Back from the Atari auction

Just got back from New York on the Atari auction. 

Being an inappropriate and embarrassing person, I naturally took pictures of the location as it was just plain amazing.

Here are some pictures from the auction.

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Outside the window.

 

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Each bidder was given a conference room where they could work out the purchase agreements with Atari and the investment bankers as well as just spend time working between the auctions.

 

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This was taken at the back of the auction room.

 

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This is the skyline.

 

I won’t say in this post who won the various auctions as I don’t want to step on someone else’s announcement.  I will tell you how the auctions went.

Typically (except in the case of Battlezone and Moonbase Commander) the bidders are placed together in a room. Each bidder is assigned a bid order in a given round.  Each round, the bidder can agree to raise their bid $20,000 over the previous bidder or choose to pass. If they choose to pass, they’re out of the bidding and it continues.

The head of Stardock Entertainment (Derek Paxton aka Kael) did the bidding on one of the items were were interested in and I bid in a later auction on a different item.

At the end of the auction, the highest bidder and second highest bidder then negotiate a finalized purchase agreement of the intellectual property assets in question.  If the highest bidder, for whatever reason, fails to close the deal, the second highest bidder than gets it. 

We went there to get two items in particular. One in particular we really really wanted because we are insane fans of the series.  That one we got.  The other we wanted we didn’t get, we were the second highest bidder.

I imagine there will be announcements next week by the new IP holders to whom I congratulate.  It’ll be good to see these awesome games brought back in one form or other.

293,458 views 60 replies
Reply #1 Top

Exciting news, congrats on the purchase!

Reply #2 Top

We went there to get two items in particular. One in particular we really really wanted because we are insane fans of the series. That one we got. The other we wanted we didn’t get, we were the second highest bidder.

Tease!

But seriously, it's TA right?

Reply #3 Top

Yes a complete tease... I would like to know what bid you did get.

Reply #4 Top

Well then, I eagerly await the news.

By the way, does Atari still exists as a company or is it dead now?

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Reply #5 Top

Congratz that you managed to get one of the IPs!

So this means we are going to see GalCiv III re-branded as MOO IV?

:D

Reply #6 Top

or was it 'frogger' that was the success?

Reply #7 Top

While we did try to get MOO, Wargamer.net got that.  We picked up something else that we're very excited about.

Reply #8 Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 7
While we did try to get MOO, Wargamer.net got that.  We picked up something else that we're very excited about.

and will there be a special announcement as to what it is?

Reply #9 Top

Quoting parrottmath, reply 8


Quoting Frogboy, reply 7While we did try to get MOO, Wargamer.net got that.  We picked up something else that we're very excited about.


and will there be a special announcement as to what it is?

It's Star Control if I remember correctly of why they went to auction at Atari.

Reply #10 Top

I look forward to your update of the classic Atari game "Adventure" from the 2600..

Dragons, Keys, Castles, Portable Bridges, Magic Swords...  Totally a Stardock venture..

Reply #11 Top

Quoting BernieTime, reply 10

I look forward to your update of the classic Atari game "Adventure" from the 2600..

Dragons, Keys, Castles, Portable Bridges, Magic Swords...  Totally a Stardock venture..

:rofl:

Reply #12 Top

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/07/21/atari-auction-implies-new-chris-taylors-total-annihilation/

 

[...] Wargaming also picked up Masters Of Orion, while Rebellion got Battlezone (I predict a speculative nostalgia Kickstarter there) and Stardock got the Star Control IP.

Reply #13 Top


 

 
Asset(s)                                        *Successful Bidder*                                                           Back-Up Bidde

Backyard Sports Franchise               *Epic Gear, LLC*                                       N/A

Humongous Franchise, Fatty Bear’s Birthday Surprise,Math Gran Prix    *Tommo, Inc.*     N/A

Total Annihilation Franchise      *Wargaming World Limited*           Uber Entertainment, Inc.

Battlezone Franchise                      *Rebellion Interactive Games Limited*        Tommo, Inc.

Master of Orion Franchise                        *Wargaming World Limited*      Stardock Systems, Inc.

Moonbase Commander Franchise       *Rebellion Interactive Games Limited*         N/A 

Star Control Franchise                          *Stardock Systems, Inc.*    On The Go Technology, LLC




Congratulations to Stardock on acquiring the Star Control Franchise...
Reply #15 Top

This is the mother of all teasers...

Reply #16 Top

Atari does own some elements of Master of Magic.  The problem is that they don't own the trademark, they let it lapse and someone else has since registered it with an intent to use.  I can't imagine anyone trying to call a game "Master of Magic" (trademark or not) unless they had the blessing of the IP holder (Atari).  

Reply #17 Top

Brad asked randomly in a post the other day if folks would like to see a SD developed game in the SC2 universe.  Also worth noting that Brad has, according to Wikipedia, tried to buy the franchise from Atari in the past.

So that's my guess. 

Reply #18 Top

Heh, hopefully the new StarControl starts off with "I awoke from a bad dream about the Hegemonic Crux, eternal ones and Daktaklakpak"

 

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Reply #19 Top

Different question.  Does anyone know who holds the rights to "Alien Legacy" that Sierra released back in 1994?

Reply #20 Top

Quoting LORD-ORION, reply 18

Heh, hopefully the new StarControl starts off with "I awoke from a bad dream about the Hegemonic Crux, eternal ones and Daktaklakpak"

 

One can only hope.

Reply #21 Top

Unfortunate that Uber Entertainment did not get the Total Annihilation franchise. But it should be very exciting to see new games being developed now that Atari's cold dead hands have been pried off of some of those IPs.

Reply #22 Top

Quoting LORD-ORION, reply 18

Heh, hopefully the new StarControl starts off with "I awoke from a bad dream about the Hegemonic Crux, eternal ones and Daktaklakpak"

 

It won't be a continuation but more akin to a revisit (ala XCOM using Star Control 2 as the inspiration and start back before the earthlings were in any kind of slave shield).  We'll be talking more about our plans as we go forward.    

We won't be making any changes to the existing Star Control games.  And Atari doesn't actually own the copyright on Star Control 1/2 so it's not like one could make a Star Control 2 HD or what have you without a license from Paul Reiche.  And even if we did have rights to SC 1/2 I wouldn't touch them without his blessing.

I think what most Star Control fans are looking for is a new Star Control game where the inspiration comes from Star Control 2. They want a game with fun, adventure and top down ship battles like in Star Control 2 that all play within a fun sci fi universe.  Preferably one with Ur-Quan and Spathi and lots of insults. :)
 

Reply #23 Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 22

I think what most Star Control fans are looking for is a new Star Control game where the inspiration comes from Star Control 2. They want a game with fun, adventure and top down ship battles like in Star Control 2 that all play within a fun sci fi universe.  
 

This sounds just fine. 

Reply #24 Top

Quoting BernieTime, reply 19

Different question.  Does anyone know who holds the rights to "Alien Legacy" that Sierra released back in 1994?

Either Activision which took over Sierra or Sega which absorbed the bulk of THQ... Some IP's could have been shifted around, that's why I included Sega...

Reply #25 Top

Well, I do know for certain that Homeworld was the IP they wanted but didn't win, Gearbox got that prize. Rather disappointed by that.