Atari has revealed that they are acquiring video game developer Digital Eclipse.
Digital Eclipse is best known for its rereleases of classic games. In fact, since its founding in 1992, the company has specialized in emulation of older processors and game platforms to newer technology. Their very first release were ports of Joust, Robotron: 2084, and Defender to Mac OS in 1994.
The company also has a weird little history, as they merged with another company to form Backbone Entertainment in 2004. In 2015, some of Backbone’s employees split off to bring back Digital Eclipse, and this is the company we know today.
Digital Eclipse’s modern run includes Mega Man Legacy Collection, The Disney Afternoon Collection, SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, and most recently, The Making of Karateka. As you can see, they have branded themselves as the premier developer when it comes to rereleases of classic games, in large definitive collections, many of which even function as mini museums with the large number of bonuses they incorporate in.
In a new press release, Atari SA (the French company formerly known as Infogrames) has revealed they will be acquiring Digital Eclipse for $ 6.5 million, a pittance in this world of billion dollar acquisitions, but certainly a big deal for Digital Eclipse and their fans.
As you may have noted, this acquisition follows Atari SA’s purchase of NightDive Studios earlier this year. That deal seemed to have come about thanks to Wade’s personal connections with NightDive, as he had already invested in 13 % of them in a personal capacity.
These moves, however, seem to indicate that Atari is looking to consolidate, particularly in the realm of retro video games. While this realm seems to be far more low stakes than acquisitions of studios like Bungie and Activision Blizzard King, Atari could carve out a nice little niche for themselves in this space.
And these companies were not necessarily competing with each other before consolidation, but theoretically, joining a larger company will allow NightDive and Digital Eclipse to take more risks on bigger projects.
That could mean things like NightDive taking another stab at bringing back No One Lives Forever, a franchise notoriously stuck in IP limbo, but could be brought back if Atari can schmooze their way into a deal. Digital Eclipse, on the other hand, could be looking at complicated projects like bringing back games from the 3DO, a platform that still does not have a reliable emulator for most of its library.
These are all exciting developments when it comes to the commercial side of video game preservation. As great as it is that museums and institutions work to preserve old video games, getting gamers to rediscover and play them in the modern day is another side of preservation that shouldn’t be ignored. Much like TCM creating a new generation of classic film fans, these commercial rereleases of old games do spread the word on them farther than hardcore enthusiasts are able to do.
We will be hopefully optimistic about Atari’s moves for now. This really could mean some exciting times for the industry in the coming years.
