Atari Creeps Closer to Death

[Evil Avatar]

Atari today announced it was putting its internal development studios (including Shiny) up for sale and laying off some US staff. This week's Game Over column on CNN (http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/17/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/) looks at whether this is the right move for the company's survival, concluding the answer is a resounding no. Even the analysts agree, with one saying "Bruno (Bonnell) is out to lunch. ... The guys in the U.S. make games. The guys in Europe just sell them."

[Sazime]

I just hope all their studios find good homes. I'd hate to see a sequel to Earthworm Jim go south because someone like Electronic Arts picked it up.

[LilAbner]

I think I know what the right move is for Atari: put out good games.

[Thenetcase]

I don't quite understand how they could be dying... they've had some complete blockbusters lately that should be drawing huge revenues for them.
I suspect their corporate leaders are being fed too well.

EA may buy them.

-TNC-

[rein]

Atari died a long time ago.

[Tia]

Who would want to buy Shiny?

[Thenetcase]

I would!
*rumages through wallet*
I have $160! Will that be enough??

-TNC-

[danhoo]

I'll throw $20 into the pot for Shiny. Who knows, if we got enough together, maybe we could make them create a sequel to Sacrifice. :-)

[Adam Blue]

I hope Eugen gets to finish the Act of War expansion....

[zengeist]

I'll throw $20 into the pot for Shiny. Who knows, if we got enough together, maybe we could make them create a sequel to Sacrifice. :-)


Ha, I almost forgot about that game. fuckin awesome!!

[Nominal]

Ha, coincidentally, I just reinstalled Sacrifice last week and beat it again yesterday. Fantastic game.

Also: Longest. Credits. EVAR.

[Thenetcase]

I hope Eugen gets to finish the Act of War expansion....

Me too .. Me too.

[Mason]

Poor Shiny. They were a really great development house that Atari turned into little Matrix-bitches. Now they're widely hated and essentially dead.

Sacrifice was really a hell of a game. No one liked it at the time or remember it now, but it was pretty amazing. I too have booted it up in the past year.

[CaptSqueeze]

Oh come on, as much as I feel bad for Shiny, I remember MESSIAH.

Dave Perry will obviously buy back his studio as fast as he can before two things happen:

1) His top talent walks (like he did, to get away from Atari's brainlessness) or is recruited out, and his studio is nearly worthless.

2) Atari sells it to another company without him to get in the way.

[Mozgus]

Poor Shiny. They were a really great development house that Atari turned into little Matrix-bitches. Now they're widely hated and essentially dead.

Sacrifice was really a hell of a game. No one liked it at the time or remember it now, but it was pretty amazing. I too have booted it up in the past year.
I have it. I put maybe 10 hours into it. Seemed fun enough. Good humor. Music composed by the guy who did Invander Zim.

[Morrolan]

Sacrifice was AMAZING online, but only OK offline. Offline got pretty repetative, though it was still fun. It only really got strategic when you were playing online. Online, it was one of my all-time top-three strategy games.

[Deadend]

I should probably go bargin bin diving for Sacrifice I guess.

I also think the management at Atari/Infogames could probably run even EA into the ground if given control.

[Sazime]

Man, when I listen to what people have to say one these boards, the list of games I need to try and pick up just gets longer, and longer....

[kiranos]

NWN2 will soon be released, also D&D Online will soon be released, which must have cost alot of money and will soon go live.

[Pumped'Up]

Capcom and Atari have been in the video game industry approx equally as long...wonder what it is that separates the two in terms of operating success. Obviously, 90% of all Capcom games are AAA titles, where as for Atari 10% (?). Another thing could be work ethics/styles - Far Eastern vs Western.

[sTubbs]

Capcom and Atari have been in the video game industry approx equally as long...wonder what it is that separates the two in terms of operating success. Obviously, 90% of all Capcom games are AAA titles, where as for Atari 10% (?). Another thing could be work ethics/styles - Far Eastern vs Western.

Capcom has the Japanese market sealed up. In Japan of their games are accompanied by successful toy lines, cartoons, clothing lines, magazines - you name it, they have it licensed somehow. And of course it helps that so many of their titles are top notch and that they have a few of the greatest game franchises of all time, as you have mentioned.

[GunJ]

Jesus ... solution is simple stop overinflating the game budgets , and start pumping out quality games. ( Would be nice for a change )

[Ghostpilot]

Capcom and Atari have been in the video game industry approx equally as long...wonder what it is that separates the two in terms of operating success. Obviously, 90% of all Capcom games are AAA titles, where as for Atari 10% (?). Another thing could be work ethics/styles - Far Eastern vs Western.


Also there is that Atari had put out a few consoles. A bad run with hardware is the death knell of a game company. Money is always lost with consoles, but made up with software. In the past, Capcom got a better profit margin from it's products because it didn't have hardware costs to make up. Sure Atari hasn't made a console in years, but their dealings with it in the past is what put them in their position...well, that and decades of crap games. :p