Atari US operations file for bankruptcy protection

[SuperPlay]

Hi Folks

Not sure if you picked up on this one yesterday 'Atari US operations file for bankruptcy protection'

Source:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21124214

[SignOfZeta]

I saw this yesterday but haven't done any reading yet. To the laymen this is all very confusing. I could have sworn Atari had already gone bankrupt...like 8 times by now even.

Wasn't there just an auction of all of their old stuff last year?

[Nazi NecroPhile]

They went through a debt restructuring/forgiveness just last year, so it's probably time for them to give up.  Not counting stuff like 2600/5200 games on iOS, have they made any new games in recent years anyway?

[SignOfZeta]

That Godzilla game for GameCube was really good. That was like 10 years ago though...

[TheClash603]

That Godzilla game for GameCube was really good. That was like 10 years ago though...

I thought I was the only one that played and enjoyed this game.

From what I read, the Atari brand is essentially valuable for merchandising (t-shirts, figures, etc.) and $0.99 app releases of old games.  As far as making new games, especially full retail products, that isn't going to be happening.

[jeffhlewis]

If I heard this correctly, the part of Atari that's filing for bankruptcy (U.S. subsidiary) is basically a small field office focused only on mobile. So technically "Atari" still lives on with the French holding company that owns it.

On a side note - Jaguar VR prototype on eBay!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-Jaguar-VR-Headset-LOT-ULTRA-RARE-HOLY-GRAIL-MUST-SEE-/221179309693?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item337f506e7d

[SMF]

If I heard this correctly, the part of Atari that's filing for bankruptcy (U.S. subsidiary) is basically a small field office focused only on mobile. So technically "Atari" still lives on with the French holding company that owns it.

On a side note - Jaguar VR prototype on eBay!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-Jaguar-VR-Headset-LOT-ULTRA-RARE-HOLY-GRAIL-MUST-SEE-/221179309693?pt=Video_Games_Games&hash=item337f506e7d

Awesome I just bought it......... ahh shit its Jaguar selling it for $10.

[spenoza]

If I heard this correctly, the part of Atari that's filing for bankruptcy (U.S. subsidiary) is basically a small field office focused only on mobile. So technically "Atari" still lives on with the French holding company that owns it.

The current incarnation of Atari (formerly called Infogrames) is currently having massive financial problems, and has been for several years. Atari US's bankruptcy filing is purportedly an attempt to split from the French behemoth before it completely sinks and thus preserve the Atari name in some form before the inevitable sell-off of Atari's (ne Infogrames's) assets.

[TheClash603]

This is an instance where I wouldn't mind a giant company like EA coming in and buying out a name.  Atari deserves to be around in some shape or form and EA is an American company which has the capital to make something out of the name.

However, I also recognize that EA is a relatively well run company that consistently focuses on sure things, so buying an asset that has been bankrupt 18472 times already might not fight their strategy.

Poor Atari.

[jlued686]

Unless I'm completely mistaken, this version of Atari has absolutely nothing to do with the original Atari, right? Infogrames just bought the name and carried on with it? Like Zeta said, I'm pretty sure the "real" Atari died decades ago and its corpse just keeps getting passed around.

[bob]

Unless I'm completely mistaken, this version of Atari has absolutely nothing to do with the original Atari, right? Infogrames just bought the name and carried on with it? Like Zeta said, I'm pretty sure the "real" Atari died decades ago and its corpse just keeps getting passed around.

I didn't read the article in the OP, but isn't Bushnell back in the fold on Atari's board?