Atari has acquired five chiefly dormant franchises from developer/publisher Ubisoft: Child of Eden, Cold Fear, Grow Home, Grow Up, and I Am Alive.
Atari said it will “reintroduce iconic creations, bringing them to new platforms and renewed publishing frameworks.” They’ll all be re-released under Atari’s own publishing label and be available “on new platforms.”
“Millions of players have experienced these worlds over the years, and this will open the door for long-time players to revisit those memories while inviting new audiences to discover them for the first time,” said Deborah Papiernik, Ubisoft’s VP of new business.
“Atari has a rich gaming legacy and deep appreciation for these classic titles, we’re excited to see how they’ll evolve and connect with players in fresh, meaningful ways.”
This isn’t the first strategic partnership Ubisoft has struck this year, of course. Back in March, Ubisoft created a subsidiary company based on its Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six brands, with a €1.16 billion (approx. $1.25 billion) investment from Chinese megacorp Tencent.
The company has also partnered with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund for additional Assassin’s Creed Mirage content.
These agreements follow a number of high-profile flops, layoffs, studio closures, and game cancellations in the run-up to Assassin’s Creed Shadows‘ release, and there was enormous pressure on it to succeed after the company’s share price hit a historic low.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
