You can have your Nintendo Directs or your Sony State of Plays, but the real big gaming reveal of Autumn this year is set to occur this Wednesday when YouTube retro gaming juggernaut MetalJesusRocks will be assisting Atari and Digital Eclipse to unveil the 19 games that will be added to Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (our review here).
The Wider World of Atari, the first of two planned DLC for this half-centennial celebration of one of the most iconic gaming brands will not only add 19 new games to the 115 titles in the base game. It will also add 8 video segments to the in-game timeline which will detail Atari’s history. In addition we’ll also learn more about the creator of Atari “Fuji” logo, artist Evelyn Seto. As well as fans and archivists’ quest to find undiscovered prototypes.
Attendees of this weekend’s Portland Retro Gaming Expo will also get even more details on the Wider World of Atari DLC and perhaps some juicy tidbits about the 2nd DLC The First Console War as Atari Founder Nolan Bushnell, Atari VP of Games Ethan Stearns and Digital Eclipse Producer Chris Kohler will be sitting down to talk all things Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Panel on Sunday September 29th.
The DLC is set for a September 26th release and for owners of the title on the Atari VCS will receive the update free of charge! The Wider World of Atari title list reveal will take place presumably on Atari’s YouTube channel at 10 am EST.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration is available now on PC, Switch, the PlayStation and Xbox Platforms. For those who want the complete package, the base game and the two DLC will be sold as Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition on the Switch and PlayStation 5 on November 8th.
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Atari and developer Digital Eclipse are excited to share a significant addition to Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. The Wider World of Atari, which includes 19 playable games and eight video segments in a completely new timeline, takes a series of deep dives into stories from Atari history, showing how Atari continued to influence creators and fans over the decades. The DLC will be available on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Series X, and PlayStation 4 & 5. Owners of the original game on the Atari VCS will receive the DLC content for free as part of an update.
The 19 new games will be revealed by MetalJesusRocks, who has partnered with Atari for the announce, with a video on YouTube at 10:00AM EST this Wednesday, September 25.
Here’s what to expect in the new DLC expansion:
- Unusual and underappreciated Atari 2600 innovations as well as hidden gems from the 1980s
- A spotlight on the artist Evelyn Seto, who helped create Atari’s iconic logo
- The community’s quest for unreleased prototypes and the preservation of gaming history
- Archival and contemporary interviews from employees, fans, and homebrew developers
The Wider World of Atari includes new interviews, vintage ads, historical artifacts, and more have all been researched and presented with Digital Eclipse’s signature style. Highlights from the new timeline include unusual and underappreciated innovations and hidden gems from the late 1980s; a spotlight on the artist Evelyn Seto, who helped create the iconic “Fuji” Atari logo; Pong creator Al Alcorn explaining the birth of Breakout; and an exploration of the fan base’s role in discovering unreleased prototypes, creating “homebrew” games, and preserving Atari history.
Fans attending Portland Retro Gaming Expo (PRGE) can learn more about the DLC and the Atari 50: Anniversary Celebration project on Sunday, September 29 during a panel discussion featuring Digital Eclipse Producer Chris Kohler, Atari VP of Games Ethan Stearns, and Atari Founder Nolan Bushnell.
A second DLC entitled The First Console War will be released globally on November 8, in concert with the physical release of Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 for $39.99. The physical release contains the original game and both DLCs.
A Steelbook version for Nintendo Switch, which will include Atari 2600 art cards, miniature arcade marquee signs, an Al Alcorn Replica Syzygy Co. business card, will retail for $49.99 USD.