Universal is turning 10 classic Atari games into big-screen adventures
The worlds of Pong, Asteroids and Centipede are leaving the arcade and heading to the big screen.
Atari has teamed up with Universal Pictures and Entertainment 360 in a major film deal that will see 10 of the gaming giant’s classic titles transformed into potential Hollywood blockbusters.
The partnership gives Universal the rights to develop movies based on some of Atari’s most recognisable games, with the first project already moving forward. Entertainment 360’s Guymon Casady will produce the feature, based on a screenplay by Matt Reilly and Carl Hampe, who will also serve as producers.
The deal includes legendary Atari titles such as Asteroids, Adventure, Berzerk, Breakout, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Millipede, Missile Command, Pong and Yars’ Revenge.
Rather than simply recreating the games players remember, the partnership plans to expand their worlds into large-scale action-adventure stories. Taking the imagination that powered early gaming and turning it into cinematic experiences.
“The best Atari games dropped you into a world and let your imagination do the rest,” Casady said, explaining the appeal behind the project.
The first film came from a script inspired by Reilly and Hampe’s own childhood experiences with Atari’s groundbreaking games.
The pair, who grew up playing Atari 2600, saw an opportunity to capture the feeling that made those games iconic: the ability for players to create their own stories inside simple but unforgettable worlds.
“For more than five decades, Atari has created games and worlds that have remained part of popular culture long after their original release,” Atari chairman and CEO Wade Rosen said.
Atari is betting that its retro catalogue still has plenty of stories left to tell — even decades after players first picked up a joystick.
