Atari Games

Last updated

Atari Games Corporation
Company type Private
Industry Video games
Predecessor Atari, Inc.
FoundedJanuary 11, 1985;39 years ago (1985-01-11)
Founder Warner Communications
DefunctFebruary 7, 2003;21 years ago (2003-02-07) (disbanded by Midway)
FateMerged into and later closed by Midway Games
Headquarters675 Sycamore Dr.,
Milpitas, California
,
U.S.
Key people
  • Hideyuki Nakajima
    (president, 1985–1994)
  • Dan Van Elderen
    (president, 1995–2003)
  • Ed Logg (game designer)
Products
Number of employees
700
Parent
Divisions Tengen

Atari Games Corporation was an American producer of arcade video games, active from 1985 to 1999, then as Midway Games West Inc. until 2003. It was formed when the coin-operated video game division of Atari, Inc. was transferred by its owner Warner Communications to a joint venture with Namco, being one of several successor companies to use the name Atari.

Contents

The company developed and published games for arcades under the Atari brand, and across consumer home systems such as the Commodore 16, Commodore 64, Game Boy, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and others using the Tengen label for legal reasons. Some of the games Atari Games had developed include Tetris, Road Runner, RoadBlasters, Primal Rage, Hard Drivin' and San Francisco Rush.

Atari Games effectively operated independently from 1987, when Namco sold its controlling stake, until Time Warner reassumed full ownership in 1994, and it was consolidated into Time Warner Interactive. In 1996, Atari Games was sold to WMS Industries, and the company then became part of Midway Games when that company was spun-off by WMS in 1998. After dropping the Atari name, it ceased operations in 2003; its former assets were later sold back to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (now Warner Bros. Games) in 2009 following Midway's bankruptcy.

History

When the Atari, Inc. division of Warner Communications lost $500 million in the first three quarters of 1983, its arcade coin-op division was the only one to make money. [2] In 1984, Warner sold Atari's consumer products division to Jack Tramiel; [3] he named this company Atari Corporation. Warner retained the coin-op division and a few other assets and changed the name of Atari, Inc. to Atari Games, Inc. [4] The agreement between Tramiel and Warner Communications was that Atari Games must always include the "Games" after "Atari" on its logo and that Atari Games could not use the Atari brand at all in the consumer market (computers and home consoles). Atari Games retained most of the same employees and managers that had worked at the old Atari Inc. It was able to carry on with many of its projects from before the transition. Atari Corp., in contrast, froze projects and streamlined staff and operations. In 1985, Warner Communications and Namco jointly formed a new corporation, AT Games, Inc., and Warner transferred the coin-operated games division of Atari Games to the new corporate entity. Namco owned the controlling interest in the new company, while Warner retained 40%. Warner subsequently renamed Atari Games, Inc. to Atari Holdings, Inc., and AT Games became Atari Games Corporation. Namco later lost interest in operating Atari Games and sold 33% of its shares to a group of employees led by Hideyuki Nakajima, who had been the president of Atari Games since 1985. As the company was now split between three entities, Warner (40%), Namco (40%), and the employees (20%), and none of them held a controlling share, Atari Games effectively became an independent company. [5] Atari Ireland was a subsidiary of Atari Games that manufactured their games for the European market; while under Namco, Atari Ireland also manufactured Sega's Hang-On (1985) for the European market. [6]

Atari Games continued to manufacture arcade games and units, and starting in 1988, also sold cartridges for the Nintendo Entertainment System under the Tengen brand name. The Tengen name was used for its home consumer division that released games, while its home games were mainly developed by Atari Games staff. [7] The companies exchanged a number of lawsuits in the late 1980s related to disputes over the rights to Tetris , of which Tengen had published a version for the NES, and Tengen's circumvention of Nintendo's lockout chip, which prevented third parties from creating unauthorized games. (Atari Games' legal battles with Nintendo were separate from those of Atari Corporation, which also exchanged lawsuits with Nintendo in the late 1980s and early 1990s.) The suit finally reached a settlement in 1994, with Atari Games paying Nintendo cash damages and use of several patent licenses. [8]

In 1992, Richard Seaborne, who had previously programmed the NES version of Cyberball on a freelance basis for Atari, was hired by Atari to develop sports titles for a variety of consoles, most notably Sega Genesis. [9]

In 1989, Warner Communications merged with Time Inc., forming Time Warner. In 1994, Time Warner reacquired a controlling interest in Atari Games and made it a subsidiary of its Time Warner Interactive division. [10] While the company initially maintained the Atari Games brand for arcade games under the new ownership, the Tengen brand was dropped in favor of the Time Warner Interactive label for its home console games. [11] In mid-1994, the Atari Games, Tengen, and Time Warner Interactive Group names were all consolidated under the Time Warner Interactive banner. [12] [13]

On July 12, 1994, Nakajima died at the age of 64. [14] Ed Logg, who was a chief programmer of Atari, briefly left the company for Electronic Arts, only to rejoin Atari Games in 1995 to run its home console games. [15] Time Warner Interactive, via Atari Games became a member of the Nintendo Ultra 64's Dream Team in the mid-1990s. [16]

In April 1996, after an unsuccessful bid by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell, the company was sold to WMS Industries, owners of the Williams, Bally and Midway arcade brands, which restored the use of the Atari Games name, while the home consumer division was folded into Williams Entertainment, with its existing home consumer division was kept. [17] [18] According to Atari Games president Dan Van Elderen, in 1995, Time Warner decided to exit the video game business and instructed the management at Atari Games to find a buyer for themselves, which surprised him because usually parent companies choose the buyers for their subsidiaries. [4] Time Warner would not return to the video game business until the formation of Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on January 14, 2004.

On April 6, 1998, the video game assets of WMS Industries were spun off as a new independent company called Midway Games, [11] which then gained control of the Atari Games division. Meanwhile, Hasbro Interactive acquired the Atari brand for the home market from JTS Corporation that same year. [19] With the changes in ownership of the two companies, on November 19, 1999, Atari Games Corporation was renamed Midway Games West Inc., [20] [11] resulting in the Atari Games name no longer being used.

In 2001, Midway Games exited the arcade industry, due to a decline in the market. Despite this, Midway Games West continued to produce games for the home market until it was disbanded on February 7, 2003, [11] after a slump in game sales. The studio's closure costed the jobs of 30 employees, including three members who had been with Atari since the 1970s. Two previously announced titles, Nitrocity and Gladiator: The Crimson Reign, were also cancelled in the process. [21]

Although no longer in operation, Midway Games West continued to exist as a holding entity for the copyrights and trademarks of the games originally from Atari Games. In February 2009, Midway Games filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and in July 2009, most of Midway's assets were sold to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, ultimately bringing all of the Atari Games properties back to Time Warner again. [22]

Games

Developed

YearTitleOriginal platform(s)PublisherCo-developer
1985 Paperboy Arcade, Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Commodore 16, Commodore Plus/4, Commodore 64, TRS-80 Color Computer, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Apple IIGS, MS-DOS, Nintendo Entertainment System, Amiga, Atari ST, Atari Lynx, Game Boy, Master System, Game Gear, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Game Boy Color, J2ME, Xbox Live Arcade, BlackBerry, iOS Atari Games, Namco Elite Systems (AE/BBCM/C16/C64/ZXS/CPC/AGA/ST), Kingsoft GmbH (CP/4), Mindscape (AII/IIGS), Magpie Computer Developments (DOS), Eastridge Technology (NES/GB), Al Baker & Associates (Lynx), Tiertex (MS/GG), MotiveTime (GEN), GameBrains (GBC), MoJive (J2ME), Digital Eclipse (XBLA), Vivid Games (iOS)
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, ZX SpectrumAtari GamesVektor Grafx (AGA/CPC/ST/BBCM/C64/ZXS)
Peter Pack Rat Arcade, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX SpectrumAtari Games Software Creations (CPC/C64/ZXS)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Arcade, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST, Nintendo Entertainment System, Amiga, Apple II, MS-DOSAtari GamesParagon Programming (CPC/C64/ST/DOS), U.S. Gold (MSX), Mindscape (AII), Level Systems (AGA)
Gauntlet Arcade, Atari 8-bit computers, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Apple IIGS, Apple II, Nintendo Entertainment System, Macintosh, Master System, J2ME, Xbox Live ArcadeAtari Games Gremlin Graphics (Atari 8-bit/CPC/C64/MSX/ZXS), Adventure Soft (ST), Mindscape (DOS/AII/IIGS), Sorcerer's Apprentice Software Productions (Mac OS), Tiertex (MS), TKO Software (J2ME), Digital Eclipse (XBLA)
1986 Super Sprint Arcade, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Nintendo Entertainment SystemAtari GamesCatalyst Coders/Software Studios (CPC/C64/ZXS), State of the Art (ST)
Road Runner Arcade, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Atari 2600, MS-DOS, Nintendo Entertainment SystemAtari GamesCanvas Software (CPC/ST/C64/ZXS), Atari Corporation (2600), Banana Development (DOS), Beam Software (NES)
Gauntlet II Arcade, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum, Amiga, MS-DOS, Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, PlayStation Network Atari GamesGremlin Graphics (CPC/C64/ST/ZXS/AGA), Eastridge Technology (DOS/NES/GB), Backbone Emeryville (PSN)
Championship Sprint Arcade, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, PlayStation NetworkAtari GamesCatalyst Coders/Software Studios (C64/CPC/ZXS), Backbone Emeryville (PSN)
720° Arcade, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy ColorAtari GamesTiertex (C64/ZXS/CPC), Beam Software (NES/US C64), GameBrains (GBC)
1987 RoadBlasters Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST, Nintendo Entertainment System, Atari Lynx, Sega Genesis/Mega DriveAtari Games Probe Software (AGA/ST), DJL Software (CPC/ZXS), Beam Software (NES), Atari Corporation (Lynx), Sterling Silver Software (GEN)
APB Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum, Atari LynxAtari GamesWalking Circles (AGA/CPC/ST/C64/DOS/ZXS), Quicksilver Software (Lynx)
Xybots Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum, Atari LynxAtari Games Teque Software Development (AGA/CPC/ST/C64/MSX/ZXS), NuFX (Lynx)
1988 Blasteroids Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, MSX, ZX SpectrumAtari GamesTeque Software Development (AGA/CPC/ST/C64/MSX/ZXS)
Vindicators Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Nintendo Entertainment System, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64Atari GamesConsult Computer Systems (AGA/C64), Consult Software (CPC/ST/ZXS), Westwood Associates (NES)
Toobin' Arcade, MSX, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Nintendo Entertainment System, ZX Spectrum, Game Boy ColorAtari GamesTeque Software Development (MSX/AGA/CPC/ST/C64/DOS/ZXS), Digital Eclipse (GBC)
Cyberball Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, ZX Spectrum, Nintendo Entertainment SystemAtari GamesQuixel (AGA/CPC/ST/C64/DOS/ZXS), Sega (GEN)
1989 Hard Drivin' Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Atari Lynx, Commodore 64Atari GamesTeque Software Development (AGA), Binary Design (CPC/ZXS), Sterling Silver Software (GEN), NuFX (Lynx)
Tetris Arcade, Nintendo Entertainment SystemAtari Games—
Vindicators Part II ArcadeAtari Games—
Escape from the Planet of the Robot Monsters Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, SAM Coupé, ZX SpectrumAtari GamesTeque Software Development (AGA/CPC/ST/C64/DOS/ZXS), Enigma Variations (SAM)
Tournament Cyberball 2072 Arcade, Atari Lynx, Xbox Live ArcadeAtari Games BlueSky Software (Lynx), Digital Eclipse (XBLA)
S.T.U.N. Runner Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, ZX Spectrum, Atari LynxAtari GamesThe Kremlin (AGA/AST/C64/DOS), Mind's Eye (CPC/ZXS), Atari Corporation (Lynx)
Skull & Crossbones Arcade, Nintendo Entertainment System, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, ZX, SpectrumAtari GamesWalking Circles (AGA/CPC/ST/C64/DOS/ZXS)
1990 Badlands Arcade, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPCAtari GamesTeque London (AGA/ST/C64/ZXS/CPC)
Klax Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari 2600, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Game Boy, Atari Lynx, MSX, Nintendo Entertainment System, PC-8800 series, PC-9800 series, SAM Coupé, X68000, TurboGrafx-16, ZX Spectrum, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Master System, Game Gear, Game Boy ColorAtari Games, NamcoTeque Software Development (AGA/CPC/ST/C64/DOS/MSX/ZXS), A.C.P. (BBCM), Atari Corporation (2600/Lynx), Hudson Soft (PC-88/PC-98/X68K), ICE Software (SAM), Tengen Ltd. (TG-16), Eastridge Technology (GB), Tiertex (MS/GG), Digital Eclipse (GBC), Namco (Japanese SMD)
Hydra Arcade, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Atari LynxAtari GamesMoonstone Computing (CPC/ZXS), ICE Software (AGA/ST/C64), NuFX (Lynx)
ThunderJaws Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64Atari GamesThe Kremlin (AGA/CPC/ST/C64)
Pit-Fighter Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, ZX Spectrum, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Atari Lynx, Game Boy, Master SystemAtari GamesTeque London (AGA/CPC/ST/C64/ZXS), Oxford Mobius (DOS), Eastridge Technology (SNES/GB), Sterling Silver Software (GEN), Al Baker & Associates (Lynx), The Kremlin (MS)
Race Drivin' Arcade, Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Sega Genesis, Saturn Atari GamesWalking Circles (AGA/ST/DOS), Imagineering (SNES), Argonaut Software (GB), Polygames (GEN), Time Warner Interactive (SS)
R.B.I. Baseball 2 Nintendo Entertainment System, Commodore 64, DOS, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum Tengen The Kremlin (C64/AGA/CPC/AST/ZXS), Novotrade International (DOS)
Shuuz!ArcadeAtari Games—
1991 Rampart Arcade, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Master System, Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Atari Lynx, Game Boy ColorAtari GamesThe Kremlin (AGA/ST/C64), Bitmasters (DOS/NES/SNES), Punk Development/Developer Resources (MS), Silicon Sorcery (GEN), C-lab. (GB), Atari Corporation (Lynx), Digital Eclipse (GBC)
Batman ArcadeAtari Games—
Race Drivin' Panorama ArcadeAtari Games—
R.B.I. Baseball 3 Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis/Mega DriveTengen—
Road Riot 4WD Arcade, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Atari Falcon Atari GamesEquilibrium (SNES), Images Software (Falcon)
Steel Talons Arcade, Atari Lynx, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Atari FalconAtari GamesNuFX (Lynx), Polygames (GEN), Panoramic Software (SNES), Atari Corporation (Falcon)
Off the Wall ArcadeAtari Games—
1992 Relief Pitcher Arcade, Super Nintendo Entertainment SystemAtari GamesEastridge Technology (SNES)
Guardians of the 'Hood ArcadeAtari Games—
Moto FrenzyArcadeAtari Games—
RBI Baseball 4 Sega Genesis/Mega DriveTengen—
Space Lords ArcadeAtari Games—
1993 Awesome Possum Kicks Dr. Machino's Butt Sega Genesis/Mega DriveTengen—
Dragon's Revenge Sega Genesis/Mega DriveTengen—
Paperboy 2 Sega Genesis/Mega DriveTengen—
RBI Baseball '93 Sega Genesis/Mega DriveTengen—
1994 Dick Vitale's "Awesome, Baby!" College Hoops Sega Genesis/Mega DriveTime Warner Interactive—
T-MEK Arcade, 32X, MS-DOSAtari Games Bits Corporation (32X/DOS)
Primal Rage Arcade, Game Boy, Game Gear, MS-DOS, Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, 32X, Jaguar CD, PlayStation, Saturn, AmigaTime Warner Interactive Probe Entertainment (GB/GG/GEN/3DO/32X/JAG CD/PS/SS/AGA), Teeny Weeny Games (DOS), Bitmasters (SNES)
RBI Baseball '94 Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Game GearTengenAl Bakser & Associates (GG)
1995 RBI Baseball '95 32XTime Warner Interactive—
Time Warner Interactive's VR Virtua Racing SaturnTime Warner Interactive—
Wayne Gretzky and the NHLPA All-Stars Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, DOSTime Warner Interactive Cygnus Multimedia Productions (SNES), Semi Logic Entertainments (DOS)
1996 Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey Arcade, Nintendo 64 Atari Games—
San Francisco Rush: Extreme Racing Arcade, Nintendo 64, PlayStationAtari Games Climax Entertainment (PS)
1997 Mace: The Dark Age Arcade, Nintendo 64Atari Games—
San Francisco Rush the Rock: Alcatraz Edition Arcade, Windows Atari GamesKarma Entertainment (WIN)
1998 California Speed Arcade, Nintendo 64Atari Games—
Gauntlet Legends Arcade, Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Dreamcast Atari Games, SNK Midway Games West (PS/DC)
Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA Nintendo 64Midway Games—
1999 War Final Assault ArcadeAtari Games—
Road Burners ArcadeAtari Games—
San Francisco Rush 2049 Arcade, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, Game Boy ColorAtari GamesMidway Games West (N64/DC), Handheld Games (GBC)

As Midway Games West

2000Skins GameArcadeMidway Games West
Gauntlet Dark Legacy Arcade, PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCubeMidway Games West
San Francisco Rush 2049 Nintendo 64, DreamcastMidway Games WestHand Held Games (GBC)
Hydro Thunder ArcadeMidway Games WestMidway San Diego
2002 Dr. Muto PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCubeMidway Games West Digital Eclipse (GBA)

Published

YearTitleOriginal platform(s)DeveloperCo-PublisherRef.
1987 Rolling Thunder Arcade, Commodore 64, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Nintendo Entertainment System, ZX Spectrum Namco Namco, U.S. Gold (C64/AGA/CPC/ST/ZX), Tengen [23] [24]
Dunk ShotArcade Sega Sega [23] [24] [25]
Dragon Spirit Arcade, X68000, TurboGrafx-16, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Nintendo Entertainment System, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST, MS-DOS NamcoNamco, Micomsoft (X68K), NEC (TG-16), Domark (AGA/CPC/C64/ZXS/ST/DOS), Bandai (NES) [23] [24]
R.B.I. Baseball Arcade, Nintendo Entertainment SystemNamcoNamco, Tengen [23] [24]
Pac-Mania Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum, X68000, Nintendo Entertainment System, Acorn Archimedes, Master System, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, BREW, J2ME, Zeebo NamcoNamco, Grandslam Interactive (AGA/CPC/ST/C64/MSX/ZXS), Micomsoft (X68K), Tengen (NES/GEN), Domark (AA), TecMagik (MS) [23] [24]
1988 Galaga '88 Arcade, TurboGrafx-16, X68000, i-mode, EZweb NamcoNamco, NEC (TG-16), Micomsoft (X68K) [23] [24] [26]
Final Lap Arcade, Famicom NamcoNamco, Namcot (FC) [23] [24]
Assault ArcadeNamcoNamco [23] [24]
1989 Splatterhouse Arcade, TurboGrafx-16, FM Towns, Windows, Windows Mobile, iOS, J2ME, BlackBerry Namco Splatter Team Namco, Ving, MediaKite Distribution [23] [24]
Four Trax Arcade, Sega Mega Drive NamcoNamco [23] [24] [27]
1990 Mad Dog McCree Arcade, 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, DVD, iOS, Windows, Nintendo 3DS, Philips CD-i, PlayStation Network, Sega CD, Wii American Laser Games CapDisc (CD-i), Digital Leisure (iOS/Windows/Wii), Engine Software (3DS) [24]
1993 Knuckle Bash Arcade Toaplan Toaplan [24] [28]
World Rally Arcade Zigurat Software Gaelco, Sigma [24] [29] [30]
1994 Cops ArcadeNova Production— [24]
1995 Area 51 Arcade, Windows, Saturn, PlayStation Mesa Logic Time Warner Interactive, Midway Games, SoftBank, GT Interactive, Tectoy [31] [32] [33]
1997 Maximum Force Arcade, PlayStation, Saturn, WindowsMesa LogicSNK, Midway Games, GT Interactive [34]
Surf PlanetArcadeZigurat SoftwareGaelco [24]
1998 Radikal Bikers Arcade, PlayStationGaelcoGaelco, SNK, Infogrames (PS) [35] [36]
Vapor TRXArcadeAtari GamesBlue Shift [24]
Area 51: Site 4 ArcadeMesa Logic— [37]

Cancelled

Title [38] GenrePublisher(s)Planned Release Date/Last Year Developed or MentionedNotes/Reasons
AcceleratorRacingAtari Games1988Two-player split-screen racing game. [39]
Arcade ClassicsCompilationAtari Games1992Enhanced compilations of Centipede and Missile Command . [40]
Battle MechFightingAtari Games1992Artwork under ownership of former Accolade artist Stu Shepherd. [41]
Beat HeadPuzzleAtari Games1993Tile-matching puzzle game. [42]
Beavis and Butt-Head Beat 'em upAtari GamesApril 9, 2016Based upon MTV's eponymous animated series. Runs on a 3DO Interactive Multiplayer-related hardware. [43]
BMX HeatRacingAtari Games1991Motorcycle racing game. [44]
BloodLust I.K.3FightingAtari Games1998-02Sequel to International Karate + developed by System 3. Runs on a PC-based hardware. [45]
CyberstormFightingAtari GamesMarch 23, 2018 Street Fighter II -styled mecha fighting game. Cancelled due to poor aesthetics and animations. Playtested at a Golfland amusement center. [46]
Danger ExpressRun and gunAtari Games1992Discontinued after location testing. [47]
Fishin' FrenzyFishing Time Warner Interactive 1995Playtested but full production was scrapped due to lack of earnings. [48] Runs on COJAG hardware.
FreezePuzzleAtari Games1996-12Showcased at the 1996 AMOA show. [49] [50] Runs on COJAG hardware.
Gladiator: The Crimson Reign2002Cancelled when the studio shut down. [21]
Guts and GloryShoot 'em upAtari Games1989Two-player war-themed shoot 'em up game. [51]
Hard Drivin's AirborneRacingAtari Games1993Sequel to Hard Drivin' II: Drive Harder. [52]
Hot Rod RebelsRacing—2000Sequel to San Francisco Rush 2049 . Runs on a PC-based hardware. [53]
Marble Man: Marble Madness II Platform, RacingAtari GamesSeptember 11, 2008Sequel to Marble Madness . [54]
Metal ManiaxVehicular combatAtari Games1994Development was scrapped due to lack of popularity among arcade players. [55]
MeanstreakRacing, Vehicular combatAtari GamesJanuary 15, 2008Vehicular combat racing game. [56]
NitrocityMidway Games West2002Cancelled when the studio shut down. [21]
Police Academy PlatformerTengen1991NES platformer game. [57]
Primal Rage II FightingAtari GamesMarch 23, 2018Sequel to Primal Rage . [46]
Road Riot's Revenge RallyRacingAtari Games1993Sequel to Road Riot 4WD . [58]
Space HeroAdventureTengen1992Sega Genesis home console game. [59]
SparkzPuzzle—1992Grid-based puzzle game. [60]
Street Drivin'RacingAtari Games1993Sequel to Hard Drivin's Airborne. [61]
Tenth DegreeFightingAtari GamesMarch 23, 20183D fighting game developed by former Capcom employees. [46]
Vicious CircleFightingAtari GamesOctober 18, 2020 Killer Instinct -styled fighting game. [62] Runs on COJAG hardware. [63]

Notes

  1. ↑ Namco acquired majority ownership of Atari Games on February 5, 1985. [1] Warner Communications and its successor, Time Warner, continued to own a minority interest in Atari Games after Warner sold controlling interest of the company to Namco. Warner did not fully divest itself of Atari Games until 1996.

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Cruis'n USA is a racing video game developed by TV Games Inc. and published by Nintendo. It was first released in arcades in 1994 by Midway Games, with a port to the Nintendo 64 developed by Leland Interactive Media released in 1996. It is the first game in the Cruis'n series and features races set in locations across the Continental United States.

Tengen Inc. was an American video game publisher and developer that was created by the arcade game manufacturer Atari Games for publishing computer and console games. It had a Japanese subsidiary named Tengen Ltd..

The following article is a broad timeline of arcade video games.

1996 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Super Mario 64, Duke Nukem 3D, Street Fighter Alpha 2, Super Mario RPG, King's Field III, Virtua Fighter 3, along with new titles such as Blazing Heroes, NiGHTS into Dreams..., Crash Bandicoot, Pokémon Red/Green/Blue, Resident Evil, Dead or Alive, Soul Edge, Quake and Tomb Raider.

<i>Xybots</i> 1987 video game

Xybots is a 1987 third-person shooter arcade game by Atari Games. In Xybots, up to two players control "Major Rock Hardy" and "Captain Ace Gunn", who must travel through a 3D maze and fight against a series of robots known as the Xybots whose mission is to destroy all mankind. The game features a split screen display showing the gameplay on the bottom half of the screen and information on player status and the current level on the top half. Designed by Ed Logg, it was originally conceived as a sequel to his previous title, Gauntlet. The game was well received, with reviewers lauding the game's various features, particularly the cooperative multiplayer aspect. Despite this, it was met with limited financial success, which has been attributed to its unique control scheme that involves rotating the joystick to turn the player character.

Pac-Man is a video game series and media franchise developed, published and owned by Bandai Namco Entertainment, a video game publisher that was previously known as Namco. Entries have been developed by a wide array of other video game companies, including Midway Games, Atari and Mass Media, Inc., and was created by Toru Iwatani. The eponymous first entry was released in arcades in 1980 by Namco, and published by Midway Games in North America. Most Pac-Man games are maze chase games, but it has also delved into other genres, such as platformers, racing, and sports. Several games in the series were released for a multitude of home consoles and are included in many Bandai Namco video game compilations, The franchise contains 2 animated series and an upcoming film.

<i>Pac-Mania</i> 1987 video game

Pac-Mania is a cavalier perspective maze game that was developed and released by Namco for arcades in 1987. In the game, the player controls Pac-Man as he must eat all of the dots while avoiding the colored ghosts that chase him in the maze. Eating large flashing "Power Pellets" will allow Pac-Man to eat the ghosts for bonus points, which lasts for a short period of time. A new feature to this game allows Pac-Man to jump over the ghosts to evade capture. It is the ninth title in the Pac-Man video game series and was the last one developed for arcades up until the release of Pac-Man Arrangement in 1996. Development was directed by Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani. It was licensed to Atari Games for release in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Time Warner Interactive</span> Video game publishing division within Time Warner

Time Warner Interactive (Group) (TWI) was a video game publishing division within Time Warner. It was formed in 1993 after Time Warner acquired a controlling interest in Atari Games, which was already partly held by Time Warner. It was active until 1996 when WMS Industries, the owners of the Williams, Bally and Midway arcade brands, bought the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atari, Inc.</span> American video game developer (1972–1992)

Atari, Inc. was an American video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Atari was a key player in the formation of the video arcade and video game industry.

Electro-mechanical games are types of arcade games that operate on a combination of some electronic circuitry and mechanical actions from the player to move items contained within the game's cabinet. Some of these were early light gun games using light-sensitive sensors on targets to register hits, while others were simulation games such as driving games, combat flight simulators and sports games. EM games were popular in amusement arcades from the late 1940s up until the 1970s, serving as alternatives to pinball machines, which had been stigmatized as games of chance during that period. EM games lost popularity in the 1970s, as arcade video games had emerged to replace them in addition to newer pinball machines designed as games of skill.

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