Atari 50 getting 39 new games in DLC detailing Intellivision “console war”
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration – the acclaimed Atari-themed interactive museum from developer Digital Eclipse – is adding 39 new games later this year in an expansion detailing further events in the company’s eventful history.
Atari 50’s Expanded Edition introduces two new timelines to the existing game, starting with The Wider World of Atari. This features 19 playable games, eight new video segments, plus “interviews, vintage ads, historical artefacts, and more” focusing on a broad range topics.
“Highlights from the new timeline,” explains Atari, “include a deep dive into Stern Electronics’ robot-blasting Berzerk; unusual and underappreciated innovations and hidden gems from the late 1980s; a spotlight on the artist Evelyn Seto, who helped create the iconic ‘Fuji’ Atari logo; Pong creator Al Alcorn explaining the birth of Breakout; and an exploration of the fan base’s role in discovering unreleased prototypes, creating ‘homebrew’ games, and preserving Atari history.”
As for the Expanded Edition’s second new timeline, that’s called The First Console War and it details the long-running rivalry between the Atari 2600 and Mattel’s Intellivision – a brand Atari notably purchased back in May, securing the rights to over 200 games at the same time. This segment promises six video segments and 20 playable games, including a selection of M Network games, a mix of Atari and M Network sports games, plus rare Atari 2600 and 5200 prototypes.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition will be available as a digital standalone release and as DLC for the existing version of the game. Both launch for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC on 25th October, with PS5 and Switch also getting a physical version of the Expanded Edition.
Atari hasn’t yet detailed the full list of 39 games included in Atari 50’s Expanded Edition (which will be available in addition to 103 base game titles and 12 retro games added in a free update last year), but expect more details in the run up to its release.