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Dhruin
Stranger In A Strange Land
Joined: 20 May 2002
Posts: 1825
Location: Sydney, Australia |
| Infogrames considers Atari options |
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Rumours are swirling around the internet on Atari's future with MSNBC claiming <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12744766/" target="_blank">Infogrames is considering disposal options</a>. The article quotes executive chairman Bruno Bonnell as admitting they held discussions with Elevation Partners (BioWare/Pandemic stakeholders) but couldn't come to terms. It's clear from the article that there are several possible courses of action, so don't expect Atari to disappear just yet:<blockquote><em>Ubisoft could also bid to acquire one or more of Infogrames' games development studios, Mr Bonnell said.
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<br>Mr Bonnell, who founded Infogrames 23 years ago, acknowledged that he had held talks with Elevation Partners, the US private equity group whose partners include rock star Bono. But Mr Bonnell said Elevation's proposals were "not compatible with our vision".
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<br>Infogrames, which owns a controlling 51 per cent stake in troubled US games maker Atari, was also considering ending Atari's Nasdaq quotation, he said.
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<br>"One of the options would be to re-focus the activities of each company on its core business," said Mr Bonnell. "Atari could become the development studio for the American market whilst Infogrames would be the international publisher."</em></blockquote>Thanks, Lucky Day. |
Wed May 31, 2006 9:55 am |
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Acleacius
King of the Realms
Joined: 24 Dec 2002
Posts: 453
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Is it my imagination or does it seem like, Mr Bonnel and Infogrames has turned what used to be a decent game game company, Atari in to a complete mess of bad/dumb decisions? 
It sucks to hold out hope for something good and then see the steaming pile it becomes, uggh. |
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Wed May 31, 2006 10:09 am |
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Guest
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infogrames has NOTHING to do with the "Atari" of old 2600 fame.
about 5 years back they just bought the name, the face of a dead company.
they then stitched it onto their own face, in some bizare and stupid pr necromancy. |
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Wed May 31, 2006 1:32 pm |
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Melvil
Village Leader
Joined: 08 Nov 2003
Posts: 80
Location: Austin, Tx |
if people around the gaming community were half as angry with atari as I was with their rash of rushed products, then this news should not only come as a surprise, but as a relief.
we need more solid game publishers, atari going the way of the dodo is not tragic at all.
if they do indeed get closed down. |
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Wed May 31, 2006 5:43 pm |
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Acleacius
King of the Realms
Joined: 24 Dec 2002
Posts: 453
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"nfogrames has NOTHING to do with the "Atari" of old 2600 fame."
That is what I was trying to say, wasn't the orginal Atari a decent company before infogrames?
Maybe I just got hit with a Nostalga Brick. 
"gaming community were half as angry with atari as I was with their rash of rushed products,"
I think we are but isn't it infogrames's Atari that rushed everything?
:confused:
"Elevation Partners"
Would have been nice for Bioware to get the hell away from Atarr if they are going just continue to screwup. |
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Wed May 31, 2006 6:52 pm |
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Sir Markus
Counselor of the King
Joined: 11 Jan 2002
Posts: 369
Location: Columbus, Ohio USA |
Atari was a great gaming company until a guy named Jack Tramiel got his mits on the company. They made the 2600, really the first mainstream home video gaming system ever made (unless you count the Magnavox Odyssey, and those games were bad even then). They made the Atari 400/800, two great early computer systems. They had everything going for them in the early 80's. I think lots of bad games towards the end of the 2600 useful life, along with Commodore competing with the computers, followed with bad design on later platforms (I think the 1200 computer and the 5200 console) really made things bad. The Jaguar was the last straw, as I remember; I heard that they made so many units that never sold, they had to destroy boxed product so they didn't have to pay for warehousing.
All in all a really sad story in videogaming history, and nothing more than a name on paper today.
Last edited by Sir Markus on Wed May 31, 2006 10:57 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Wed May 31, 2006 7:09 pm |
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Lucky Day
Guest
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let's not keep confusing the current incarnation of Atari with the old one(s).
I hate to say it but I think the problem with Atari as a publisher is a distinct lack of console titles. They have have triple the PC titles compared to PS2 or XBox. Their fortunes have gone with the markets fortunes. |
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Wed May 31, 2006 7:29 pm |
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Moriendor
Black Ring Leader
Joined: 19 Jul 2001
Posts: 1306
Location: Germany |
quote:
Originally posted by Lucky Day
let's not keep confusing the current incarnation of Atari with the old one(s).
Right. Atari = Hasbro Interactive renamed, according to Atari's official FAQ:
quote:
Q: Explain the Hasbro Interactive acquisition.
A: Infogrames Entertainment SA completed its acquisition of Hasbro Interactive, along with Games.com [ed: which has obviously been sold again as announced on May 10, 2006] and a 20-year licensing agreement (15 years with a five-year option) from Hasbro, Inc. in January 2001. Hasbro Interactive, which has been renamed Atari Interactive, Inc., features some of the industry's most beloved gaming properties, many of which appeal to a broad range of consumers. This acquisition fits strategically into Atari' plans to be a mass-market interactive entertainment company. Atari, Inc., our U.S. subsidiary, manages the day-to-day operations of Atari Interactive, Inc. and publishes the games developed by the Studio.
...and...
quote:
Q: Through its acquisition of Hasbro Interactive in 2001, Infogrames Entertainment SA became the owner of the Atari brand. What plans do you have for the Atari brand?
A: Atari is perhaps the most illustrious name in the interactive game industry and we are thrilled to have it as part of the Atari family. We want to be true to the innovation that marked Atari's launch 20 years ago. With that in mind, we are re-inventing Atari for a new generation. Our inaugural titles, Splashdown, MXRider and Transworld Surf, all of which will launch in November 2001, capture the qualities we believe will define the re-invented Atari. They are innovative, unique, exhilarating, breakthrough, and genre defining games. You can expect to see a great deal more from us regarding Atari in the months ahead.
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Wed May 31, 2006 8:00 pm |
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Sir Markus
Counselor of the King
Joined: 11 Jan 2002
Posts: 369
Location: Columbus, Ohio USA |
Like I said in my post, Atari is "just a name on paper."
But it's hard to deny what the original company did to bring computer/video gaming into the mainstream. |
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Wed May 31, 2006 10:55 pm |
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