Atari has introduced that 2022’s Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration will likely be getting free updates, beginning with one on December fifth. What sort of updates? The perfect variety. The gathering is getting extra video games.

Atari 50 isn’t simply one other compilation of Atari’s previous video games. Because the identify implies, it’s a celebration of them, offering deep background data by means of interviews and behind-the-scenes paperwork. It was Digital Eclipse’s first take a look at run of the completely unbelievable basis of the Golden Masters sequence that began with The Making of Karateka. This will likely sound like a number of marketing-friendly hyperbole, however as somebody who loves sport historical past and preservation, I discover these collections to be transformative. I’m sincerely obsessed with it.

The primary replace will likely be bringing 12 extra Atari 2600 video games, which can not sound too thrilling, however it’s acknowledged to have “a mixture of prototypes, homebrews, and official titles.” Assuming they don’t imply simply Save Mary and Berzerk Enhanced Version alongside 10 of the system’s many dregs, that’s fairly thrilling. Form of. One other suite of Jaguar and Lynx video games would seize me slightly tighter.

I’m additionally undecided why they didn’t simply inform us what the 12 video games are.

The enterprise of retro

However which may nonetheless occur! Atari says that this replace is “the primary of many deliberate by Atari and its associate in online game preservation Digital Eclipse.” And moreover, these video games will include all of the behind-the-scenes interviews and idea artwork that’s anticipated from the gathering. The press launch doesn’t affirm that future updates will likely be free. It looks as if it means that they are going to be, however that’s simply me speculating on it.

This follows information that Atari is buying Digital Eclipse. The brand new path of Atari includes its again catalogue by means of new lenses. For me personally, I feel it’s fairly cool. I’m not all that desirous about enjoying Journey once more, but when I can be taught some historical past within the course of, I immediately have a brand new appreciation for it.

Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration is out there on PC, Change, Xbox One, Xbox Collection X|S, PS4, and PS5. The title replace will likely be obtainable without cost on December 5, 2023.