As one of the original kings of video games, Atari wasn't able to keep up during the late 1980s and 1990s, and they lost their position. This led to eventually filing for bankruptcy in 2013 and putting themselves in a position to become successful once again by securing investors to help fund their new approach to gaming which includes an upcoming online casino. This Atari Casino comes after announcements were made earlier this past summer about their partnership with Pariplay, a company that builds Internet-based lottery and gambling software platforms.
The Game Portfolio for the Atari Online Casino
Tons of updated Atari originals are slated to be included in this online casino software, and that includes games inspired and based on Centipede, Pong, Asteroids and tons of other classics that formed the basis of all modern video games. On top of these big names that put Atari on the map, they are also including a complete selection of traditional gambling games including online slots, keno, scratch cards and other classic casino titles.
A good example of this is the Star Raiders slot which uses a 25-payline format. When you earn a set of free spins in this game, it converts to the 243-ways format which gives you almost 10 times the number of ways to win. As you can see, this is a very innovative way of adding value to free spins, and it shows that Atari is taking the development of these games very seriously instead of just throwing together generic titles with generic sets of features.
The Wide Distribution Deal
All of the titles from the Atari Casino are going to be available through the Pariplay network for operators that use their platform. What's really interesting is that a lot of the Atari classic titles are going to be used in iLottery games that aren't normally considered a part of the typical online casino offering. What this shows is that Atari has put itself in a situation to expand to more than just casino games, and it shows that they're opening to offering breadth in their offerings as well as depth in having games like the Star Raiders slot that offer players an awesome overall experience. Many companies that look to produce games in the casino space don't try to spread out their distribution in this way, and approaching multiple markets and types of players could be the result of Atari learning from their mistakes in the late '80s and 90s.
The Future of Atari
Whether or not these plans for Atari to get into the online gambling space will work out for them is yet to be seen. If the quality of their games and distribution deal are any indication, however, then they will have a better chance than average of being successful. A lot of game developers in this industry have become popular in just a couple of years of producing high-quality games, and Atari could be the next to do just that.