Atari Gaming is stepping out from the free-to-play and mobile focus to concentrate elsewhere.

Atari (which hasn’t been the original company for decades now!) announced that a serious shake-up is happening in its business strategy. They are exiting Atari Casino, and they also write down their TV production arm, as the board of directors agreed to go with a new approach that is centred around making premium (paid) PC and console titles.

„Our intent with any gaming experience is to provide accessible and joyful moments of meaningful play. That’s the core of Atari and what binds our history with our future. To that end, we feel that premium gaming is a better representative of this type of gaming experience and the Atari DNA,” said Atari’s recently appointed CEO Wade J. Rosen. Atari claims that „the competitive and marketing environment is weighing on the free-to-play business model,” but it will continue to operate successful free-to-play titles with a continuing user base. (In other words, if some games perform well, they will keep it alive, but don’t expect many new F2P ones.)

However, it will come with a cost. Free-to-play games like Roller Coaster Tycoon Stories, Crystal Castles, Castles & Catapults, Ninja Golf, and Atari Combat: Tank Fury will either be shut down or sold off. Atari also gives up its Atari Casino business in Africa, plus it will be writing down its TV show production efforts.

Atari’s aim is „to build a strong pipeline of premium games on all platforms,” and the first product of this approach will already be out this fiscal year, meaning by March 31 2022, we will see this game on the market. Atari also wants to bolster the lineup for the Atari VCS, the company’s recently released PC-based system, with these games. As a result of the new strategy, Atari is expecting to take a 5-million euro impairment loss.

We can’t wait to see what the results will be. (Atari’s other arm is Atari Blockchain. Atari Gaming is basically the company formerly known as Infogrames!)

Source: Gamesindustry