Atari today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Digital Eclipse Entertainment Partners Co (“Digital Eclipse”), a game development studio originally founded in 1992 focused on the digital restoration of classic video games, based in Emeryville, California.
The acquisition of Digital Eclipse will allow Atari to expand its internal development capabilities and utilize Digital Eclipse’s industry-leading experience and proprietary technology. In joining Atari, Digital Eclipse will grow its business and capabilities by expanding its development capacity and access to world-class IP and will leverage Atari’s management expertise.
By adding Digital Eclipse, along with Nightdive Studios in May 2023, Atari will be able to further support its retro-focused growth strategy.
Founded in 1992, Digital Eclipse is a game development studio dedicated to preserving gaming’s heritage and telling the stories of gaming history through archival releases and interactive documentaries. Digital Eclipse pioneered commercial video game emulation well before it was a household concept and today Digital Eclipse is one of a select few development studios recognized as leaders in retro-focused development.
Recent notable projects from Digital Eclipse include Street Fighter: 30th Anniversary, Mega Man Legacy Collection, SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection and Disney Classic Games Collection, which all sold millions of units and were critically acclaimed. More recently, Digital Eclipse developed the Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection which has been labeled as the “new gold standard” for games compilations and was one of the highest rated titles of 2022. Digital Eclipse's most recent projects include the launch of The Making of Karateka and Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord in Early Access on Steam.
Since inception, Digital Eclipse has produced over 250+ games and developed long-standing relationships with leading publishing and development partners in the industry to deliver amazing video games and collections. With its innovative proprietary technology, Digital Eclipse is now leading this category in sales, critical reception and innovation.
Wade Rosen, Chairman and CEO of Atari commented: “Digital Eclipse is the best in the world at what they do. They have a deep love and respect for the history of the games industry, and are renowned for developing critically acclaimed projects based on historic franchises. Digital Eclipse, along with Nightdive, are in perfect alignment with Atari’s DNA and renewed purpose. I’m personally excited to see where we can push the boundaries of retro innovation together.”
Andrew Ayre, Chief Executive Officer, commented: “Atari and Digital Eclipse share the same ethos when it comes to celebration and preservation of gaming history. It’s an exciting combination, and I am confident this will serve Digital Eclipse and our fans extremely well as we grow our business and expand our capabilities.”
Mike Mika, President and Creative Director commented: “Our experience collaborating on Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration was revelatory. The trust that Atari showed our team, and our clear mutual love and respect for the content, positioned us to produce something truly remarkable. I know Atari will continue to champion our approach and that we will be bringing fans exciting new projects for years to come.”