Atari to acquire Digital Eclipse

Atari has entered into an agreement to acquire Emeryville, California-based game development studio Digital Eclipse, the company announced.

The acquisition will allow Atari to expand its internal development capabilities and utilize Digital Eclipse’s “industry-leading experience” and proprietary technology, while Digital Eclipse will be able to grow its business and capabilities by expanding its development capacity and access to “world-class IP” and Atari’s management expertise.

“Digital Eclipse is the best in the world at what they do,” said Atari chairman and CEO Wade Rosen in a press release. “They have a deep love and respect for the history of the games industry, and are renowned for developing critically acclaimed projects based on historic franchises. Digital Eclipse, along with Nightdive, are in perfect alignment with Atari’s DNA and renewed purpose. I’m personally excited to see where we can push the boundaries of retro innovation together.”

Digital Eclipse CEO Andrew Ayre added, “Atari and Digital Eclipse share the same ethos when it comes to celebration and preservation of gaming history. It’s an exciting combination, and I am confident this will serve Digital Eclipse and our fans extremely well as we grow our business and expand our capabilities.”

And Digital Eclipse president and creative director Mike Mika said, “Our experience collaborating on Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration was revelatory. The trust that Atari showed our team, and our clear mutual love and respect for the content, positioned us to produce something truly remarkable. I know Atari will continue to champion our approach and that we will be bringing fans exciting new projects for years to come.”

For more information from the Digital Eclipse side, the developer has published a short FAQ about what this means for the studio going forward.