No more big budget games for Atari

by Richard Mitchell { May 23rd 2008 at 5:30PM }

Phil Harrison, recently appointed president of Infogrames (parent company of Atari), has gone on record stating that Atari isn't likely to pursue any more big budget, single-player games after Alone in the Dark. Harrison told Gamasutra, "I don't see that we're going to be making huge-budget, single-player games in the future." Harrison did add that the company will still pursue "really incredible games that have high quality, high execution, and high innovation, but they won't be one-player, narrative-driven, start-middle-end games." Harrison sees online, socially driven games as the future for Atari and places emphasis on episodic content.

So, while a direct sequel to Alone in the Dark sounds unlikely, it's possible we might see similar games released in an episodic manner instead (as was the original plan for Alone in the Dark, which still incorporates an episodic structure). Harrison sees episodic games with integrated community features as a new direction for Atari and the games industry in general, giving video games the kind of "water cooler" effect that television shows enjoy. Sounds interesting to us.

[Via Joystiq]

Tags: alone-in-the-dark, alone-in-the-dark-5, atari, business, eden, eden-games, infogrames

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Teabag @ May 23rd 2008 5:57PM

You know what i learned today? Single player games are also called 'start-middle-end games'. Interesting way of putting.

EMOruffino @ May 23rd 2008 6:24PM

if this game sky rockets, i see a sequel. Anytime soon? No. Probably more like the halo series... YEARS APART.

Etchasketchist @ May 23rd 2008 7:53PM

Wow. Great idea. Episodic games that people talk about over the water cooler like they were movies or tv show. Hey wait. I already have a game like that. It's called Grand Theft Auto IV. I think I've played like 70 "episodes" (they call them "missions, but same shit) so far. Those of us in the office with 360's talk about it all the time in the break room where there is in fact a water cooler (although the coffee maker gets more love; water coolers are for tea-drinkers and tea-drinkers don't play video games). So yeah, I think Phil might have exactly the wrong approach here. But whatever. Prove me wrong, Atari. Prove me wrong.

chefgon_ign @ May 23rd 2008 10:01PM

I thought water coolers were for water drinkers?

Etchasketchist @ May 24th 2008 3:25PM

Ooh gross. There aren't any vitamins or electrolytes or subtle hints of fruit in that stuff. Plus it doesn't come in its own little plastic bottle. Nasty.

vio @ May 24th 2008 7:46AM

Further proof that video games are getting to expensive to develop. These overbloated games are going to start bankrupting 3rd parties.

ZeroCorpse @ May 25th 2008 12:28PM

This is a mistake. A lot of people avoid online games like the plague. This is Atari shooting themselves in the foot once again.

This is, of course, nothing new. Every leader that Atari has ever had since the mid-80s has been a complete idiot when it comes to what people want in a game or console. The company has been mismanaged for a long time, and this is just another example of the company taking its cues from investors and money-men and not from the gamers themselves.

Go ahead, Atari. Drop your big single-player games, and watch the sales drop. The online games market is flooded, and there are plenty of people who don't even have broadband yet, but by all means, exclude them from your games. That should be good for business.

I expect Atari to be sold again in about 12 years. Maybe next time it will be to someone who actually cares about the gamers and what THEY want (and don't want).