Update (Fri 17th Mar, 2023 21:01 GMT): We now have the full list of all 12 Stern Electronics games that Atari has acquired:
- Armored Car
- Atomic Castle
- Berzerk
- Dark Planet
- Frenzy
- Great Guns
- Lost Tomb
- Mazer Blazer
- Minefield
- Moon War
- Rescue
- Tazz-Mania
Original article (Fri 17th Mar, 2023 12:45 GMT): Atari announced yesterday on its blog that it had acquired the rights to Berzerk and Frenzy, as well as 10 other classic Stern Electronics arcade games.
Exactly what these other games are is a slight mystery at this point, but Atari has stated in a press release that it aims to increase the physical and digital distribution of the newly-acquired titles, create new releases based on the IPs, and explore brand and merchandising collaborations.
The current Atari CEO Wade Rosen said in a press release about the acquisition:
“Berzerk is one of those foundational games that so many people first encountered playing on an Atari console. Berzerk, and the other titles included in this acquisition, are a perfect fit for our strategy of commercializing classic retro IP.”
Just in case you're in need of a brief refresher on what Stern Electronics was, it was a pinball and arcade company that was active from 1977 to 1985.
In 1980, it released the popular multi-directional shooter Berzerk in arcades that focused on a stick figure navigating a maze filled with robots, while under the watchful gaze of an evil, bouncing smiley face named Otto. Stern published the sequel to this game, Frenzy, just two years later, in 1982, featuring roughly the same gameplay, albeit with updated graphics and the ability to kill Otto temporarily.
We'll keep you posted once we know exactly what the other 10 titles are!