Atari, Inc.

Moby ID: 71

AKA +
  • Infogrames, Inc. (from 2000-05-10 to 2003-05-06)
  • GT Interactive Software Corp. (from 1990 to 2000-05-09)

Overview edit · view history

Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) is a wholly-owned (formerly majority-owned) subsidiary of Atari SA, headquartered in New York City, USA. Alongside Atari Interactive, Inc., it encompasses its North American operations. While it has the same legal name as the original Atari, their histories are separate.

It was founded as GT Interactive Software Corp. in 1990. During the 1990s, they would establish a significant publishing business and would acquire companies like FormGen, WizardWorks Group, MacSoft, Humongous Entertainment, Accolade and Legend Entertainment.

It was acquired by Infogrames (later Atari SA) on 15 November 1999.

In the 2000s, the company employed approximately 150 employees across the U.S. Infogrames Entertainment, once the majority shareholder in Atari, Inc, announced at the end of April 2008 to fully reacquire the company and bring to a closure a period of financial underperformance and making the Atari Group whole again.

Publishing

By 2003, the company's publishing business was created out of three primary publishing studios:

  • Santa Monica, California - action, adventure, racing, sports games
  • Beverly, Massachusetts (originally Hasbro Interactive) - strategy, simulation and children's games
  • Minneapolis, Minnesota (originally GT Interactive Value Products Division) - action and adventure games for the casual audience

In 2008, the company re-organized switching to handle core publishing out of New York, with satellite offices in Santa Clara, California and Seattle, Washington.

In North America, Atari's distribution organization encompassed more than 22,000 outlets, ranging from mass merchants and superstores to specialty stores, office superstores and wholesale clubs, as well as online retailers. In addition to distributing titles developed by Atari's subsidiaries, they also distributed titles by Her Interactive, LucasArts, Strategy First, Xicat Interactive, Codemasters and others.

They would handle Atari's distribution on digital storefronts until it was replaced by Atari Interactive, Inc. around 2021.

Known subsidiaries

Names in italics used to be subsidiaries, but no longer are as they were closed or sold off.

Credited on 753 Games from 1989 to 2024

Displaying most recent · View all

qomp2 (2024 on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One...)
qomp (2021 on Windows, Linux)
Castles & Catapults (2020 on Android)
RollerCoaster Tycoon Story (2020 on iPhone, Android, iPad)
Blood: Fresh Supply (2019 on Windows)
Atari Flashback Classics (2018 on PS Vita, Nintendo Switch)
Atari Flashback Classics: Vol.3 (2018 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
RollerCoaster Tycoon Adventures (2018 on Nintendo Switch, Windows)
RollerCoaster Tycoon: Joyride (2018 on PlayStation 4)
Tempest 4000 (2018 on Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One...)
Night Driver (2018 on Android, iPad, iPhone)
Citytopia (2018 on iPhone, iPad, Android)
RollerCoaster Tycoon: Classic (2017 on Windows, Macintosh)
Atari Flashback Classics: Vol.1 (2016 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Atari Flashback Classics: Vol.2 (2016 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Atari Vault (2016 on Windows, Linux, Macintosh)
Haunted House: Cryptic Graves (2014 on Windows)
Special Forces: Team X (2013 on Windows, Xbox 360)
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D (2012 on Nintendo 3DS)
Warlords (2012 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

[ view all ]

History +

January 21, 2013

Filed a petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

September 12, 2008

Atari Inc.'s stock on NASDAQ fully delisted.

May 9, 2008

Atari Inc.'s stock on NASDAQ suspended and a delisting is announced.

April 30, 2008

Infogrames Entertainment SA announces to fully acquire the company, after having been the major shareholder already.

December 10, 2007

Atari, Inc. terminates its existing distribution agreements with Infogrames enters into a new distribution agreement covering the distribution by Atari, Inc. of interactive entertainment software games produced or acquired by Infogrames and its affiliates in North America. This new distribution agreement covers the distribution of Infogrames' products in North America for the next three years.

[ view all ]

Trivia +

The company was sued by developer Fenris Wolf over the game Rebel Moon Revolution in February 1999, alleging breach of contract and interference with contractual relations, and seeking $1.7 million in damages. Fenris Wolf had a contract for Rebel Moon Rising, but it went wrong for Revolution. They claim to have made eight milestones on the project, but that GT rejected the ninth on 15th October, 1998. Normally, a developer has 30 days to correct the mistakes and deliver a new milestone, but Fenris Wolf claims GT refused to communicate about the ninth milestone. When Fenris delivered a second ninth milestone in time, it was rejected again and GT then waited another month (breach of contract) to cancel the game. At that point, they offered the developer to make the game for free, but Fenris Wolf went to court.

GT, on the other hand, claims that Fenris Wolf failed to deliver on the ninth milestone, and when it was given options in terms of how to improve, the developer filed a lawsuit.

Main Headquarters location and contact information (2007):

Atari, Inc.

417 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10016

United States

Phone: (212) 726-6500

Website: www.atari.com

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