# What happened to Atari? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 1, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957 "2003-06-01T16:50:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/1 "2003-06-01T16:50:39Z")
Whatever happaned to Atari? I thought the company crashed in the mid-1980, during the home video game crisis, but recently Atari has been re-popping back in games, such as the opening screen of _Neverwinter Nights_ and _Enter the Matrix_. So what has been happening to one of the earliest video game company? ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/2 "2003-06-01T16:59:00Z")
> [@](#): > > On May 7, 2003, Infogrames officially announced its name change to Atari. The Company’s U.S. operations became Atari, Inc. (formerly Infogrames, Inc.) and changed its trading symbol on the NASDAQ National Market to “ATAR.” Although the holding company parent in France, Infogrames Entertainment SA, retained its current name and maintained its symbol on the Euronext under the code: 5257, all of the Company’s worldwide operations were renamed Atari. The Company gained all rights to the Atari license when it acquired Hasbro Interactive, Inc. in December 2000. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/3 "2003-06-01T17:44:26Z")
Actually, only half of Atari crashed. When it had appeared that the home video game system craze had died off, Atari dropped their console division. The company that remained was then moved to Japan. ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/4 "2003-06-01T18:38:20Z")
Not quite true – part of one version of Atari was sold to Namco, but Namco later sold it back. The short version is: Atari is founded in 1972. Atari is sold to Warner Communications in 1976. In 1984, Atari splits into two companies, Atari Games Corporation (arcade games), owned by Warners, and the independently owned Atari Corporation (home consoles). In 1996, Atari Games Corporation (which by this time had morphed into Time Warner Interactive Software) is sold to Midway Games, thus ending its existence. In 1999, all Atari Games Corporation assets, including the name and logo, are sold to Hasbro. In 2000, Hasbro’s Interactive division is sold to Infogrames. In 2003, Infogrames changes its name to Atari. The full story is here: [http://www.movieprop.com/videogames/atari/atari.htm](http://www.movieprop.com/videogames/atari/atari.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/5 "2003-06-01T18:43:32Z")
Doh, that should read, “In 1999, all Atari Corporation assets, including the name and logo…” ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/6 "2003-06-01T23:18:39Z")
Ah, Atari. One of the most famous victims of the `Blade Runner Curse.’ Good to see it back in business. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/7 "2003-06-02T01:34:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wumpus \* > In 1996, Atari Games Corporation (which by this time had morphed into Time Warner Interactive Software) is sold to Midway Games, thus ending its existence. > > In 1999, all Atari Games Corporation assets, including the name and logo, are sold to Hasbro. Not quite… 1. Atari Inc. (under Warner Communications) gets split into Atari Corp. (home consoles and computers) and Atari Games. 2. Atari Games eventually gets bought out by Bally/Midway, works for a while as a subsidary label, and is eventually absorbed without a trace. 3. Atari Corp. (under management of Jack Tramiel) puts out various home computers, the Lynx handheld console, and the Jaguar game console. All products eventually bomb due to Jack’s cheap-assed managerment, and the Tramiel family eventually sells Atari’s assets to JTS (a Tramiel-owned maker of disk drives). 4. JTS eventually sells the Atari Corp. home assets to Hasbro, who later sells it to Infogrames, who have now morphed into the new Atari. Trivial pursuit: After acquiring the Atari Corp. assets from JTS, Hasbro releases all of the Jaguar-related properties into the public domain as “open source.” I guess they figure it wasn’t worth exploiting. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/8 "2003-06-02T01:49:50Z")
Wait, so Infogrames Interactive is now going as Atari? Geeze, so now I have to be on the look out for crappy Atari releases instead of crappy Infogrames releases? ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/9 "2003-06-02T02:39:41Z")
rjung, that’s what I said (or meant to say), as per my correction and the link I posted. You’d think those hotshot lawers could come up with some more distinctive names than Atari Corporation and Atari Games Corporation, but nooooo. ---
**Author:** ![mcolville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7feea3/32.png) [@mcolville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcolville)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/10 "2003-06-02T03:29:49Z")
Lawyers don’t come up with names, marketing weirdos do. Infogrames is/was a French company who’ve probably figured out that their name sounds freaky in their biggest market; America. Then they figured out they owned a name that everyone associates with “Video Games” in a very positive way. ---
**Author:** ![Dodeca\_Aww\_Hell\_With\_It](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dodeca\_Aww\_Hell\_With\_It](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dodeca_Aww_Hell_With_It)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/11 "2003-06-02T03:54:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > \*\*Ah, Atari. One of the most famous victims of the `Blade Runner Curse.’ Good to see it back in business. 🙂 \*\* More like the ET The Extraterrestrial Curse.😛 ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Crunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@Chief\_Crunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Crunch)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/12 "2003-06-02T04:30:15Z")
_Have you played Atari to-DAY?_ ---
**Author:** ![Opengrave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/919ad9/32.png) [@Opengrave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opengrave)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/13 "2003-06-02T04:43:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by asterion \* > \*\*Wait, so Infogrames Interactive is now going as Atari? Geeze, so now I have to be on the look out for crappy Atari releases instead of crappy Infogrames releases? \*\* Sounds liks somebody else bought the initial release of Civ III PTW :(. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Crunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@Chief\_Crunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Crunch)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/14 "2003-06-02T05:39:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Opengrave \* > \*\*Sounds liks somebody else bought the initial release of Civ III PTW :(. \*\* Heh, _Unreal 2_ has the Atari label as well. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/15 "2003-06-02T05:52:38Z")
> [@](#): > > 1. Atari Inc. (under Warner Communications) gets split into Atari Corp. (home consoles and computers) and Atari Games. > > 2. Atari Games eventually gets bought out by Bally/Midway, works for a while as a subsidary label, and is eventually absorbed without a trace. Almost, but you’re not quite there… 1. Atari Inc. was split into THREE companies: Atari Corp., Atari Games, and Atari Extra-Dimensional Demon-Hunting Crusaders. 2. This latter group was sent into a parallel dimension in an effort to stymie the efforts of the Demon Horde, Inc. from entering into our plane of existence. Led by Blalwarth the Warrior and his party of adventurers - Gormlic the Dwarf-prince, Sistena the Sorceress, and Raffenblal the Cleric - this quartet slaughtered millions of demons and sent their booty back to our world, thus enriching the coffers of the other two Atari companies and gaining experience (at one point, the average Atari employee was on level 13, easily besting the next-highest company, General Electric, which had an average employee experience level of 9). 3. Unfortunately, during one campaign, Gormlic tried to convince Sistena to kiss him, but the DM wouldn’t allow it, and instead caused Gormlic to be killed by a level 20 Red Dragon. Raffenblal, who had a crush on Sistena himself, refused to resurrect the plucky little dwarf, and Blalwarth banished him from the group in a fit of rage. 4. Raffenblal allied himself with the Demo Horde, Inc. and they made him their new CEO. Enriched by the forces of evil, Raffenblal led an expedition that slew Blalwarth and captured Sistena - whose fate is unknown - thus destroying Atari EDDHC. 5. This was a significant blow to the other two Atari companies, which had been counting on the constant flow of treasure, jewels, and unique artifacts that the third company had provided. Plus, the CEO of Atari Corp. was never able to make it to Level 20, which would have made him all but invincible, and the two companies began their downfall. I trust I will never have to correct such an egregious error of yours again, Rjung. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/16 "2003-06-02T05:58:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wumpus \* > You’d think those hotshot lawers could come up with some more distinctive names than Atari Corporation and Atari Games Corporation, but nooooo. There was never an “Atari Games Corporation,” AFAIK – it was simply “Atari Games”, the folks who made arcade games like _Gauntlet, Marble Madness, Cyberball,_ and _Hard Drivin’._ In any event, this is all splitting hairs. The only “Atari” around nowadays is a third-tier French software company wearing a disguise. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/17 "2003-06-02T21:41:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Opengrave \* > \*\*Sounds liks somebody else bought the initial release of Civ III PTW :(. \*\* No, just MOO3 and RCT2. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/13edae/32.png) [@Dewey\_Cheatem\_Undhow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Cheatem_Undhow)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-atari/178957/18 "2003-06-09T19:23:03Z")
Just remember, people: [Infogrames Rocks My World](http://anthems.zdnet.co.uk/anthems/infogrames.mp3). 😃