Fred Chesnais, the CEO of legendary games brand Atari, intends to lead the company into the real-money gaming sector, reports wired.com.
Chesnais is the new chief executive and majority shareholder of Atari, which recently emerged from bankruptcy.
He hopes to license the brand, which now employs fewer than a dozen employees, to other studios. “Corporations die,” said Chesnais. “Brands like Atari don’t.”
Atari will no longer make the games consoles like those on which it built a fearsome reputation 30 years ago, focusing instead on the mobile and online gaming markets, developing both new games and updated versions of Atari originals such as Asteroids.
In the new mobile Asteroids, players work out how to survive on an asteroid after their spaceship crash-lands on it. “It’s social, so the more friends you have the better,” said Chesnais, “and you can play anywhere because it’s on mobile."
In preparing an assault on the online gaming market, Atari has signed deals with two start-ups. FlowPlay is helping to build Atari Casino, a social casino game for virtual money, and Pariplay is building a real-money equivalent.
The company has also launched Atari TV, which will create original video content for YouTube and others.
Pictured: Atari 2600 console, released 1977
