Atari (ex-Infogrames Entertainement) is listed on the Euronext market, compartment C (ISIN code: FR0010478248, ticker: ATA).
The Atari group’s main subsidiaries are Atari Inc, Cryptic Studios Inc., Eden Games. The Group main assets are the Atari brand, the Atari catalog of IPs and franchises, the assets of Cryptic Studios, Eden Studio and its newly created London studio. It is a global creator, producer and publisher of interactive entertainment software for all market segments and all interactive game platforms including consoles from Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony, advanced smartphones, personal computers, web and online. Atari also distributes video games notably in North America, through its
Atari has an extensive catalog of popular games based on original franchises (Test Drive, Alone in the Dark, V-Rally, My Horse & Me, the Backyard Sports franchise, Total Annihilation, Outcast etc.), Cryptic Studios titles (Star Trek Online, Champions Online), publishing properties (Ghostbusters, The Chronicles of Riddick, Race Pro etc.), international licenses (Dungeons & Dragons, Jamie Oliver etc.) and classic games covering the entire history of the video game industry (Pong, Missile Command, Asteroids etc.).
2008/2009 fiscal year was a year of transformation: from a publishing and distribution company, to a company focusing on publishing and online operations – particularly through Cryptic Studios – and US publishing and licensing businesses. In May 2009, this change was illustrated by the name change from Infogrames Entertainment to Atari, in order to make the best use of the Atari brand, capitalizing on strong worldwide name recognition and customer loyalty, which are key drivers to implement the Company’s online, product and licensing strategies.
Significant actions were taken in fiscal year 2008/2009 towards strengthening Atari’s online platform, including:
- The acquisition of Cryptic Studios, a leading MMO (massively multiplayer online) game creator, developer and operator, which owns state-of-the-art games and technology expected to boost Atari’s online business growth,
- The divestiture of distribution operations to accelerate the shift towards online activities, in two steps. First, in February 2009, the closing of the sale to Namco Bandai of a 34 % stake in Distribution Partners as well as the signing of a final agreement establishing a strategic packaged product distribution partnership in Europe, New Zealand, Australia and Africa, with exclusive distribution rights for Namco Bandai and Atari products and, second, in March 2009, the exercise of the Atari Europe’s put option to sell its remaining 66% stake in Namco Bandai Partners to Namco Bandai – which was finalized in early July 2009 ;
- The finalization of the cost reduction program “Atari Transformation” to restructure the operations of the Group worldwide and the acquisition of Atari, Inc. shares those were not yet held by the Company.
Atari’s strategic plan is designed to create a leading 21st century online gaming company and to transform the publishing business. This transformation entails focusing on profitable online games, particularly from owned franchises including original driving franchises, MMOs and Atari classic games covering the entire history of the video game industry. The Company also announced plans to cut costs to better support its strategy.
