• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Atari assets up for sale (incl. Rollercoaster Tycoon, Test Drive, Total Annihilation)

P

PaulLFC

Member
Atari has put its video game assets up for sale, and they include some standout franchises.

The Rollercoaster Tycoon franchise is yours for a cool $3.5 million (minimum bid). The last game in the series was 2012's RollerCoaster Tycoon 3D, developed by n-Space for Nintendo 3DS.

If you don't fancy that, you could try the Test Drive racing series, available for a mere $1.5 million. Last year Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends, made by Slightly Mad Studios, came out, but fans will remember 2011's Test Drive Unlimited 2 by the now defunct Eden Games more fondly.

If you're low on cash, you could always bid on real-time strategy series Total Annihilation, a snip at a $250,000 minimum bid. The influential Total Annihilation series was designed by Chris Taylor while at Cavedog Entertainment. He's now an employee of World of Tanks maker Wargaming making an unannounced free-to-play game.

The assets are up for auction because Atari failed to find a bidder for the embattled company, according to the Wall Street Journal (via GamesIndustry International). It's after minimum bids worth $22.2 million.

If all goes well, the auction will be begin in July this year.
Click to expand...

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-05-23-atari-assets-up-for-sale-rollercoaster-tycoon-for-USD3-5m-test-drive-for-USD1-5m-total-annihilation-for-USD250k
 
J

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
I wonder if Wargaming will snap up the Total Annihilation franchise.

Visualante2 said:
I don't see the point, if you want to make a roller coaster tycoon you just could under a different name.
Click to expand...

It's not necessarily so much about creating newer titles as it is preserving the older ones.
 
E

enzo_gt

tagged by Blackace
Can't wait for someone to pick up RCT and do nothing with it ever again.

Alternatively, can't wait for some iOS upstart to pick up RCT.
 
T

Takao

Banned
Wow, Test Drive is pretty cheap. Did someone buy Alone in the Dark or is it not up for sale due to the weirdness of this bankruptcy filing? I believe it's only the US division calling it a quits.
 
A

amardilo

Member
Monty Mole said:
Maybe Don Mattrick could buy Test Drive back?
Click to expand...

That would be interesting, although I doubt Turn 10 would want it and MS already have enough racing IPs they are doing nothing with (like PGR and Rallisport Challenge).

Might be funnier if Don Mattrick just bought it himself. I'm sure he has $1.5 million spare.

For the price of those IPs I'd be happy if someone like WB bought all of them. It would fill out WB's portfolio of IPs a bit as they get a RTS, arcade racer (not sure if V-Rally is included but I liked playing those back in the old PS1 days) and a strategy franchise (that they could continue with as a PC title and also make into a phone/portable/tablet game or even a F2P game).

Plus WB have some studios that could work on a Total Annihilation game like Monolith Productions (using some of the ex-Surreal and ex-Snowblind staff that transferred over to there) and Turbine. They could use their new San Francisco studio to work on a Rollercoaster Tycoon game and maybe use an external developer for Test Drive.
 
E

EDarkness

Member
If I had 1.5 Mill, I'd pick up Test Drive. Test Drive Unlimited is one of my favorite racing games ever and I'd like to see them make a comeback with TDU 3, but this time no shitty stuff like licensing trials. EDEN forgot what made the first game great with the second one.
 
M

Mario

Sidhe / PikPok
amardilo said:
That would be interesting, although I doubt Turn 10 would want it and MS already have enough racing IPs they are doing nothing with (like PGR and Rallisport Challenge).

Might be funnier if Don Mattrick just bought it himself. I'm sure he has $1.5 million spare.

For the price of those IPs I'd be happy if someone like WB bought all of them. It would fill out WB's portfolio of IPs a bit as they get a RTS, arcade racer (not sure if V-Rally is included but I liked playing those back in the old PS1 days) and a strategy franchise (that they could continue with as a PC title and also make into a phone/portable/tablet game or even a F2P game).

Plus WB have some studios that could work on a Total Annihilation game like Monolith Productions (using some of the ex-Surreal and ex-Snowblind staff that transferred over to there) and Turbine. They could use their new San Francisco studio to work on a Rollercoaster Tycoon game and maybe use an external developer for Test Drive.
Click to expand...

WB is already letting most of the IP they picked up from Midway rot.
 
DiscoJer

DiscoJer

Member
Takao said:
Wow, Test Drive is pretty cheap. Did someone buy Alone in the Dark or is it not up for sale due to the weirdness of this bankruptcy filing? I believe it's only the US division calling it a quits.
Click to expand...

Alone in the Dark was back when they were Infogrames, one of their first games in English, I think. Also Shadow of the Comet. So presumably that stays with the original company.

I wonder if they still own the other Microprose IP, like Master of Magic/Master of Orion? They sold off Civ, I know.
 
S

SirIgbyCeaser

Banned
Roller Coaster Tycoon for iOS would sell multiple millions.

A F2P variant would double that income if done well.

I'll be awaiting my check of the earning in the mail investors.
 
W

Wubby

Member
vagabondarts said:
Hopefully someone competent picks up Roller Coaster Tycoon, but I'm not holding my breath.

Is Chris Sawyer in retirement?
Click to expand...

He sued Atari for money that was due to him then disappeared from gaming completely. I'd love for whoever buys RCT to bring him back into the fold and make isometric RCT's again but yeah, not holding my breath. I can see someone buying it then turning it into some craptastic free to play web game.

Long live the king.
 
S

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
I don't think most of those games are worth the minimum bid, especially in light of the underwhelming THQ auction.
 
B

Big_Al

Unconfirmed Member
Don't Atari have the rights to the first Blood game ? Wasn't that the reason Jace Hall couldn't go ahead with his plans for the first game ?

Would love to see someone who actually cares about it get the rights to it.
 
F

frankie_baby

Member
Wubby said:
He sued Atari for money that was due to him then disappeared from gaming completely. I'd love for whoever buys RCT to bring him back into the fold and make isometric RCT's again but yeah, not holding my breath.
.
Click to expand...

could tie in nicely with my pulled out of my ass idea for frontier to buy it, he's got a very good history with them
 
M

MrNyarlathotep

Banned
shagg_187 said:
Maybe Nintendo should buy Test Drive. They have no racing game in their catalog besides Kart.
Click to expand...

In their back catalog ready for a refresh whenever they feel like it, they have F1, 1080, Wave Race, F-Zero, and Excite ____, off the top of my head.

I don't think they really need to buy a franchise name to slap onto a racer, when if they wanted they could just resurrect an existing franchise, or just create something new.
 
M

Mr_Antimatter

Member
Total Annihilation could use a new home and a proper next gen sequel. Keep the classic gameplay, with all the tier complexity, but give us bigger, more detailed maps, more detailed units, and a proper storyline.

Best RTS of the 90's by far.
 
Fox Mulder

Fox Mulder

Member
EDarkness said:
If I had 1.5 Mill, I'd pick up Test Drive. Test Drive Unlimited is one of my favorite racing games ever and I'd like to see them make a comeback with TDU 3, but this time no shitty stuff like licensing trials. EDEN forgot what made the first game great with the second one.
Click to expand...

I don't think they forgot, they just tried to shove as much in the game as they could on the budget they had. I loved the first one, and while the second one had flaws, it was ambitious.

The casino could have been cool if it worked, adding off road stuff could have worked if the handling was better, and they still had the entire island of Oahu after you tore up Ibiza.

The stupid story was awful and throwaway, but that's true with every racing game really.
 
N

nekomix

Member
Oh no! Why selling RCT now? Why not waiting for... 10 years? I will have this 4 million but only in 10 years :-(
 
Malio

Malio

Member
Remember, this isn't the real Atari. It's been passed around so much, it's just a name. No tears here.
 
M

Merino

Member
I almost feel us gamers should do a kickstarter to give back the RCT license to Chris Sawyer.

I truly fear what's going to happen to my favorite game series of all time.
 
W

Wubby

Member
Ugh, I just remembered that Master of Orion and the rest of the classic MicroProse IP's are probably going to be lost in this bankruptcy or bought by someone that does nothing with them a-la Midway's IP.
 
M

mrboo001

Banned
For RollerCoaster Tyccon I think Firaxis would be best.

If they could bring X-Com to the modern market, then they could pull it off.

Also, Sid Meier made the orginal Tycoon game: Railroad Tycoon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Atari to sell RollerCoaster Tycoon, Test Drive franchises at auction
48
4K
EdReedFan20 replied
ATARI auction winners announced - Roller Coaster Tycoon IP future undecided
2
64
12K
Easy_D replied
Atari Announces Upcoming Mobile Games Lineup (incl. RollerCoaster Tycoon)
9
2K
Agent X replied
  • Locked
Rutgers Football Fails Profit Test as Students Pay $1,000, other schools lose money
24
2K
Drek replied
New IS350 and other Lexus... will appear in Atari Test Drive Unlimited.
7
967
Nick Laslett replied
Top Bottom