Overview
- Atari announced on Monday, June 1, 2026, that it will buy Melbourne studio Hipster Whale for an initial $29.3 million, including $3.3 million in Atari shares, with up to $10 million in earnouts tied to performance over the next three years.
- Atari said the transaction is expected to close in the coming days and that part of the price will be paid only if Hipster Whale meets agreed revenue or profit targets during the earnout period.
- Hipster Whale reported $8.28 million in revenue and $4.63 million in EBITDA for the 12 months to January 31, 2026, and the studio says Crossy Road has more than 340 million lifetime downloads.
- Hipster Whale cofounder Matt Hall is slated to lead Atari’s mobile development once the deal closes, and Atari plans to use the studio on partner projects for companies such as Netflix, Amazon and AirConsole.
- The deal continues Atari CEO Wade Rosen’s strategy of building a portfolio of retro and remake-focused studios and reflects a wider industry trend of larger publishers buying mobile developers to scale skills, IP and licensing quickly.