Gamesindustry.biz is reporting that Atari Inc - the US arm of French giant, Infogrames - is in dire financial trouble.
"The firm's results for the quarter ended December 31st revealed sales down to $100.8 million from a figure of $156.4 million a year previously, while profits collapsed into a net loss of $4.8 million, from a profit of $19.6 million in the previous year."
With the company's bank unwilling to increase its current credit agreement, desperate Atari accountants are apparently considering others ways to raise money, including selling intellectual rights or closing down a studio. The story continues:
"Despite the uncertain future the company faces, chief executive and chairman Bruno Bonnell announced a number of new products along with the firm's Q3 results - namely a new game in the Stuntman franchise for the Xbox 360, a new Alone in the Dark title for the PC, and a return to the classic Battlezone franchise on the PSP."
And therein, I suspect, lies the problem. Relying heavily on the uninspired re-packaging of old-timer brands that no longer excite anyone on the planet is not going to get this or any publisher out of trouble. It is ironic that new Atari should face disaster in the same way as its namesake - unable to understand the importance of good games. In the early eighties, Atari almost destroyed the whole industry by allowing the market to become saturated with derivative shovelware. There was a lesson in there somewhere that too few have thought to learn from.
