Difference between revisions of "Atari Games"

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Unlike Atari Corporation, Atari Games was comprised of many former Atari Inc. imployees, and as such continued operating in a similar manner to Atari Inc. In 1985 [[Namco]] bought a controlling interest in the company, though in the following year these shares were bought back by Atari Games employees.
 
Unlike Atari Corporation, Atari Games was comprised of many former Atari Inc. imployees, and as such continued operating in a similar manner to Atari Inc. In 1985 [[Namco]] bought a controlling interest in the company, though in the following year these shares were bought back by Atari Games employees.
  
Atari Games' home console division was [[Tengen]], and was the company engaged in a legal battle with [[Nintendo]] over the NES release of ''Tetris''. In 1993, Atari Games was bought again by [[Time Warner Interactive]] though it remained independent until 1996 when it was sold to WMS Industries. At the time, its cousin, Atari Corporation was also being purchased and re-organised by numerous companies, so WMS Industries brought together Atari Games and the remnants of Tengen and made it a subsidiary of [[Midway Games]]. Though Midway took over the publishing duties of their home console titles, Atari Games continued to use its own branding for its arcade games until 2000, when the studio was renamed [[Midway Games West]] to avoid further confusion.
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Atari Games created a new division, [[Tengen]] in 1987 to tap into a home console market, initially publishing NES titles from Namco and Sunsoft as well as Atari Games products.
  
In 2003 Midway Games West was closed down, and in 2009 Midway Games declared bankruptcy, and so Atari Games does no longer exist in any form. Much of is assets are now owned by Warner Bros.
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In 1993, Atari Games was bought by Time Warner Inc., becoming a subsidiary of the conglomorate until 29th March 1996 when it was sold to WMS Industries{{magref|nextgeneration|18|26}}. Atari Games kept its name and headquarters during this period, although Tengen became [[Time Warner Interactive]] (1993) and then [[Midway Games West]] (1996).
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1998 saw WMS spin-off [[Midway Games]] as an independant entity, taking Atari Games and Midway Games West with it. Midway subsequently chose to merge Atari Games into Midway Games West in January 2000 to avoid confusion with [[Hasbro Interactive]], which had at this point acquired the old Atari Corporation rights. This marked the end of the Atari Games brand, and meant the 1999 release of ''[[San Francisco Rush 2049]]'' would be the last arcade game to bear the "Atari" name.
  
 
==Softography==
 
==Softography==

Revision as of 17:48, 9 March 2020

https://retrocdn.net/images/c/cd/AtariGames_logo.svg

AtariGames logo.svg
Atari Games
Headquarters:
Milpitas, California, United States
1984
2000-01

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Atari Games (or Atari Games Corporation) was a company formed in 1984, after the original Atari, Inc. split into two halves (the other half being Atari Corporation, sold by Warner Communications to Jack Tramiel). Atari Games started life off as the arcade division of Atari Inc., producing a number of top arcade games during the 1980s. One of the conditions of the split requires Atari Games to always include "Games" in its title and logos - Atari Corporation did not have that restriction.

Unlike Atari Corporation, Atari Games was comprised of many former Atari Inc. imployees, and as such continued operating in a similar manner to Atari Inc. In 1985 Namco bought a controlling interest in the company, though in the following year these shares were bought back by Atari Games employees.

Atari Games created a new division, Tengen in 1987 to tap into a home console market, initially publishing NES titles from Namco and Sunsoft as well as Atari Games products.

In 1993, Atari Games was bought by Time Warner Inc., becoming a subsidiary of the conglomorate until 29th March 1996 when it was sold to WMS Industries[1]. Atari Games kept its name and headquarters during this period, although Tengen became Time Warner Interactive (1993) and then Midway Games West (1996).

1998 saw WMS spin-off Midway Games as an independant entity, taking Atari Games and Midway Games West with it. Midway subsequently chose to merge Atari Games into Midway Games West in January 2000 to avoid confusion with Hasbro Interactive, which had at this point acquired the old Atari Corporation rights. This marked the end of the Atari Games brand, and meant the 1999 release of San Francisco Rush 2049 would be the last arcade game to bear the "Atari" name.

Softography

System 16

Arcade

Master System

Mega Drive

Game Gear

Mega-CD

32X

Saturn

References