At a recent London event, Atari told MCV that “retail is still a priority,” thus the company will continue shipping their games to stores in an attempt to get them in consumers’ hands. Awhile back, the publisher was singing a different tune — one of digital distribution. This has all changed and probably has resulted in Atari’s hot new lineup of games. At the event, Ghostbusters, The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf, and The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena were announced for next year.
And that’s not all — there are 11 other titles hanging out in the breeze, all slated for next year. But the new “priority” is still going to coincide with digital distribution. Phil Harrison told those at the event that “Atari is bridging the gap between the physical retail space and advancing the online one” and added that the company were giving developers a chance to publish their games. Captain Obvious wonders how a bridge can be built while the gap is moving around, but believes it is a good thing when developers can publish titles.
In the end, it is just a lot of talk. I have full faith in Atari’s ability to seek out money from consumers, though, so this retail plan could work. Just not in the way the Lawnmower Man probably wants it to.
