In brief: For anyone who grew up obsessed with Atari in the ’70s and ’80s, the company’s 50th anniversary collector’s edition is about to get even sweeter. Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, last year’s retro game compilation packed with over 100 classics spanning Atari’s history, is getting a massive expansion that digs deeper into gaming’s most turbulent age.
The Atari 50 collection initially launched in 2022 to commemorate five decades since the company’s founding. It came packed with over 90 classics stretching from the pioneering Atari 2600 all the way up to the ill-fated Jaguar console.
This Expanded Edition by Digital Eclipse is doubling down on that concept with two brand-new timelines and a whopping 39 new retro titles. The first, dubbed “The Wider World of Atari,” will spotlight 19 playable games alongside eight new video segments. Atari promises a candid look at several behind-the-scenes stories.
Fans can look forward to an in-depth breakdown of Stern Electronics’ cult classic robot blaster Berzerk, insight into Pong creator Al Alcorn’s watershed hit Breakout, and the untold story of artist Evelyn Seto, who designed Atari’s legendary “Fuji” logo. There will even be a section shining a light on the dedicated community keeping unreleased prototypes and “homebrew” games alive.
The second new timeline is titled “The First Console War.” Here, the famous rivalry between Atari’s 2600 and Mattel’s ambitious Intellivision system finally gets its due. Expect 6 more video segments and 20 more playable games representing both sides, including a mix of Atari and Mattel sports titles. Fans will recall that this clash eventually cemented the 2600’s market dominance before the entire video game industry collapsed in 1983’s infamous crash.
But the console wars truly ended in May when Atari acquired its historical competitor, bringing hundreds of classic games under one common roof.
The Expanded Edition launches October 25 as a digital upgrade or standalone across Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and PC platforms. But Atari’s keeping Switch and PS5 fans on their toes by also cooking up a premium $49.99 physical version packed with extras like a Steelbook, miniature arcade marquees, and an Al Alcorn replica Syzygy Co. card.
Atari hasn’t dished on the full 39-game lineup yet, but expect a melting pot of deep cuts, curiosities, and cult classics from across the company’s 50-year journey.
