Digital Eclipse will be releasing an updated and expanded version of its 2022 collection of Atari games and history. This new edition, called “Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition,” brings a total of 39 new games to the compilation across two new timelines. What’s more, this new version will be getting both digital and physical releases.
The digital release for PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch will hit on October 25 and sometime this winter for the Atari VCS. The physical versions will also come out this winter for the Switch and PS5. As for those fans who already have the original version of Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, they’ll be able to get all the new content as DLC later this year.
The first of the two new Atari timelines, “The Wider World of Atari,” includes nineteen games and treats players to eight video segments as they run through it. The focus of this timeline is on Atari history and the impact it had on the industry in its early decades. The video portions include vintage ads, interviews and important items from the company’s past. Fans can learn more about the origins of Breakout, the artist behind the Atari logo and dive into the company’s library of underappreciated gems from the 80s like Berzerk.
The second new timeline focuses on the very first console war between the Atari 2600 and the Intellivision.
The other new timeline, “The First Console War,” holds twenty games and puts a spotlight on the rivalry between the Atari 2600 and Mattel’s Intellivision. Digital Eclipse has put together a detailed exploration of the competition between the two consoles, highlighting major games from the period and diving into developments such as Mattel’s decision to continue publishing games on the Atari 2600.
Among the games featured in this timeline are a collection of M Network games, Atari and M Network sports games and even some otherwise very rare prototype creations for the 2600 and 5200. The First Console War timeline also features interviews with Intellivision, Activision and M Network figures who were active at the time such as: Don Daglow (Intellivision), David Crane (Activision) and Jane Terjung (M Network). There are also talks with historians Leonard Herman and Mike Mikka.
Standard physical versions of Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition will be available for both PlayStation 5 and Switch, but there will also be a deluxe Steelbook edition available for the Switch. Along with a Steelbook case, this version will have Atari 2600 art cards, miniature arcade signs and a replica Syzygy Co. business card.
