Atari CEO Wade Rosen has confirmed the company’s focus on retro gaming during a new interview with GamesIndustry.biz.
Wade Rosen, who became the CEO of the legacy gaming firm back in April of 2021, spoke at length about Atari’s recent acquisitions, how the company could remain relevant in the modern era, and his passion for the retro gaming scene.
Atari’s recent acquisitions include the purchase of Atari 50 developer Digital Eclipse and Nightdive Studios. The Atari CEO revealed that both companies “share the same DNA with Atari”, due to their focus on niche markets and ambitions for excelling in a singular space.
Rosen also revealed some interesting tidbits about why Atari had also decided to procure other companies outside of game development studios.
AtariAge, an independent fan site for Atari enthusiasts, was picked up by the console maker in September of this year.
The Atari CEO has now shed more light on the purchase by admitting that the brand had previous failed to significantly recognise, engage with or be part of the “passionate community” at Atari Age.
‘What Can We Do Better Than Anyone Else In The World?’
‘What Can We Do Better Than Anyone Else In The World?’ This is the question that Wade Rosen used to help help focus Atari’s commitment to retro.
During his interview with GamesIndustry.biz, The Atari CEO stated that the company wasn’t in a position to compete with the current market leaders in the console space. Wade Rosen specifically mentioned Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo as those companies that Atari couldn’t wish to challenge.
While Atari won’t be unleashing a new console to rival the PS5, Series X or Nintendo Switch, Rosen re-iterated that that “retro” was the thing that the company could do better than anyone else.
It’s hard to argue with the Atari CEO too, with the recently released Atari 2600+ console and Atari 50 compilation both achieving glowing reviews from us here at Retro Dodo.
Rosen’s passion for retro gaming is clear to see and with upcoming titles for the Atari 2600 and new 7800 games in the pipeline, the future is looking bright for retro gamers everywhere.
