Atari arcade classics return as IRL board games
Atari's quirky comeback continues. First, it was a slick-looking wearable. Now? Board games.
The brand behind some of the earliest video game hits has partnered up with IDW Games on a series of upcoming releases based on Atari classics. First up is a Centipede board game, coming in fall 2017, followed by tabletop versions of Asteroids and Missile Command.
In a twist that should be welcome news to board game fans, the creation of IDW's Atari titles will be led by Jon Gilmour. He was the co-designer of the popular zombie survival game, Dead of Winter.
It's not yet clear how any of these games work, though I'm told they diverge from the intense cooperative play in Dead of Winter. Expect something lighter and faster, more in the vein of the arcade games these releases are based on.
I'm also told that IDW will be sharing more details -- including a sense of what Centipede looks like and how it plays -- in the next month. If you're in Las Vegas and heading to the annual Game Manufacturer's Association (GAMA) show -- March 13-17 -- you'll be able to peek at the box art there.
You can check out that art -- which is reminiscent of the Atari game boxes of old -- right here.
Topics Gaming
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
