The co-founder of Atari is making video games again
Atari the company might be a shadow of its former self, but Nolan Bushnell isn't out of the games game quite yet.
The 73-year-old Atari co-founder never left games completely -- but thanks to a new collaboration with mobile publisher Spil Games, he'll get to bring ideas he's been sitting on to smartphones and tablets.
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Bushnell told CNBC that he's come up with around 30 concepts over the past decade and a half. Five to eight of those ideas will turn into mobile apps under the new deal, with the first expected to arrive in early 2017.
Bushnell sees in Spil some of the same things that got him excited about working in games to begin with.
"I talked to them and decided that they had a corporate culture that was very similar to Atari when I was leaving — great people with a fun attitude," Bushnell told CNBC. "They've got really good stuff, great analytics and a really good understanding of marketplaces."
The partnership's been in play for about six months, with Bushnell bolstering trips every other month to the Netherlands-based publisher with regular Skype sessions.
Spil isn't the most well-known player in the mobile arena, but it's built up a sizable portfolio since launching in 2001. The publisher focused initially on browser-based online games, but pivoted in 2014 to capitalize on the explosive success of mobile gaming.
Teaming up with Bushnell should help Spil reach a wider audience. And for the Atari co-founder, the partnership positions him to explore new opportunities.
"The future of gaming has a very strong mobile component," Bushnell said in a statement. "It’s where most people play games and it’s where the technology and ideas are developing most quickly."
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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.
