Atari has announced that the interactive documentary, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, will be getting an upgraded version later this year titled Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition. It will at 39 new games under two new “timeline” headings and will also be available as DLC for existing owners.
I will answer the question that will be on most people’s mind first: we aren’t yet being told what will be included in the 39 new games. It sounds like Berzerk will be one of them, and M Network sports games are mentioned. There’s also an art card for Atari Video Cube in the Steelbook edition. Aside from that, they aren’t naming names.
The first new timeline is called “The Wider World of Atari.” It includes “19 playable games and eight video segments, takes a series of deep dives into stories from Atari history, showing how Atari continued to influence creators and fans over the decades.” That’s pretty cool, since Atari has a dedicated and passionate fanbase. It’s nice that they’re willing to work with them.
The second is “The First Console War,” and concentrates on the battle between the Atari 2600 and the Intellivision. They say it will include “a mix of Atari and M Network sports games, and some rare Atari 2600 and 5200 prototypes.”
If you aren’t savvy (and I wouldn’t blame anyone who isn’t), M Network was Mattel’s publishing label for Atari consoles. Mattel had its own console, the Intellivision, but it still published games for the Atari 2600 on its own cartridges. When they mention “M Network sports games,” there were, to my knowledge, only three: International Soccer, Super Challenge Football, and Super Challenge Baseball.
Most excitingly, beyond just including new games, both new timelines also add new interviews and historical documents. That’s really what makes the Atari 50 compilation so worth checking out. It gives a deep look into a period of video game history that isn’t as well-documented. With Atari recently having purchased the Intellivision brand and catalog, incorporating some of that into the ongoing collection is a pretty great way to leverage that.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition is coming as a new release for PC and consoles. The PS5 and Switch will get new physical releases, with the Switch also getting a limited edition Steelbook edition. The additional timelines will also be offered to existing owners as DLC.
