Overview
- Atari has signed a deal giving Universal Pictures, via Entertainment 360, development rights to ten classic titles from its catalog for feature films.
- The ten properties named in coverage are Asteroids, Adventure, Berzerk, Breakout, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Millipede, Missile Command, Pong, and Yars’ Revenge.
- Universal has already acquired the first project, an original spec screenplay by Matt Reilly and Carl Hampe, with Entertainment 360 producer Guymon Casady and the writers attached as producers.
- No directors, cast, production schedule, or release dates have been announced, and reporters note the films will be original, large-scale stories inspired by the games rather than direct one-to-one adaptations.
- Atari’s CEO framed the move as part of a broader strategy to monetize and preserve legacy IP after recent studio and rights acquisitions, a shift that could tap nostalgia-driven audiences but faces creative and market risks in adapting simple early-era games.