Lindsay Comeau, Blog Entry

http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/29/atari-looks-to-reinvent-itself-as-a-mobile-games-company-hires-former-iwonmarvel-exec-as-evp/
http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/16/tech/gaming-gadgets/atari-mobile-social-gaming/index.html

The Company that Started it all Jumps into the Modern Market Atari, the company that got the video game Industry churning back in the 1970s has taken the plunge into the mobile game market. No matter how you look at this new market, it seems to be the future of the game industry, and it's not just for the hardcore-gamers. For Atari (and other long standing companies), breaking into this new market is simply the most logical next step. A whole new generation of gamers are available to these companies, and this generation is a whole new kind of consumer. The dynamics of these classic games are perfect candidates for revamping in a new, mobile market. They were made for casual gaming, and arcade style games usually translate well into the mobile setting. Atari also has the power of their brand name to boost their games. Before mobile devices, the market for gaming was mostly young men, now it includes pretty much everyone. Young, old, male, female, they're all playing games, whether it be on their mobile devices, or social networks. People that have never played an Atari game before (or have never even heard of the founder of interactive entertainment) are now being introduced to these classic games. Atari has survived one of the fastest changing markets in human history, they've switched hands so many times, and their success has fluctuated from high to sub-zero continuously through-out their existence. The decision to break into this new market is definitely a game changer for the company and could potentially preserve them for many years to come.

By Lindsay Comeau