Atari will be having a major focus on nostalgia soon, as the company has now purchased Digital Eclipse, one of the best retro studios out there. Prior to purchasing Digital Eclipse, the company also bought Nightdive Studios earlier this year, showing that Atari will continue to focus on classic titles.
Both companies released a press release (via Global News Wire), where Atari and Digital Eclipse discussed the benefits of this purchase. Digital Eclipse will be able to access some of Atari’s classic IP, while Atari has the benefit of its remastering expertise.
"Digital Eclipse is the best in the world at what they do. 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,” said Wade Rosen, Chairman and CEO of Atari. “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."
Considering how Digital Eclipse has worked on acclaimed compilations like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection and the Disney Classic Games Collection, we can see why Atari wanted the company. Plus, Digital Eclipse also worked on the acclaimed Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, which probably cemented their partnership.
For those wondering what makes these collections tick, Digital Eclipse always goes out of its way to add extra material and give these games a museum-like feel. Atari 50 is a very good example of that, adding interviews, concept art, and obscure games people didn’t expect to see. Who would have expected good Jaguar emulation?
Having both Digital Eclipse and Nightdive under Atari’s conglomerate does feel fitting, even if Atari doesn’t release anything particularly interesting. Since Nightdive still remasters shooters like Quake 4 for Bethesda, we hope Atari also continues to let Digital Eclipse make good classic collections for other companies.
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Those wondering about the hype behind Digital Eclipse should pick up Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection. Available on pretty much every modern platform, this collection has every Konami TMNT game in it, plus a ton of different ports, artwork, trailers, and so much more.