horror games we need), it’s really games Minimum and Roller Coaster Tycoon (for PC) that are of interest to me here.
Minimum is a game I worked on when I first started at Square Enix and it had a lot of potential. While we haven’t seen much of the game since the announcement that Atari bought the IP when Square Enix sold it after the disintegration of the Online and Mobile division (that’s when Square and I parted ways), it will be available for play this weekend at PAX Prime. I for one am extremely curious to see what Atari did with the game, and I hope it helps launch them in the right direction in the industry.
Closing out the rebooting of the Atari game arsenal is the highly sought after Roller Coaster Tycoon for PC. Last seen on iOS, (which I worked on and try to forget due to the sheer volume of hatred for that poor game), RCT is a beloved title which can also be played at PAX Prime.
For me, this is a seemingly peculiar circle of events that happens very often in the industry. I for one am curious to see the developments made to Minimum as well as the revamped RCT which was by far the most requested game to be made when I was at Atari. If you’ll be at PAX, pop us your thoughts on how these games look!
Atari is rebooting the Alone in the Dark franchise
Both of these could be big deals for Atari – Minimum is kind of a fresh approach to online shooters, combining mechanics traditionally seen elsewhere; Roller Coaster Tycoon has such brand recognition and loyalty that it should draw plenty of attention. Any news on release dates for these games? Hopefully Atari is able to capitalize on the potential it has here.
Ah I wish I could disentangle the “name” Atari from all of this. Today’s Atari label is, of course, unrelated to the Atari of videogame legend, aside from IP. The resurrection of old IP has felt little more than a cash-grab attempt by whatever this company is.
That said, if Minimum is interesting, I wouldn’t boycott it out of some misguided nostalgia. If the new Atari puts out intriguing titles that make them stand out against the crowd, I’d be happy with that.
Would it be a fitting memorial of the original Atari? I don’t know. I mean, the old Atari made a lot of mistakes. It was hard to be an Atari loyalist when your own chosen brand plotted against you.
Ah Harbour Master, the stories I could tell you from when I worked there…
I definitely see potential with Minimum and RCT, and the need for new IP was one of those priorities that needed some time (and cash) to get moving out the door. Minimum seems to be the first attempt at rebranding the company in that sense, whereas the RCT angle is the product they would hope to capitalize on since it is such a beloved and well known title. One is more experimental, the other is the safe bet (this is of course assuming that the projects are polished and perform well). I would love to see Minimum come out strong here, and if it does I may reapply to the company =P