Atari has acquired the intellectual property rights to over 100 PC and console games from the 1980s and 1990s, including multiple titles from the platforming series Bubsy, the baseball series Hardball, and the vehicular combat series Demolition Racer.
With this acquisition, Atari plans to expand the distribution of existing titles, explore merchandising collaborations, and most notably, create new games based on these IP. Some classic games will also be ported to modern consoles, according to Atari CEO Wade Rosen.
As part of the deal, Atari also acquired the trademark to Accolade, the developer and publisher behind the aforementioned Bubsy and Hardball series.
The acquisition comes a month after Atari acquired a dozen other classic IP, including the arcade shooters Berzerk and Frenzy.
Atari demonstrated its ability to breathe new life into classic games with last year’s Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration.
IGN’s Atari 50 review called the 103-game collection “a completely new, very fun way to explore several decades of Atari arcade machines, consoles, handhelds, and PCs.”
Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.
