Forty years ago, Pong became the first commercially successful video game ever, driving thousands to play it in arcades, and launching Atari into the video games market. Now, Atari said they are looking to bring Pong to this generation of devices, but inviting game developers to re-imagine the classic title.
The original game was simple: two paddles bouncing a ball across the screen, but its been played and ported to virtually every possible platform since its inception. After being released as an arcade cabinet, it was sold as a home version by Sears playable on TVs, predating any popular consoles available to the public. What seems like a simple game by today's standards was wildfire then, and its success spawned many imitators and copycats, as well as inspired others to explore video games.
From Feb. 28 until March 31, Atari will accepting entries via its website. A panel of judges, including original Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, Pocket God creator Dave Castelnuovo and TUAW’s Mike Schramm, will pick the best entries. While devs only need to submit a design document to enter, if they are picked for the semi-finals they'll have create an alpha version of their Pong interpretation.
Winners will have their game published in the Apple App Store by Atari, up to $100,000 in prize money and a long-term contract with Atari that includes support for their future games.