Atari SA (formerly Infogrames Entertainment SA ), also known as Atari Group,[2][3] is a French holding company headquartered in Paris that owns mainly video gaming-related interactive entertainment properties. Atari SA's core subsidiaries include the publisher and marketer Atari, Inc., developers Nightdive Studios and Digital Eclipse, and publisher Infogrames. It also has a blockchain division, Atari X, and additionally owns the websites MobyGames and AtariAge. Through these divisions, the company owns the rights to many video game properties that originated from Accolade, Atari, Inc., Atari Corporation, GT Interactive, Ocean Software, M Network via Intellivision and others. It is the sole owner of the Atari brand since 2001, through its subsidiary Atari Interactive Inc. which licenses the brand to other entities in the group.[4]
Infogrames published numerous video games during the 1990s and eventually became one of the largest video game companies in the world through an acquisition policy. However, later, as Atari SA, it dealt with continuing pressures and difficulty finding investors which led to the company seeking bankruptcy protection under French law in January 2013 while subsidiaries in the United States sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as well.[5]
Since 2023, the company has seen a turnaround with a new focus on retro gaming, acquiring and re-releasing older titles and acquisition of developers and publishers in this area; it also abandoned its cryptocurrency, casino, and mobile gaming divisions, which the company had focused on during previous leadership.
History
Early history (1983–1996)
The company was founded by Bruno Bonnell and Christophe Sapet.[6] They wanted to christen the company Zboub Système (which can be approximately translated to Dick System in English), but were dissuaded by their legal counsel.[7] According to Bonnell in a TV interview, they then used a mix-and-match computer program to suggest other names, one of which was "Infogramme": a portmanteau of the French words "informatique" (information technology) and "programme" (computer program). The final choice, Infogrames, was a slightly modified version of that suggestion.
The company logo and mascot is an armadillo (tatou in French), chosen when the company was moved to Villeurbanne. Bonnell commented: "This dinosaur [sic] is our symbol. The armadillo has always survived changes to its environment, from the melting of glaciers to the worst of heat waves."[7]
Subsidiaries
Current
Former
Game franchises owned by Atari SA
As of 2018, Atari SA owns the rights to the following games and game franchises. The majority of these are original works by Atari, Hasbro Interactive or Infogrames, however the most notable outside of these are a large number of intellectual properties formerly belonging to Accolade, Inc., GT Interactive, and Ocean Software, to which Atari SA never lost the rights. Some former franchises, such as Test Drive and Alone in the Dark, have since been sold.
Original IPs
- Citytopia (Atari, Inc.)
- Days of Doom (Atari, Inc.)
- Lunar Battle (Atari, Inc.)
- Mob Empire (Atari, Inc.)
Titles from Atari, Inc. (1972–1984)
External links
References
- HY 2024-2025 Financial Report retrieved 20 January 2025^
- About Atari GOVERNANCE ATARI Investisseurs, retrieved 2024-09-12^
- https://www.reuters.com/article/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/atari-group-adds-new-major-shareholder-idUSFWN2BG1ZU/^