Atari has revealed plans to reenter hardware, but surprise surprise, they don’t want to have anything to do with consoles, not even bringing back the Flashback line.
In an interview with Gamesbeat, CEO Frederic Chesnais has talked about Atari’s return from bankruptcy, thanks to good management of their IPs and licensing. He has also revealed the companies new plans for hardware, and they may seem confounding at first, but they make a lot more sense when you think about it.
For one, Chesnais outlined the idea of a smartwatch, a new type of watch which has been gamified. Taking it to the next level, he then talks about a smartjacket, with solar cells on the shoulders and plugs to charge in your smartphone. In this way, you would not have to rely on a power socket or PowerBank to charge your device.
I know you’re thinking Chesnais seems crazy at this point, but here’s his point of view:
It’s [Atari] a generational brand. Yes. It’s a lifestyle brand. You could never do that with a brand like THQ. I mean, back in the heydays, THQ was never a lifestyle brand.
So, Chesnais is not afraid to redefine what Atari means (sounds familiar), and seems intent on using the brand’s name recall to come up with entirely new products (that should sound familiar to your too). We don’t know how far along Chesnais and his Atari is in this, but I gotta tell you guys, this sounds exciting.
