Two weeks ago, Atari Interactive revealed its plan for emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy as an "interactive entertainment production company." Today it announced its first product under that new model: three "remixed" video games for the diner chain Denny's.
Hashteroids. Take-Out. Centi-Pup.
The three are spinoffs of the Asteroids, Breakout and Centipede franchises that Atari Interactive, which has gone through a litany of ownership changes and reorganizations over the past 30 years, still controls. The games will be featured not on their own but in the mobile app that Denny's itself publishes.
Atari released the following descriptions of the three games in a news release this morning.
Hashteroids — You're aboard the SS Denny's Condiment Transport ship and the mission is clear: deliver 40 tons of condiments to the 4th planet in sector 7d.
Centipup — Once upon a time, a young boy named Danny came across a bottle of syrup and with just a slight squeeze the bottle's sticky contents had the power to turn anyone or anything into a fried egg.
Take-out — A wall made entirely of delicious Denny's breakfast items appears blocking all the take-out orders from their rightful owners. The only way to feed customers is to break down that wall!
"Transforming our classic and beloved games into a retro, remixed promotion will be a natural way to expose our brand to a new generation and resonate with our long-time fans in a fun and unique way," Fred Chesnais, the chief executive officer of Atari, Inc., said in a prepared statement.
In an interview with Polygon last week, Todd Shallbetter, the chief operating officer for Atari, outlined a licensing strategy that involved taking familiar Atari-owned titles to real-money gambling and social casinos in Europe. Atari is contemplating and other broader ventures including online television, wearable devices or even making its own branded smart devices.
Atari, with offices in New York and Paris, has about 15 employees.
