[Update: Now that the update is out today, we have a list of all the games that are going to be part of it:
That’s quite the assortment. Two titles are homebrew, two are prototypes that have now been released elsewhere, a bunch of them are actually pretty awful, and one of them isWarbirdson Lynx. I hope there is some supplemental behind-the-scenes information onMiniature Golf. Our original story follows.]
Atari has announced that 2022’sAtari 50: The Anniversary Celebrationwill be getting free updates, starting with one on December 5th. What kind of updates? The best kind. The collection is getting more games.
Atari 50isn’t just another compilation of Atari’s old games. As the name implies, it’s a celebration of them, providing deep background information through interviews and behind-the-scenes documents. It was Digital Eclipse’s first test run of the absolutely incredible foundation of the Golden Masters series that started withThe Making of Karateka. This may sound like a lot of marketing-friendly hyperbole, but as someone who loves game history and preservation, I find these collections to be transformative. I am sincerely enthusiastic about it.
The first update will be bringing 12 additional Atari 2600 games, which may not sound too exciting, but it’s stated to have “a mix of prototypes, homebrews, and official titles.” Assuming they don’t mean justSave MaryandBerzerk Enhanced Editionalongside 10 of the system’s many dregs, that’s pretty exciting. Sort of. Another suite of Jaguar and Lynx games would grab me a little tighter.
I’m also not sure why they didn’t just tell us what the 12 games are.
The business of retro
But that might still happen! Atari says that this update is “the first of many planned by Atari and its partner in video game preservation Digital Eclipse.” And furthermore, these games will come with all the behind-the-scenes interviews and concept art that is expected from the collection. The press release does not confirm that future updates will be free. It seems like it suggests that they will be, but that’s just me speculating on it.
This follows news that Atari isacquiring Digital Eclipse. The new direction of Atari involves looking at its back catalogue through new lenses. For me personally, I think it’s pretty cool. I’m not all that interested in playingAdventureagain, but if I can learn some history in the process, I suddenly have a new appreciation for it.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebrationis availableon PC, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, and PS5. The title update will be available for free on August 11, 2025.
