Atari has announced that it has acquired the rights to Chris Sawyer's transport simulation game Transport Tycoon.
Originally released in 1994 for MS-DOS by Microprose, Transport Tycoon put players in control of a transport company in the 1930s and tasked them with creating an empire, using a variety of vehicles, including trucks, trains, ships, planes, and helicopters, to move cargo and people around a map.
Shortly following its release, it proved to be a huge success with critics, earning enthusiastic reviews from Next Generation magazine (who called it "the best economic sim since Civilization) and Computer & Video Games (who labelled it the "ultimate sim on wheels") and later spawned an expanded version named Transport Tycoon Deluxe in 1995, as well as ports for Mac, PS1, Sega Saturn, iOS, and Android.
In the decades since, it has also received a fan-made open-source remake named OpenTTD (available for free on Steam & GOG), which makes the deluxe version of the game run significantly better on modern operating systems while expanding the game's features, and allowing for greater modding capabilities.
Speaking about the acquisition, Atari chairman and CEO Wade Rosen said in a press statement, "We are honored that Chris has entrusted us with Transport Tycoon, and our team is committed to both honoring and advancing his groundbreaking creation."
The press statement also goes on to provide a hint at some of the company's upcoming plans for the property, stating that "Atari will seek to expand digital and physical distribution, potentially develop new titles or content, and explore brand and merchandising collaborations as part of a long-term plan to preserve and expand this classic sim."
Worth highlighting is that Atari already owns the sole publishing rights to Sawyer's classic theme park sim series RollerCoaster Tycoon and the Transport Tycoon spiritual successor Locomotion.