Atari has announced that it is to acquire Night Dive Studios, the company behind a raft of recent remasters, including System Shock, Doom 64, and Quake.
"With this acquisition, Atari will enrich its large library of owned IP, be able to leverage Night Dive’s proprietary technology, and utilize Night Dive’s publishing capabilities to support Atari’s retro-focused growth strategy," reads Atari's PR on the announcement.
Founded in 2012 by Stephen Kick and his wife, Alix – both of whom were former character artists at Sony Online Entertainment – much of Night Dive's recent success is down to its proprietary KEX engine, which powers many of the remasters and remakes it has created. The studio is currently working on a remaster of Looking Glass Technology's seminal FPS System Shock, which is due to release this year.
"Night Dive’s proven expertise and successful track record in commercializing retro IP is well-aligned with Atari’s strategy and I am confident that their combined talent, technology and IP portfolio will contribute to Atari’s future success," said Wade Rosen, Chairman and CEO of Atari.
Stephen Kick and Larry Kuperman, principals of Night Dive, added: “Night Dive and Atari have a long history together and we know that Atari shares our passion for retro games and our focus on producing high-quality new and remastered games that do justice to the original IP. As we look to grow our business and expand our capabilities, we could think of no better long-term partner than Atari.”