Atari diversifies its gaming portfolio by acquiring 5 IPs from Ubisoft

Atari and Ubisoft have announced a strategic agreement under which Atari has acquired the intellectual property rights to five Ubisoft titles, preparing them for modern re-releases and potential sequels down the line.

Ubisoft’s Vice President of New Business Deborah Papernik said in a statement:

“Millions of players have experienced these worlds over the years, and this will open the door for long-time players to revisit those memories while inviting new audiences to discover them for the first time.”

Among these games is Cold Fear, a survival horror game, which was developed by Darkworks, where players controlled a US Coast Guard Officer, Tom Hansen, investigating a Russian whaling ship. 

Child of Eden, released in 2011, was a rhythm-based rail shooter, directed by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, known for his work on Rez, Lumines, and Tetris Effect, which used the Xbox 360’s Kinect sensor and the PS3’s PlayStation Move controller, with support for standard controllers as well.

I Am Alive, launched back in 2012 for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC, as a post-apocalyptic survival game, where a father searched for his missing family at a dilapidated hometown.

Platforming game, Grow Home, was released in 2015 and featured a robot named B.U.D., who climbs and grows a Star Plant to fuel his planet, and its 2016 sequel, Grow Up.

These franchises and games have remained dormant for many years, limited to the Xbox 360 and PS3 era, with none of them previously appearing on Nintendo platforms. Atari plans to rerelease these games under its own publishing label, while also potentially adding new content and extending platform support to reach a global gaming audience.

Atari recently acquired Nightdive Studios and Digital Eclipse, both masters of remastering older titles like the recently announced Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, which features 11 titles across the series, including portable, arcade, and console editions.

Atari also recently became a majority stakeholder of Thunderful Group, responsible for the SteamWorld series, purchasing the Transport Tycoon rights, and even acquiring its former rival Intellivision.

Ubisoft, on the other hand, has generated net bookings of €2.32 billion in its 2023-2024 fiscal year and still maintains a healthy portfolio of franchises under its belt, like Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, Rainbow Six, and Ghost Recon.