The man behind Pong is making mobile games now

By Mike Epstein April 28, 2016

nolan bushnell spil games mobile — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell has signed a three-game deal with Dutch developer Spil Games to make his “mobile-first” game debut, the studio announced Wednesday.

Bushnell, who had a hand in publishing many of gaming’s early classics, including Pong, Breakout, and Adventure, will hand over his ideas to Spil, who will bring the games to life, serving as both developer and publisher. Spil will definitely make at least three games with Bushnell, which the studio said will focus on “innovation,” but the deal keeps the door open for a longer partnership. According to Venturebeat, there may be extensions for as many as eight titles.

Bushnell said he chose to work with Spil, a large, but relatively unknown company in mobile game development, because they had the “right and unique combination of technical prowess, creative skill sets, and distribution know-how.”

“The future of gaming has a very strong mobile component,” Bushnell said in a prepared statement. “It’s where most people play games and it’s where the technology and ideas are developing most quickly.”

The Hilversum, Netherlands-based company has made a big push towards pulling together top talent for mobile game development. According to a report from GamesIndustry International, the studio has filled senior positions in publishing and mobile monetization with former staffers from Ubisoft and mobile publisher Bigpoint in the last year. Spil CEO Tung Nguyen-Khac called the opportunity to work with Bushnell “a huge validation” of his company’s work.

“The timing of our partnership is perfect,” Tung said. “Spil Games has entered a period of astonishing creativity and innovation when it comes to mobile gaming and working with Nolan, we believe will help us amplify that success.”

Bushnell’s first game published by Spil is expected to launch in early 2017.

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