Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Atari’s latest acquisition is a game preservation power play

Tomas Franzese
By
The Atari logo appears in gold.
Atari

Atari continues to grow its stake in the game remaster market with the acquisition of Digital Eclipse, the developer behind 2022’s fantastic Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration collection.

Digital Eclipse has existed since the early 1990s but has made a name for itself over the last decade or so in creating fantastic remastered collections like Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection. More recently, it has honed a documentary-style presentation for titles like Atari 50 and The Making of Karateka, providing thorough looks at the history of important companies and games. Atari seems interested in growing its library of IP and stake in retro re-releases, so it’s understandable why Atari would purchase Digital Eclipse following its acquisition of the System Shock remake’s Nightdive Studios earlier in the year.

Recommended Videos

It’s a $20 million acquisition, with Atari paying $6.5 million when the deal closes soon and another $13.5 million over the next decade if Digital Eclipse meets performance targets. As for what this means when it comes to Digital Eclipse functioning day-to-day, an FAQ on the developer’s website goes into more detail.

Related

Digital Eclipse confirms that while this acquisition will give it greater access to the library of franchises that Atari owns, it is not locked into only working on Atari properties. The Gold Master Series that The Making of Karateka is a part of will continue as well, with Digital Eclipse teasing that the next entry is almost done in a recent newsletter. Ultimately, Digital Eclipse seems to hope that Atari’s support will mainly give them more resources to continue to refine projects that align with what the studio is already known for, including a Wizardry: Proving Ground of the Mad Overlord remake that’s currently in early access on Steam.

“Our experience collaborating on Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration was revelatory. The trust that Atari showed our team, and our clear mutual love and respect for the content, positioned us to produce something truly remarkable,” Digital Eclipse President Mike Mika said of the acquisition. “I know Atari will continue to champion our approach and that we will be bringing fans exciting new projects for years to come.”

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Tomas Franzese
Tomas Franzese
Gaming Staff Writer
Tomas Franzese is a Staff Writer at Digital Trends, where he reports on and reviews the latest releases and exciting…
EA just made a genius mobile gaming power play with Glu Mobile acquisition
Kim Kardashian Hollywood

Electronic Arts has been on a buying spree for the last few months – but its latest purchase was an absolutely essential one.

The publisher announced plans Monday to acquire Glu Mobile in a deal worth $2.1 billion. It’s a pairing that might not make sense at first. Why, after all, would the company behind Madden, Mass Effect, and Battlefield want a mobile gaming company best known for fare like Design Home, Diner Dash, and Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?

Read more
Nintendo Switch 2: release date rumors, features we want, and more
Prime Day Nintendo Switch Deals

Rumors of a Nintendo Switch 2 (or Switch Pro) have been circulating for years. Whispers of the next-gen Nintendo console first started when The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was initially teased in 2019, gained steam when the Switch OLED launched in 2021, and are increasing now that the standard Switch has been out for six years.

There's no doubt that the Nintendo Switch is a fantastic console -- it has a unique and impressive game library (with more upcoming games slated for this year), the number of features included with Nintendo Switch Online is constantly improving, and it's still our favorite portable console -- but it isn't without its flaws. There's enough room for improvement to warrant an entirely new console in the near future. Nintendo recently announced that we wouldn't see a Switch upgrade in the next fiscal year, meaning the absolute earliest we get a look at a new Nintendo console would be in late 2024.

Read more
Is Manor Lords cross-platform?
Two armies clash in Manor Lords.

Building and managing your own medieval utopia is a lonely job. Sure, you have a population of citizens to grow and order around, but they can't compare with another actual human player. At least at launch, Manor Lords is a PC exclusive, and it's also going to be coming to Xbox consoles as well so even more people can get in on the city-building fun. We can expect basically any modern game to allow for cross-platform play, but what if Manor Lords is stuck in the Middle Ages? Here's everything you need to know about cross-platform support for the latest and greatest management simulator.
Is Manor Lords cross-platform?
Without beating around the bush, no, Manor Lords has no cross-platform support. Even when the game is available on Steam, PC Game Pass, and Xbox consoles, there will be no way to play with others on different platforms. In fact, you can't play with people on the same platform, either. Manor Lords has no multiplayer component whatsoever -- either co-op or competitive -- so there's no reason for this feature to be included.

Sadly, you shouldn't expect any multiplayer to come to the game later. A developer released an FAQ prior to the game's launch and responded to a question regarding multiplayer, stating: "The focus is on a refined single-player experience, with no multiplayer or cooperative modes planned at the moment."

Read more