Atari has announced that they’ve acquired the Surgeon Simulator franchise under its Infogrames label. The press release suggests that this was done through an agreement with publisher TinyBuild rather than the original developer, Bossa Studios. TinyBuild purchased the IP in 2022.
The original Surgeon Simulator made a sizeable splash when it was released in 2013. Similar to Octodad or QWOP, it focuses on the humorous mishaps that happen when an over-detailed and inaccurate physics simulation is applied to a concept that requires fine motor skills. It wound up inspiring a wave of similar “simulator” concepts in the indie sphere.
This was followed in 2020 by Surgeon Simulator 2, which doesn’t seem to have been as popular with players. It focuses on multiplayer and has a campaign… I didn’t play it, if it’s not obvious. Having a multiplayer focus is a quick way to get me to skip over a game.
I did, however, play the original back when it was still called Surgeon Simulator 2013. It’s not really surprising to me that a sequel wasn’t as well received. The central concept is a lot of fun, and it’s still for a while, but it’s very one-dimensional. The joke is only funny for so long. I tried replaying it later and found that I was too adept at it for it to actually be entertaining anymore.
On that note, I’m not sure what Atari/Infogrames plans to do with it. It’s rather similar to their purchase of Totally Reliable Delivery Service, which had also been published by TinyBuild. The press release says, “Infogrames will seek to expand distribution, potentially develop new titles or content, and explore brand and merchandising collaborations as part of a long-term plan to preserve and expand the franchise.”
Okay. I guess we’ll potentially see more titles or t-shirts.
