Official Atari Games Podcast

We have a crazy slate of games coming out. Some announced, some to be announced, but there are plenty of games to talk about that haven't been covered in the podcast yet. Those will be coming soon, so please allow us to slow things down a bit and catch up with Atari VP of Games, Ethan Stearns. It's been a while since he's been on the podcast, and he was fortunately able to join me to look back on...

Back in April, Apogee and Emberheart Games released the killer boomer shooter, Wizordum, out of early access. Shortly thereafter, a partnership was formed with Atari and Infogrames to bring the title to consoles, which made its debut this week! Joining me this week are Primoz Vovk (Lead at Emberheart Games) and Jeron Moore (Executive Producer at Apogee) to discuss the title from its origin to rele...

Mascot platformers can be defined by their voice performers. Charles Martinet as Mario and Roger Craig Smith as Sonic, to name the two most prolific examples. From the first sound bites of Sean Chiplock as our wise-cracking feline hero, it was immediately clear that he was our Bubsy; The near-universally positive response since the announcement further punctuated that feeling. So to round out our...

As we covered in the last episode, Bubsy has had an interesting past, to say the least. Now, however, we're looking forward with the announcement of Bubsy 4D. Yes, we had the audacity to make a sequel to Bubsy 3D, and by "we," I mean everyone gathered on this podcast: Fabian Rastorfer (Co-founder and co-lead at Fabraz), Ben Miller (Co-founder and co-lead at Fabraz), and Sam Brown (Atari Release Ma...

Depending on your point of reference, Bubsy is either a figure to be revered or reprimanded for his stamp on platforming history. Fortunately, thanks to our friends at Limited Run Games, you can experience the history of this legendary bobcat through his classic adventures in the upcoming Bubsy In: The Purrfect Collection. LRG has leveraged their Carbon Engine to ensure each game gets it’s proper...

The party hasn't stopped since Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration was first released in 2022, as there are always more stories to tell. Enter the upcoming DLC, Namco Legendary Pack, where, true to its name, some of gaming's most legendary titles make their way to the collection. Xevious, Galaxian, and, of course, Pac-Man finally make their Atari 50 debut with a whole new timeline to tell the ta...

About 25 years ago, Kev Levine and Looking Glass Studios released one of the greatest games of all time, System Shock 2. Now, thanks to the efforts of Nightdive Studios, the game has returned better than ever on more platforms than ever before. To dive into what and how things have improved, I've recruited a few folks from the team to peek behind the curtain. Joining me to discuss are Nightdive's...

Back in 2020, We're Five Games' Totally Reliable Delivery Service made a name for itself thanks to its wacky physics-based antics. Streamers gravitated towards its chaos, which only broadened its appeal that endures to this day. Following the acquisition of the title by Infogrames, we recruited SneakyBox to get to work on an update and some new DLC to give more content to those fans who stuck with...

The fabled episode 53 is finally releaseable, and it's all about Turok, which has just been announced for physical formats and will be released later this year! I jumped at the opportunity to chat about Turok with the team at Nightdive because it's a truly seminal FPS that has endured for generations. Joining me to discuss are Nightdive's Eric Serio ( Senior Developer) and Grover Wimberly IV (Prod...

Golden Tee has been a staple of bars and arcades for decades, thanks to its inviting and intuitive trackball controls and pitch-perfect golf game feel. But how, you may ask, would you translate that to consoles that aren't equipped with a trackball? A great question that can only be answered by a couple of returning guests from Digital Eclipse who tackled this very question. Calvin Vu (producer) a...

Atari's legendary title, Adventure, was the first of its kind and laid the groundwork for the future of game design. When Ilex, a small team in Brazil, showed Tower of Samsara to us for the first time, we were immediately captivated by its beautiful pixel art and animation and inspired by its mix of old and new gameplay hooks to create a unique metroidvania. Even more surprising was the opportunit...

MobyGames has been THE gaming repository well before Atari's acquisition of it in 2022, and one that gaming professionals and consumers alike are constantly hitting up. As a big fan myself, it was a pleasure to bring on Jim Leanard, co-founder of MobyGames, and Tracy Poff, current developer and long-time contributor. We talk through the website's founding, its decades-long journey to now, and what...

Leading up to the release of Llamasoft's I, Robot, Atari put on the I, Rebel game jam, challenging independent creators to "create a game Jeff Minter will love." Everyone had one week to create the game and a secret theme to abide by. Then, it was up to Llamasoft to judge the winners. Following the process, I invited Jeff (the Ox) and Ivan Zorzin (the Goat) back on the podcast to play the winning...

Things have been busy here at Atari. Real busy! Following a string of game previews, announcements, and releases - not to mention the things you DON'T know about - there was a gap in the schedule, and I needed to get creative. Thankfully, I rounded up a trio of guests to talk about some games and do some silly trivia. Joining me for this short and sweet episode are Sam Brown (Release Manager), Sha...

About two weeks ago, we unveiled a new take on the classic series, Missile Command. The teaser is just that, but there's so much more to say about the game! Fortunately, the team that worked on the title was kind enough to join me and talk through a deeper look at the game. My guests are Dave Proctor (Executive Producer on MCD), Tom McCall (Creative Director on MCD), and Mark Perloff (Senior Produ...

About two years ago, a small indie team released Bread & Fred on the unassuming masses. Starring two adorable penguins, the game became a viral sensation with its hilariously challenging gameplay that's been streamed to millions of viewers. On the heels of its success, Sand Castles Studio got to work on a free add-on for those looking for an even greater challenge. Dubbed The Lab, that update was...

Following the release on Switch in 2020, which followed the original release back in 2004, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 is now coming to PlayStation and Xbox for the first time via our friends at Muteki. Due to some untimely illnesses, only one of the three planned guests, Andrew Hynek (Lead Programmer on the RCT3 port), was able to join me for this one, but that didn't stop us from having a spirited ta...

Please accept this disclaimer for flashing lights and errant farm animals because we have a new Llamasoft joint on the horizon! The legendary Jeff Minter (the Ox) and Ivan Zorzin (the Goat) join me to discuss their latest Atari title revamp: I, Robot. We talk about the new game, some classic I, Robot history, and a story involving a South American ox festival and the pope. Enjoy! YouTube: https://...

After much teasing, we're back with some game announcements and, in turn, some previews with the devs! Breakout Beyond has taken a fascinating journey leading up to its release - starting as an ill-fated Amico title before finding a second life under Atari publishing. We get into all of that and more in this episode thanks to my guests: Garrett Varrin (Programmer / Systems Designer at Choice Provi...

One more talkie before the gameplay podcasts resume, I promise! Dan Amrich, Content Editor at Digital Eclipse, was kind enough to come back on the podcast to discuss his journey to where he is today. Dan has covered a lot of ground in his writing career, spanning many entertainment genres and a lot of ground geographically. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. YouTube: https://yout...

Due to holidays taking a chunk out of our schedule, we're interrupting the regularly scheduled podcast with Atari Feud! Ethan Stearns (VP of games) cooked up a competition for Tim Lapetino (Creative Director) and Digital Eclipse's Mike Mika to test their games knowledge. YouTube: https://youtu.be/BkPStNEOVas Join the Atari Club on Discord: https://discord.gg/atariclub Follow us: X: https://x.com/a...

Earlier in December, Nightdive Studios shadow-dropped The Thing Remastered to much fanfare. Both the game and the movie that it serves as a direct sequel to have strong cult-followings and the folks at Nightdive did what they do best to make sure their remaster of the 2002 title exceeded those fans' expectations. Joining me to talk more about it all are Mark Atkinson (Original Technical Director o...

Following a long run of game preview episodes, things slow down a bit for this one. I invited some members of the Atari games team to join me to just talk games and play some silly trivia games. Among them: Ethan Stearns (VP of Games), Sam Brown (Publishing Coordinator), and Shah-Rukh Faridi (Marketing Coordinator). Hope you enjoy this one and we'll get back to game previews and dev chats in the n...

RollerCoaster Tycoon is a legendary title that's stood the test of time for 25 years. Now, thanks to the efforts of Graphite Lab, RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic is finally coming to Switch to ignite the passion of the most diehard fans and introduce a new generation of players to the original title that kicked off the enduring franchise. I'm joined by two return guests: Matt Raithel, studio director...

After a one-episode break, we're now back to Digital Eclipse content with the impending release of Tetris Forever. Joining this week are DE's Chris Kohler, editorial director, and Jason Cirillo, lead designer and programmer of Tetris Timewarp, an original title included in Tetris Forever. We cover a lot of ground in this one, from our first experiences with Tetris, some behind-the-scenes of the de...