Atari said that Republic has launched a private investment crowdfunding campaign giving individuals a chance to invest in future Atari games.
Rpublic has launched the Atari Game Pool, where the crowdfunding investment platform gives individuals the opportunity to invest in new titles. The fund will be used to finance new games from Atari, with projects beginning in 2023.
The Atari Game Pool is a unique opportunity to add additional development projects to the company’s roadmap, said David Lowey, senior director of sales and marketing at Atari, in an interview with GamesBeat.
“All of the funds that they raise will go into funding new titles from Atari,” Lowey said. “There’s a lot of interest in our games and we have a number of games under development already. Adding more allows us to take on larger projects sooner.”
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While Atari already has many projects underway, funds raised by Republic through the Atari Game Pool will allow the company to take on additional large-scale projects, said Wade Rosen, CEO of Atari, in an interview with Gamesbeat.
In a market that rewards franchises and reboots, the Atari portfolio of over 200 titles is an invaluable asset. Because the intellectual property is fully-owned, this allows Atari to have far greater control over production, publishing, and structuring attractive deal economics.
The Atari community is filled with passionate, die-hard fans and Atari is excited to invite investors, fans, and the global gaming community to participate in the development of innovative and exciting new games that transform the experience and narrative of these timeless classics, Lowey said.
Atari will leverage its portfolio of video game IP’s and partner with game developers to re-imagine these games for the next generation. Upon release, Atari maximizes distribution across digital platforms (console PC, streaming, mobile, VR) and physical retail.
The fund opens to investors on March 14 and Republic anticipates that it will remain open for 180 days, closing no later than September 2023. The minimum investment is $500, and the maximum investment is $1 million. Early investors are entitled to perks, including one of 500 limited edition Fatal Run Atari 2600 collectible cartridges, and one of 500 Atari Game Pool t-shirts.
Atari’s highly-praised 2022 release Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration was partially supported by a Republic investment fund. In September 2021, the game studio Digital Eclipse used the platform to raise funds for investment, some of which went into the development of Atari 50, which was co-published by Atari and Digital Eclipse.
Fig is the video game investment arm of Republic. The private investing platform allows private investors and video game fans to invest in commercialization of games they back through Fig. Since 2015, investors with Fig have successfully funded more than 40 games.
Atari is at the beginning of a multi-year effort to transform the company behind one of the world’s most iconic brands. An important part of that effort is expanding Atari’s premium games business, creating new, high-quality games based on Atari’s owned IP. Fig’s Atari Game Pool can potentially help accelerate that transformation, providing funds to invest in additional game development projects which are expected to come to market in the next 12 months to 18 months.
“We’re at the middle of a transition with a whole new team and a whole new approach,” Lowey said. “We’ve been aggressively pursuing premium games. This lets us accelerate it.”
Since returning to premium games with Centipede: Recharged in September 2021, Atari has released 11 new titles to PC and consoles. The Atari: Recharged series, which modernizes classic Atari IP for modern devices and players, has anchored the portfolio with a total of eight releases in both digital and physical formats.
The company ended the year releasing what some critics are calling the best game collection ever, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. Developed by proven studio Digital Eclipse, Atari 50 was released simultaneously on all major PC and console digital storefronts, and in brick and mortar retailers across Europe and North America. The company has a robust pipeline of new games under development.
In 2022, Atari also extended its license for the perennial favorite RollerCoaster Tycoon series for a 10-year period. The franchise includes popular mobile games RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch and RollerCoater Tycoon Classic, as well as games for PC, Switch and PlayStation.
Atari reorganized its hardware operations and revised its commercial strategy for existing hardware products. Atari is developing new hardware, complementary to the Atari VCS and collectible cartridge business, with partners under licensing contracts.
