Atari CEO resigns as company exits game development
Amidst spiraling profits, Atari Games has announced its intent to fully depart from the game development business. The company's rapidly-depleting assets will instead be focused primarily on the acquisition, distribution and publishing of parent company Infogrames' titles.
In the wake of the restructuring, David Pierce, Atari's chief executive officer, has also announced his resignation. Curtis G. Solsvig III, the company's chief restructuring officer, will temporarily take over Pierce's duties as the company searches for new blood. Solsvig himself was only hired last month, following Infogrames' decision to eject the majority of Atari's board of directors.
Atari's original IPs have been slowly disintegrating over the last two years, as the company sold the Driver series to Ubisoft, and the Stuntman franchise to THQ. The Test Drive series has now been licensed to Infogrames, who own 51% of Atari's stock.
Sorry, Atari, but do you know what we like to do when the chips are down? Sing! Check out the video after the break to help cheer yourselves up.
In the wake of the restructuring, David Pierce, Atari's chief executive officer, has also announced his resignation. Curtis G. Solsvig III, the company's chief restructuring officer, will temporarily take over Pierce's duties as the company searches for new blood. Solsvig himself was only hired last month, following Infogrames' decision to eject the majority of Atari's board of directors.
Atari's original IPs have been slowly disintegrating over the last two years, as the company sold the Driver series to Ubisoft, and the Stuntman franchise to THQ. The Test Drive series has now been licensed to Infogrames, who own 51% of Atari's stock.
Sorry, Atari, but do you know what we like to do when the chips are down? Sing! Check out the video after the break to help cheer yourselves up.











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ToXic @ Nov 14th 2007 6:37AM
Well, we all saw this coming.
Cyro @ Nov 14th 2007 10:48AM
R.I.P.
tc @ Nov 14th 2007 7:24AM
sucks to be atari
DSR7997 @ Nov 14th 2007 7:51AM
So was Shane Bettenhausen wrong? A top executive resigned and a game, Alone in the Dark, will be cancelled?
Clack @ Nov 14th 2007 8:52AM
I am wondering what the status of AitD is now as well.
upirons @ Nov 14th 2007 8:01AM
Further proof that the Atari name has a curse on it that it picked up circa 1985.
Nintendo, can you release the curse please?
hvnlysoldr @ Nov 14th 2007 12:40PM
If it'll let Nintendo to put up Atari system games on VC... No let them die and rot.
Rob Accomando @ Nov 14th 2007 8:15AM
a moment of silence please.
Kassu @ Nov 14th 2007 8:18AM
OH please god, make it so, that Tenakichi 3 wont be cancelled.
ThornedVenom @ Nov 14th 2007 8:19AM
The new guy is gonna have a HELL lot to do.
Hollywood Ron @ Nov 14th 2007 8:32AM
Wow, that's depressing.
Blunt @ Nov 14th 2007 9:03AM
Well, there you have it. They certainly did have a good run early on, but it just wasn't to be...
Ghen @ Nov 14th 2007 9:15AM
Atari is just a name.. The real company died in the mid 80's. People have just been leaching its popularity since then. Using the corpse as a figurehead.
Negativecool @ Nov 14th 2007 9:40AM
Ths sad thing is that everyone of those board members and CEO's probably has a nice "severance package" worth millions.
They'll walk away happy.
Benny @ Nov 14th 2007 9:55AM
Atari were probably the greatest innovators in the gaming world but as Ghen says, the real Atari died long ago.
Todd @ Nov 14th 2007 10:54AM
Well they still have Neverwinter Nights, right?
angryguy77 @ Nov 14th 2007 12:15PM
does this mean that I won't be able to get anymore games for my jaguar?
Lemmiwinks @ Nov 14th 2007 12:40PM
Atari exits game development: less than 20 comments
No Bioshock on PS3: 75+ comments
Jeez, how old *am* I?
hvnlysoldr @ Nov 14th 2007 12:42PM
Over 13
Poisoned Al @ Nov 14th 2007 1:39PM
And American (people outside the US didn't really give a shit about Atari)